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What ACSI is

ACSI is an Australian Christian organisation determined to tell all Australians that there is a body of Australian Christians who support Israel.

There are many reasons why Christians might be pro-Israel. Most pro-Israel Christians - and ACSI's leadership is united in this - believe Christians should support and comfort the Jewish people, as per Isaiah 40:1 and a myriad of other verses. (For a short position paper on the theological reasons why Christians should support Israel, click here.)

Other reasons for Christians to be pro-Israel include:

• The acceptance of collective responsibility for almost 2,000 years of church-sponsored anti-Semitism, which culminated in near universal silence by the church during the Holocaust (Click here to learn more about this issue).
• The realisation by Christians that Israel has done and is doing more to protect the human and civil rights of Christians (and Muslims) than any other Middle Eastern country. This is amply demonstrated by the growing Christian population in Israel, as contrasted with the Christian population of the Palestinian Authority, which has been plummeting ever since Palestinian self-rule began in 1994 (Click here for details).
• The acknowledgement that in the hundred years of the Arab-Israel conflict, Israel has, in the vast majority of occasions, been the higher moral actor and that Israel's enemies have generally acted against Israel, whereas Israel has generally reacted in defence.

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What ACSI isn't

ACSI isn't a replacement of other pro-Israel Christian organisations. Rather, ACSI seeks to play a role not filled by these organisations - to be a voice in the church and to the Jewish community. Other Australian Christian pro-Israel organisations play an important role educating Australian Christians as to why they should support Israel from a theological perspective, and how Christians can support Israel by travelling there and/or helping financially through charities.

ACSI isn't confused between the divine, which includes the promise that once Israel was re-established for the second time, it would never again be destroyed (as promised in Isaiah 11 and Amos 9 and fulfilled on May 14, 1948), and the earthly. That is to say, ACSI understands that Israel is ruled by humans and, like all human leadership, Israel's leadership makes mistakes - both in the domestic scene and in the context of the Arab-Israel conflict. ACSI will thus defend Israel's right to exist in peace and security, and will defend Israel when she is criticised unreasonably, but does not feel the need to defend Israel 'right or wrong,' as some mistakenly do.

ACSI isn't a missionary group. ACSI's position on this subject is here.

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How to get involved

There are numerous opportunities for Christians to help Israel, from speaking up for Israel when she is defamed, to praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122), to financially supporting pro-Israel Christian or Jewish organisations and more. The best way to help Israel is to learn about issues relevant to pro-Israel Christians. To do so, come to a regular ACSI event. To learn more, e-mail ACSI by clicking here.