Category: Focus on Israel

UK pastor calls on church to speak up for Israel. by Charles Gardner. The silence of the Church in the wake of the exponential rise of global antisemitism has been “deafening”, a UK pastor has said. Dr Thomas Fretwell was being interviewed on Revelation TV for Simon Barrett’s Middle East Report. Pastor of Calvary Chapel […]

Brave Bonhoeffer remembered 80 years after his martyrdom. by Charles Gardner. With the 80th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s martyrdom on April 9th, the fresh challenge to Christian faith posed by a new movie on the great man continues unabated. I have now been alerted to a paper1 about the German theologian who stood up to […]

A man who laid down his life for Jesus, and for the Jews. by Charles Gardner. A new movie focusing on a Christian pastor who stood up to the Nazis over their persecution of the Jewish people has been described by its director as a love story. Todd Komarnicki, who has previously worked with Clint […]

Brave Bonhoeffer challenges Christian indifference. by Charles Gardner. When the Jews of ancient Persia were threatened with genocide, they were mercifully rescued by one of their own. But Queen Esther’s bravery was inspired by her guardian Mordecai, whose challenge was both direct and severe: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance […]

As UK Jews wonder if they have a future here, it emerges that their 1290 banishment has never been rescinded. by Charles Gardner. The Jews of England have been living with an edict of expulsion hanging over their heads for over 700 years. And the fateful meeting of Parliament that sealed the deal for such […]

Young UK Christians succumb to media bias on Israel. by Charles Gardner. LONDON, February 20, 2025 – A shocking new survey has revealed a significant proportion of young British Christians hold antisemitic views. An independent academic study of more than 2,000 Christians of all ages across the UK also found that one-third believe Jewish people […]

New Covenant promise is primarily for the Jewish people. by Charles Gardner. DONCASTER, February 17, 2025 – This is the story of a very gifted Jewish boy whose grandparents fled the pogroms of Russia to seek freedom in America. Yet although Robert Zimmerman (aka Bob Dylan) came to write many ‘freedom’ songs, he didn’t exactly […]

Why is it that Christians on either side of the ‘pond’ are poles apart on Israel? by Charles Gardner. With the geopolitical and spiritual tectonic plates in the Middle East shaking as never before, are we about to see similar moves in the West, especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s radical reforms? The woke […]

But hope rises in the wake of dark memories. by Charles Gardner. Sharing Holocaust Memorial Day with a talk I gave in Stoke-on-Trent – famous for its potteries – reminded me of the Scripture that describes us as having treasure in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:71). The Apostle Paul was of course referring to […]

Why not emulate British adventurer’s mountaintop focus? by Charles Gardner. The Jewish people are clearly going through a testing time somewhat akin to Yeshua’s walk through the wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days and was tempted by the devil. The Wilderness where Yeshua was tempted. (Photo Charles Gardner) It also echoed the experience of […]