By Abigail Sanchez-Aguilar —
Nowadays, the word “Zionist” is a bad word akin to “Nazi” or “racist.”
But worship leader Carine Bassili has no qualms about lavishing her praise music with it. “The word Zion is written over 152 times (in the Bible), and in Psalm 132, Zion refers to Jerusalem as the place God chose for his presence,” she says.
The kicker? Carine was born in Lebanon, a place being pounded by Israel’s IDF right now. Hezbollah is using its base in Lebanon to launch attacks against Israel. Lebanon historically has opposed the Jewish state. The term “Zionist” means you recognize Israel’s right to the land. The term has become a way excuse antisemitism: I’m not antisemitic; I’m anti-Zionist.
Under the guise of “anti-Zionist,” the woke crowd in America is currently stalking, intimidating, harrassing, humiliating and even beating Jews, especially in New York. But Carine is not afraid of the controversy.
She’s not alone among Lebanese. “I want to bless Israel as a Lebanese even like having support of churches from Lebanon who are backing me up,” she says.
Due to the Book of Psalms, abundant worship songs incorporate themes of Israel and Zion (a synonym for Jerusalem in the Bible). But many of these songs were penned when the word Zion wasn’t radioactive like today.
The fact that a Lebanese worship leader indulges in the Zion poetry is a significant pushback against current antisemitism. This antisemitism is even creeping into the church, fueled by conservative voices hating on Israel (Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, for example).
“How is it becoming an evil place when God himself loved this place?” says Carine, who allowed scripture to prevail over culture. “In Psalm 87 it says the Lord loved the gate of Zion. There’s all these scriptures connecting to God’s heart for this place.
“The Bible says that God will bless those who bless Israel,” she adds. “As Christians, we’re supposed to love our enemies. We fight this battle in the Spirit.”
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