'GOD TV' Shows Problems between Israel and Evangelicals
2020-05-21
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1An evangelical broadcaster with a contract to air Christian programs in Israel is now at risk of being shut down.
2The reason? Some accuse the channel of trying to get Jews to become Christians.
3The channel, called "GOD TV," has put both Israel and its evangelical Christian supporters in a difficult position.
4It has also shown tensions between the two groups that have long been ignored.
5American evangelical Christians are strong supporters of Israel.
6They see Israel as a predictor of the second coming of Jesus Christ and the end of time.
7Israel has long accepted evangelicals' political and financial support.
8The religious group's importance in the United States has risen during the presidency of Donald Trump.
9Israel usually does not worry about any possible hidden goal the group has to convert Jewish people.
10Most Jews see any effort to convert them to Christianity as deeply offensive.
11They compare such efforts to the thousands of years of persecution by Christian rulers.
12Because of this, most evangelicals rarely try to convert Jews.
13"GOD TV" is an international Christian broadcaster.
14In March, it signed a seven-year agreement with HOT, Israel's main cable provider.
15It described itself as making shows for Christians and began airing programs about three weeks ago.
16"GOD TV" is known as "Shelanu" in Israel.
17It broadcasts in the Hebrew language, even though most Christians in Israel speak Arabic.
18Ahead of the channel's launch, "GOD TV" head Ward Simpson made a video announcement.
19In it, critics say, he spoke of the channel's real goal: to convert Jews to Christianity.
20Simpson said God was letting him take Christianity into the home of Jews.
21"They'll watch secretly, they'll watch quietly," he said.
22"God is removing the blindness from their eyes."
23That video has since been taken down.
24In a later video, Simpson admitted that "GOD TV" was under investigation by Israeli officials.
25He apologized for any offensive words and said "GOD TV" would follow all the rules.
26Israel's Communications Ministry said it was investigating a problem with the permission to broadcast that "GOD TV" received in March.
27HOT said it was not responsible for the broadcasts and has been completely open with Israeli officials during the investigation.
28Freedom of religion is an important part of Israeli law.
29Proselytizing - or trying to get people to join a religion or cause - is permitted as long as the efforts do not involve money or people under the age of 18.
30"GOD TV" was founded in Britain in 1995.
31It has grown into a 24-hour network with offices in several countries.
32It claims to reach 300 million homes worldwide.
33Simpson has denied trying to convert Jews to Christianity.
34But he also said Jews who accept Jesus as the messiah can continue to practice their faith.
35He was talking about Messianic Jews, popularly known as "Jews for Jesus."
36All major Jewish groups reject Messianic Jews.
37Israel considers them to be converts to another religion.
38"There's no such thing really as the Messianic movement," said Rabbi Tovia Singer.
39He leads an organization that works to stop missionary activity aimed at Jews.
40Singer said Simpson's willingness to speak openly about conversion demonstrates the growing influence of evangelical Christians in both Israel and the United States.
41Simpson said "GOD TV" has no plans to go off the air in Israel.
42"We love Israel," he said.
43I'm Susan Shand.
1An evangelical broadcaster with a contract to air Christian programs in Israel is now at risk of being shut down. 2The reason? Some accuse the channel of trying to get Jews to become Christians. 3The channel, called "GOD TV," has put both Israel and its evangelical Christian supporters in a difficult position. It has also shown tensions between the two groups that have long been ignored. 4American evangelical Christians are strong supporters of Israel. They see Israel as a predictor of the second coming of Jesus Christ and the end of time. 5Israel has long accepted evangelicals' political and financial support. The religious group's importance in the United States has risen during the presidency of Donald Trump. Israel usually does not worry about any possible hidden goal the group has to convert Jewish people. 6Most Jews see any effort to convert them to Christianity as deeply offensive. They compare such efforts to the thousands of years of persecution by Christian rulers. Because of this, most evangelicals rarely try to convert Jews. 7"GOD TV" is an international Christian broadcaster. In March, it signed a seven-year agreement with HOT, Israel's main cable provider. It described itself as making shows for Christians and began airing programs about three weeks ago. 8"GOD TV" is known as "Shelanu" in Israel. It broadcasts in the Hebrew language, even though most Christians in Israel speak Arabic. 9Ahead of the channel's launch, "GOD TV" head Ward Simpson made a video announcement. In it, critics say, he spoke of the channel's real goal: to convert Jews to Christianity. 10Simpson said God was letting him take Christianity into the home of Jews. "They'll watch secretly, they'll watch quietly," he said. "God is removing the blindness from their eyes." 11That video has since been taken down. 12In a later video, Simpson admitted that "GOD TV" was under investigation by Israeli officials. He apologized for any offensive words and said "GOD TV" would follow all the rules. 13Israel's Communications Ministry said it was investigating a problem with the permission to broadcast that "GOD TV" received in March. HOT said it was not responsible for the broadcasts and has been completely open with Israeli officials during the investigation. 14Freedom of religion is an important part of Israeli law. Proselytizing - or trying to get people to join a religion or cause - is permitted as long as the efforts do not involve money or people under the age of 18. 15"GOD TV" was founded in Britain in 1995. It has grown into a 24-hour network with offices in several countries. It claims to reach 300 million homes worldwide. 16Simpson has denied trying to convert Jews to Christianity. But he also said Jews who accept Jesus as the messiah can continue to practice their faith. He was talking about Messianic Jews, popularly known as "Jews for Jesus." 17All major Jewish groups reject Messianic Jews. Israel considers them to be converts to another religion. 18"There's no such thing really as the Messianic movement," said Rabbi Tovia Singer. He leads an organization that works to stop missionary activity aimed at Jews. 19Singer said Simpson's willingness to speak openly about conversion demonstrates the growing influence of evangelical Christians in both Israel and the United States. 20Simpson said "GOD TV" has no plans to go off the air in Israel. 21"We love Israel," he said. 22I'm Susan Shand. 23The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26evangelical - adj. being in agreement with the Christian gospel as it is presented in the New Testament 27convert - v. to change from one religion, belief, political party, etc., to another 28persecution - n. to treat (someone) cruelly or unfairly especially because of race or religious or political beliefs 29cable - adj. a long wires that delivers television programming in to the home, rather than over the airwaves 30proselytize - v. to try to persuade people to join a religion, cause, or group 31missionary - adj. a person who is sent to a foreign country to do religious work 32messiah - n. In Judaism, it is a king who will be sent by God to save the Jews. In Christianity, it refers to Jesus Christ.