LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – Four leading biblical thinkers took the platform for a panel discussion at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to consider how Christians should think upon the recent attacks in Israel. The panel, hosted by Andrew Walker, included Albert Mohler, Ayman Ibrahim and Thomas Schreiner.
Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7. The attacks have led to daily battles between Israeli forces and Hamas. So far, 1,300 Israelis have been killed, according to Israeli officials. More than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed, according to officials in Gaza.
“Israel has had to fight for its existence from the very beginning. It has to fight for its existence every day,” said Mohler, president of SBTS.
“This is a test they’re going to have to win or they will not survive.”
Ibrahim spoke about the historical significance of the attacks by Hamas and the Israeli response.
“Israel never declared a state of war for the last 50 years until now. So, this is a big event, and I don’t think this war will be a two-day war. It’ll continue for some time,” he said.
Ibrahim is a professor of Islamic studies and the director of the Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam at SBTS.
“For Hamas, Islam is not only a religion but a political power,” Ibrahim said. “That’s why they want the political part.”
The discussion featured a dialogue between Schreiner and Mohler on the eschatological weight of the current events in Israel.
The scholars discussed differing viewpoints across the evangelical landscape and admitted there are various views of the significance of events within Southern Baptist theological circles.
In the end, Mohler believes Christians should view the conflict with a discerning eye.
“I believe that it’s [Israel] a providential nation in the sense of the preservation of the Jewish people for God’s redemptive purposes in the age to come. And so is there a permanent distinction? Not in terms of grace, but I still believe that there is a privileged position and understanding the priority and sequence of God’s redemptive purposes when we talk about the book of Hebrews, Moses and Abraham and Jacob,” Mohler said.
The chapel service can be viewed here.
