Evangelical Statement in Support of Israel & Economy’s Negative Impact on Churches

A statement has been released by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission called the Evangelical Statement in Support of Israel condemning the attacks on Israel, calling on Christians to pray for Israelis and Palestinians and urging policymakers to use their power to protect innocent life in the Middle East. The statement bears the signatures of dozens of pastors, SBC entity and state convention leaders and leaders of various Christian organizations.

Leatherwood said the statement is meant to present a unified front against the attacks waged by Hamas on Israel beginning on Oct. 7.

More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed since Saturday, according to The Associated Press, and more than 1,050 Palestinians have died. Thousands have been injured by the gunfighting, rocket attacks and ongoing battles. More than 100 were kidnapped by Hamas militants over the weekend.

The statement urges policy leaders to “use their power to take all forms of terrorism seriously and call governments and civil authorities to confront evil work to prevent future attacks so that the innocent and vulnerable will be protected.”

People are invited to sign on to the statement at the ERLC website.

“We must pray without ceasing for the families who have and continue to suffer from this attack,” Leatherwood said.

“We pray that no additional innocent life be taken as Israel rightfully defends itself from this horror.”
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As churches continue to navigate economic challenges in the United States, many pastors say the economy is still harming their churches as giving fails to keep up with inflation.

A Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors found 50 percent say the current economy is negatively impacting their churches. Meanwhile, 40 percent say the economic circumstances aren’t having an effect. Fewer than 1 in 10 (8 percent) say the current economy is a positive factor for their churches.

Only twice in the study’s 15-year history – in 2018 and 2019 – were pastors more likely to say the economy was having a positive impact than a negative one.

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