John Hagee

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John Hagee is a the president and senior pastor of the evangelical Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, the founder of the Evangelism Television (GETV) corporation, and the founder CEO of the Christian-Zionist lobbying organization Christians United for Israel. Often referred to as a "mega-church," Cornerstone is often marketed as having 19,000 members.[1] Hagee is considered the most prominent living figure of the religious Right in the US and gained widespread attention when he supported John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. CUFI executive director David Brog admits that Hagee brought CUFI into existence with "[Jerry] Fallwell's active assistance."[2]

Views

The Holocaust

<youtube size="tiny" align="right" caption="Hagee's views on the Holocaust">3EFVNrjOpJA</youtube> In 2008 John McCain rejected Hagee's endorsement for his presidential candidacy after initially accepting it when it was discovered that in 1999 Hagee had publicly interpreted a biblical passage as evidence that Hitler's Holocaust was justified because it was part of God's plan to encourage world Jewry to settle in Israel.

"Then god sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter. And the Bible says -- Jeremiah writing -- 'They shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and from the holes of the rocks,' meaning there's no place to hide. And that might be offensive to some people but don't let your heart be offended. I didn't write it, Jeremiah wrote it. It was the truth and it is the truth. How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel.[3]

After public scrutiny of his comments Hagee publicly apologized for the "pain" they had caused in a letter to the Anti-Defamation League, but never admitted that they were incorrect.[4]

The Catholic Church

Hagee has also apologized for calling the Catholic Church a "great whore" but has never rejected the premise of his argument.

Wielding a pointer, he pokes at the image of a woman with Pamela Anderson-sized breasts, her hand raising a golden chalice. The woman is “the Great Whore,” Mr. Hagee explains, and she is drinking “the blood of the Jewish people.” That’s because the Great Whore represents “the Roman Church,” which, in his view, has thirsted for Jewish blood throughout history, from the Crusades to the Holocaust.[5]

Hurricane Katrina

In 2008 Hagee claimed that the people of New Orleans were forced to endure Hurricane Katrina because God was punishing them for their sins.[6] Hagee apologized for the comments but never retracted them:

On Tuesday, Hagee refused to disavow those comments. He told talk radio show host Dennis Prager, "What happened in New Orleans looked like the curse of God... . It was a city that was planning a sinful conduct.[7]

Israeli Settlement Expansion

Lobbying US congress to support Israeli settlement expansion particularly in Jerusalem is one of the key goals of CUFI.[8] Christian Zionists believe that the Jewish people's return to the "holy land" is a prerequisite for the return of the Messiah. This belief is often criticized for what it entails -- after Armageddon hits the earth God will accept all deserving Christians into heaven. Jews that have not converted to Christianity will then perish with all other non-Christians:

but the so-called “restorationist’’ Protestant concern for Jews was not truly friendly. Rather, the restored Jews were only to be instruments of the final triumph of Christianity. Jews again in Israel would be faced with the choice of conversion or damnation.[9]

Hagee has a building named after him in the illegal Israeli settlement[10] of Ariel, in the West Bank[11], and donates to pro-settler groups.[12] According to Hagee:

“Israel exists because of a covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 3,500 years ago — and that covenant still stands...World leaders do not have the authority to tell Israel and the Jewish people what they can and cannot do in the city of Jerusalem.[13]

Books

  • The Invasion of Demons (1973)
  • Like a cleansing fire (1974)
  • The Beginning of the End (1996)
  • Day of Deception (1997)
  • Final Dawn Over Jerusalem (1998)
  • His Glory Revealed (1999)
  • From Daniel to Doomsday: The Countdown Has Begun (1999)
  • God's Two-Minute Warning (2000)
  • The Revelation of Truth (2000)
  • The Battle For Jerusalem (2001)
  • Attack On America New York, Jerusalem, And The Role Of Terrorism In The Last Days (2001)
  • Avenger of Blood (2002)
  • The Life Plan Study Bible: God's Keys to Personal Success (2004) - Editor
  • The Seven Secrets: Unlocking Genuine Greatness (2004)
  • Life Lessons to Live By: 52 Weeks of God's Keys to Personal Success (2005)
  • Jerusalem Countdown (2005)
  • What Every Man Wants In a Woman/What Every Woman Wants In a Man (2005) - Co-authored with wife, Diana Hagee.
  • In Defense of Israel (2007)
  • Financial Armageddon (2008)

Affiliations

Notes

  1. ↑ Neil Rubin, "Jewish Leader of Evangelicals", 'Baltimore 'Jewish Times, 28 July 2010
  2. ↑ David Brog, All Roads Lead to Jerusalem: The True Legacy of Dr. Jerry Falwell, OpEdNews, 1 June 2007
  3. ↑ Sam Stein, "McCain Backer Hagee Said Hitler Was Fulfilling God's Will (AUDIO", Huffington Post, 21 May 2008
  4. ↑ Laurie Goodstein, "Hagee Clarifies Holocaust Comments", New York Times, 13 June 2008
  5. ↑ Frank Rich, "The All-White Elephant in the Room", New York Times, 4 May 2008
  6. ↑ Glenn Greenwald, "Some hateful, radical ministers -- white evangelicals -- are acceptable", Salon, 28 February 2008
  7. ↑ Don Frederick, "McCain backer John Hagee tempers Hurricane Katrina comments", Los Angeles Times, 26 April 2008
  8. ↑ CUFI Email Template, "Urge President Obama to end Crisis with Israel", CUFI Website, accessed on 7 September 2010
  9. ↑ JAMES CARROLL, "Onward, Christian Zionists", Boston Globe, 23 August 2010
  10. ↑ BBC, [ "Jewish settlers in West Bank building curb protest"], BBC News, 9 December 2009
  11. ↑ Eric Westervelt, "Israeli Settlement Seeks Protection", NPR, accessed on 7 September 2010
  12. ↑ Richard Silverstein, "HAGEE’S GIFTS TO PRO-SETTLER GROUPS", Tikun Olam, 12 February 2010
  13. ↑ JIM RUTENBERG, MIKE McINTIRE and ETHAN BRONNER, "Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in West Bank", New York Times, 5 July 2010
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