by Jim Fletcher

When superstar Christian author Donald Miller leveled a host of unsubstantiated charges against Israel in a blog post November 21 (www.storylineblog.com), many Evangelicals were caught off guard.

After all, how could “one of them” attack Israel in such a fashion and seemingly maintain his status among, primarily, 20-somethings? Miller’s post didn’t catch the members of a recent delegation to Israel off guard. A trend among younger Christians to identify with the Palestinians was one of the reasons a unique group met at a picturesque kibbutz resort outside Jerusalem.

Dubbed the Jerusalem Consultation on the Mainline Protestant Churches and the State of Israel, the meeting, held November 5-8, featured pro-Israel activists from around the world, including Assyrian and Coptic Christians, European pastors and Umar Mulinde, the Ugandan pastor burned in an acid attack outside his church in Kampala on Christmas eve, 2011.

The consultation was considered a breakthrough in the sharing of ideas and experiences and networking opportunities. Organized by Dr. Petra Heldt of The Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity, and Alan Schneider, director of B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem, the consultation featured addresses from the attendees and tours of the country...more.

by Raphael Ahren

Protestant clergymen painted a largely pessimistic view of the church’s relationship with Israel and the Jewish community during a  visit to the Holy Land, suggesting that anti-Semitism is a deep-seated problem based in Christian theology that will be difficult to uproot...

Some 20 pro-Israel Christian pastors, laymen and activists from across the globe gathered this week in a hotel outside Jerusalem to discuss anti-Israel attitudes that have typified Mainline Protestant Churches over the past decades. According to B’nai B’rith World Center, the three-day consultation aimed to build bridges between Israel and the Protestant denominations, and “to help change the biased positions they have adopted regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”

Cheryl Hancock speaks with Alan Schneider, director of the B'nai B'rith World Center - Jerusalem.  Listen below:

by Jeremy Sharon

The B'nai B'rith organization along with The Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel kicked off a joint conference on Monday night focused on countering anti-Israel sentiment within the large Protestant churches around the world. According to Alan Schneider, director of the B'nai B'rith World Center in Jerusalem, protestant churches have over the past two decades become increasingly aligned against Israel.

This trend was forcefully underlined in October when 15 senior leaders of mainline Protestant churches in America sent a letter to Congress last month calling for an investigation and possible suspension of US military aid to Israel...more.