WHTT Podcasts

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), A Christian Voice for Palestine, presents Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac: "Empty calls for peace without a ceasefire and end to the occupation, and the shallow words of empathy without direct action, are all under the banner of complicity." Rev. Munther Isaac is on an eight-city speaking tour sponsored by FOSNA. This talk is his address at the Claremont Presbyterian Church in Claremont, CA on August 8, 2024. Rev. Munther addresses the silence of many U.S. churches in the face of genocide and Christian Zionism's support of apartheid in the West Bank and Gaza.

Rev. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian pastor and theologian. He now serves the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College and director of the highly acclaimed and influential "Christ at the Checkpoint" conferences.

During the genocide in Gaza, Munther gained global attention for his sermon, "Christ under the Rubble," which was heard by tens of millions of people and subsequently quoted in South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. He has appeared on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, MSNBC, CBS, TRT, and Democracy Now! Munther is passionate about issues related to Palestinian theology. He speaks locally and internationally and has published numerous articles on the theology of the land, Palestinian Christians, holistic mission, and reconciliation. He is the author of "The Other Side of the Wall," "From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth," "An Introduction to Palestinian Theology" (in Arabic), a commentary on the book of Daniel (in Arabic), and more recently a book on women's ordination, also in Arabic. He is a Kairos Palestine board member involved in many reconciliation and interfaith forums. Munther originally studied civil engineering at Birzeit University in Palestine. He then obtained a Master in Biblical Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

When two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel witness the brutal way Israel treats Palestinians, their lives take sharp left turns. They join a movement of young American Jews battling the old guard to redefine Judaism’s relationship with Israel, revealing a deepening generational divide over modern Jewish identity. "ISRAELISM" is directed by two first-time Jewish filmmakers who share a similar story to the film’s protagonists. The documentary uniquely explores how Jewish attitudes towards Israel are changing dramatically, with massive consequences for the region and for Judaism itself.

Rich Siegel was raised Jewish and was an ardent Zionist growing up who became the president of a student Zionist organization. He moved to Israel in his twenties and worked there for a while. A job offer brought him back to the US and led him to ultimately reject Zionism and become an activist for peace and justice for Palestinians. In 2008, Rich led a We Hold These Truths' Project Strait Gate vigil in Paramus, NJ assisted by Chuck Carlson, founder of WHTT. You will find Rich's journey out of Zionism remarkable and inspiring. You can read his article. "On Gaza & Being Jewish" (Here). Also, more about Rich is on our website. (Here)

Israel's genocidal war on the Palestinians in Gaza has renewed support among Christian Zionist churches. They are holding special events to support Israel. Evangelical churches that are not overtly Christian Zionist from the pulpit are unwilling to hold prayer sessions for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza. They might be accused of supporting Hamas and upset those Christian Zionists/Super Patriots in their congregation who might be offended and cut their tithes or leave. Chris, Craig, and Tom from We Hold These Truths discuss and show examples of this phenomenon like Franklin Graham's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel to pledge his undying support. Never mind the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza.

Regis Tremblay of Dateline News & Conversations interviewed Tom Compton of We Hold These Truths on Christian Zionism. With over 23,000 Palestinians murdered in Gaza at this point, the situation is becoming a human catastrophe there while American churches are silent, for the most part, in calling for peace and a cease-fire in Gaza. Learn why this is so in this interview.

Tom met Regis in 2013 when he hosted a film showing of Regis' remarkable documentary, The Ghosts of Jeju in Phoenix, AZ. Regis describes his film: "This is my award-winning, blockbuster film about the people of Jeju Island, S. Korea who had been protesting the construction of a large naval base in the village of Gangjeong to accommodate Obama's "pivot to Asia." Now completed, it has destroyed this pristine, UNESCO-protected environment as well as the livelihoods of the farmers and fishermen who have lived there for 500 years. What I discovered was shocking! The US Government of Korea which occupied S. Korea at the end of WWII, feared a peasant uprising against this occupation and rose up against it in massive protests. Fearing a "communist" uprising, the US military organized, trained, armed, and commanded a militia of Koreans and ordered a crackdown on these unarmed peasants. From 1946-47, as many as 50,000 peasants were massacred in what was essentially a free-fire zone on the entire island.

Palestinian Pastor Munther Ishaq of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem was interviewed by Katie Hallper and Aaron Matte of the Useful Idiots on January 4, 2024, and revealed how Palestinian Christians are being ignored for the most part by Christians in the US.  Pastor Munther's video "Look for Jesus Under the Rubble in Gaza" went viral and exposed people to the reality of what is going on with the genocide in Gaza. In this interview, Pastor Munther reveals that the conflict is not about religion as the Israeli government and the mainstream media tell us. The irony of this interview is that the interviewers are Jewish with a genuine heart for peace and justice for the Palestinians. Any Christian who watches this and is not affected by this must have a heart of stone. What will you do with this information? Tell other people or hide it under a bushel?

Pastor Munther Ishaq beside his Christ in the rubble Nativity scene.

This video was made 14 years ago when We Hold These Truths held a vigil at the Christians United For Israel (CUFI) "Night to Honor Israel" event in Phoenix, AZ. Back then attendees interviewed told us they supported the wars in the Middle East to protect Israel. Nothing has changed since then, Zionised Christians still believe that wars are necessary to protect Israel. After the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel when they broke out of the world's largest open-air prison the rhetoric has now changed to "We must eradicate the evil Hamas". Of course, there is no concern by Israeli supporters about the now over 19,000 Palestinians that have been killed by Israel's vindictive siege on Gaza. About 70% of the victims are innocent women and children. To prove their continued support for Israel, Cornerstone Church led by John Hagee held on October 22, 2023, a "Night to Honor Israel" event described in the article "A San Antonio Megachurch Plays an Outsized Role in Supporting Israel's War Efforts" in the Texas Monthly.  

This is quite a remarkable story, With the support of the Fresno mayor, Israeli activists were allowed to raise the Israeli flag in Eaton Park. Palestinian activists took up the challenge with help  from a Fresno City Councilman were allowed to raise the Palestinian flag as reported from GVWIRE:  Fresno City Council Members Clash Over Palestinian Flag Raising at City Park

Around the world, Christians will celebrate the birth of Jesus in 2023 pretty much as they have in the past. But in Bethlehem, there will be no community Christmas celebrations. Munther Ishaq, pastor of a Lutheran church in Bethlehem, Palestine explains: "Christmas is the solidarity of God with those who are oppressed, with those who are suffering. and if Jesus is to be born again this time, this year, He will be born in Gaza under the rubble in solidarity with the people of Gaza."