“Christian Coalition Launches Declaration Against Kairos II Document Following Church of England Vote”

A coalition of Christian pastors, theologians, and lay leaders has launched a public declaration rejecting a Palestinian Christian document that the Church of England’s General Synod voted to “hear” and engage with, despite strong opposition from Jewish communities. This declaration, titled “Declaration Against Kairos II,” urges Christians worldwide to reject what it describes as theological distortions that harm Jewish-Christian relations. The coalition invites Christians to support this declaration by adding their names.

The declaration responds to a document called “A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide,” also known as Kairos II, produced by the Palestinian Christian movement Kairos Palestine. This document characterizes Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide and describes Israel as a colonial, apartheid state. The coalition opposing Kairos II has accused it of using “inaccurate, one-sided, and dangerous rhetoric.”

The coalition asserts that upon reading and consideration, they cannot endorse Kairos II in a Christian context and explicitly reject it. They argue that the document does not serve the interests of Palestinian Christians and hinders the cause of peace. It is claimed that the document fails to acknowledge the root causes of pain in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, commonly referred to as the West Bank. The coalition contends that the language in Kairos II is acerbic and seems to rationalize and justify the atrocities of Palestinian terror factions on October 7, 2023, which have had devastating consequences.

Furthermore, the coalition argues that the document falsely and without substantiation accuses Israel of genocide in its war on Hamas and terror factions in Gaza. The General Synod, meeting in York, voted by a wide margin to “hear” the document, rather than “receive” it as originally proposed. Following strong opposition from Jewish leaders, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, clarified that hearing documents like Kairos II does not imply agreement with their content.

Regan King, a London pastor who helped initiate the Declaration Against Kairos II, expressed astonishment at the Synod’s decision to give the document any hearing. He argued that this decision represents a departure from the Church of England’s historical tradition of support for Jewish people, associated with figures like William Wilberforce. The Declaration Against Kairos II affirms that biblical covenant promises to the Jewish people are enduring and states that Israel has a right to self-defense against terrorism. It rejects any theology that excuses attacks on Israel or denies the historical significance of Jewish people.

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