Rev. Paula White tops new list of Israel’s ‘Top 50 Christian Allies’
White is the advisor to the White House on Faith & Opportunity Initiatives.
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANU.S. President Donald Trump closes his eyes as Pastor Paula White leads a prayer at a dinner hosted by the Trumps to honor evangelical leadership in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. August 27, 2018(photo credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)
The Israel Allies Foundation on Thursday published its list of the “Top 50 Christian Allies” in honor of Sukkot.The list is topped by Rev. Paula White, the adviser to the White House on Faith & Opportunity Initiatives. She is also the chair of the evangelical advisory board in President Donald Trump’s administration.The names were released this week, ahead of Sukkot, because many Christians are especially connected to the Feast of Tabernacles, their name for the Jewish holiday. This connection comes from a verse in the Book of the Prophet Zecharia that describes a time when people from all the nations of the world come to the Holy City and celebrate and pray together at the foot of the Temple Mount.“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles,” it says in Zecharia 14:16.Zecharia is read in synagogues on Sukkot.Most years, tens of thousands of Evangelical Christians flock to Israel for Sukkot events, including a special Feast of Tabernacles celebration hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. This year, due to the shadow of coronavirus, the organization will be holding its event online.Others on the list include the head of Christians United for Israel, Pastor John Hagee (No. 4); M.G. “Pat” Robertson, founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network (No. 8); Mike Huckabee, governor of Arkansas, who is also a pastor and ran as the Republican presidential candidate in 2008 and 2016 (No. 9); Kay and Jack Arthur, the founders of Precept Ministries that “focuses on engaging people in relationship with God through knowing His Word” (No. 23); and Dr. Robert Stearns, founder and executive director of Eagles’ Wings (No. 24).Local leaders include Dr. Jurgen Buhler, President of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (No. 12); Rev. Rebecca J. Brimmer, International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace (No. 13); and Dr. Naim Khoury, founder of some of the largest Arab Churches in Israel and the Palestinian territories (No. 26).The Israel Allies Foundation is the umbrella organization that coordinates the work of 44 Israel Allies Caucuses around the world in order to mobilize political support for Israel based on shared Judeo-Christian values.The full list can be viewed online at https://israelallies.org/israels-top-50-christian-allies.
