LWCC and Israel
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”–Genesis 12:3, NIV
Living Word Christian Center has been heavily involved in support of Israel. One man with whom I spoke in 2011 commented that, because the Pastors teach about Israel and care about Israel from both a Biblical and political standpoint, almost everyone shares the Pastors’ support for Israel. His opinion was that one wouldn’t really be attracted to LWCC if they didn’t support Israel because it is emphasized in both sermon and church activity. Many LWCC members are involved in a 600,000 member national organization, called Christians United for Israel (CUFI). CUFI’s stated purpose is to “provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to Biblical issues.”1 CUFI’s national director is Pastor John Hagee of San Antonio’s Cornerstone Church, and the organization’s meteoric growth mirrors that of so many megachurches, starting from a few hundred members in 2006 to several hundred thousand in 2011.
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“Mission and Vision,” Christians United for Israel (Christians United for Israel, June 22, 2020), https://www.cufi.org/impact/about-us/mission-and-vision/.↩
Included in CUFI’s leadership hierarchy are both state and city directors, and Minnesota, as of 2011, had the highest number of city directors of any state in the nation, suggesting that CUFI is well represented in Minnesota, not just at LWCC. In affiliation with CUFI, LWCC has held several “Nights to Honor Israel,” in which Christians and Jews are meant to come together over dinner as “an expression of Christian solidarity with the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”2 Nights to Honor Israel typically draws hundreds of people, Christian and Jewish, to hear CUFI’s reasons for supporting Israel and to create further interest in CUFI’s pro-Israel activities. The purpose of the Night to Honor Israel is also to raise funds for a variety of charities and organizations. LWCC’s first two Nights to Honor Israel raised $237,154 for the Minneapolis Jewish Federation and the United Jewish Fund and Council of St. Paul. LWCC also sends a large contingent each summer to CUFI’s annual Washington Summit, during which thousands of CUFI members gather to talk about Israel and visit their congressional representatives. LWCC also sponsors an annual Israel tour in affiliation with CUFI Region 8, led both by Christian and Jewish members of CUFI and LWCC. The trip includes sights like Jerusalem, Masada, the Sea of Galilee, and Judea and Samaria, as the LWCC website states.
In addition to LWCC’s participation in CUFI’s national movement, LWCC supports additional pro-Israel organizations. LWCC supports the Olive Tree Bond, which allows individuals to sponsor an olive tree to be planted in Israel’s Megiddo Valley, “a prime location due to its significant biblical role,” for around $100.3 As of 2011, LWCC also participated in Israel’s Feed the Hungry Program and had donated nearly $200,000 to the cause. There are boxes in some of LWCC’s hallways that resemble brown letter drops in which people can donate to the “Israel Feed the Hungry” program.
