Dear friends:

This is an example of the lack of integrity and fairness among the political and religious left.  The other day, BBC radio blatantly lied to Israeli radio host Jeremy Gimpel, of "A Light Unto the Nations" on Israel National Radio.

A few weeks ago I reported the letter to President Bush signed by 34 Christian leaders who claim to be evangelical but who urged the President to force Israel to give up their God-given biblical land to Palestinian terrorists, creating a sanctioned terrorist state on their border and in their own ancient homeland.  This is in the biblical land of Judea and Samaria, from which Israel would find it even more difficult to defend itself.  This new state (where they never previously had a state) would be comprised of people and leaders who have consistently declared their clear goal to kill all Jews and destroy Israel.  Their specialties are poverty and violence, especially the killing of innocent women and children.  The whole idea is insane, although insanely promoted by President Bush, Secretary Rice, and Western leaders. This letter to President Bush is at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/us/evangelical_letter.html?ex=1189051200&en=b6ef63898e1b61a4&ei=5070

By the way, this letter was later refuted by a similar letter by an even more prestigious group of true evangelical leaders called Christians United for Israel, a national Christian grassroots movement focused on one issue: supporting Israel.

One of the 34 misguided signers was Pastor Joel Hunter of Central Florida.  He has a recent book titled "Right Wing, Wrong Bird," in which he is critical of Bible-believing Christians who are actively involved with what they sincerely believe are important biblical issues, the same as he is actively involved with criticizing them while at the same time actively supporting left-wing causes, such as global warming.  This inconsistency may bother you as it bothers me.

Israeli radio host Jeremy Gimpel challenged Pastor Hunter to debate the issue.  Hunter refused, then later changed his mind, agreeing to the left-wing National Public Radio (NPR) as the venue.  For some reason that did not work out and it was changed to the ultra-left-wing and anti-Israel BBC radio as the venue.  It was a setup and trap from the beginning, and naive Jeremy walked into it, but boldly and with God-given conviction, divine presence and power!

A 40-minute debate was held on BBC radio on about August 30.  Jeremy says that Hunter basically did not use Scripture to defend his position, but used such worldly sources as United Nations decrees -- and you know how the UN is almost unanimously anti-Israel and pro-Muslim, to the extreme.  The BBC interviewer was biased against Jeremy and inferred that he was only a fanatical Jewish fundamentalist, which to the secular radio audience, which did not know any better, belittled Jeremy's biblical arguments.

Nevertheless, articulate Jeremy felt that he was the overwhelming winner of the debate.

PROBLEM: Jeremy had previously asked BBC to pledge to give him a full tape of the debate so he could share it unedited with all his listeners around the world.  They agreed, and confirmed it later.  I have been waiting on it to be posted because it is a vital issue and I have been eager to hear what each person said.

After the debate, however, BBC reneged on their promise and refused to give him a tape.  Instead, BBC posted only a 4-minute version on their Web site, instead of the full 40-minute version.  Jeremy says that the 4-minute version highlights Hunter's part and minimizes his part.  This is gross injustice and unfairness.  BBC obviously did not want Jeremy's views heard.  In effect, they censored him for their own leftist political purposes.

Jeremy is very concerned about what he calls Pastor Hunter's lack of biblical knowledge and conviction, questioning whether he really knows what he believes.  I cannot address that, but I do know that promoting the abandonment of Israel to its terrorist enemies demonstrates an extremely flawed and dangerous biblical and world view.

You can listen to Jeremy's description of this travesty at http://www.israelnationalradio.com -- scroll down on the left to "A Light Unto the Nations" with Jeremy Gimpel & Ari Abramowitz.  Listen to "The BBC Scandal."  I do not know how long that will remain on the site.

I urge you to complain to BBC radio at http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make_complaint_step1.shtml, and urge them to make the full tape available to Jeremy.  No doubt they have it.

If you want to make your views known to Pastor Joel Hunter, his e-mail address is Joel.Hunter@northlandchurch.net.  He should be urged to pressure BBC to release the tape.

If you contact either, I urge you to be courteous and Christlike.  But do not hesitate to be share your views.

May God bless our Jewish friends Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz, and protect them and the land of Israel.

Jim