What is happening in the Middle East? What are the implications of Israel's recent retaliation against Iran? We've asked our friend, Kevin Briggins, to come on and help us understand the situation. His background in Middle East Studies helps us differentiate between facts and fear.
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Part 1: Conversation with Kevin
Krista was flying solo tonight and was joined by guest co-host, Kevin Briggins. Many of our followers know Kevin as Monique’s co-host on the Off Code Podcast. Tonight, Kevin drew upon his 20+ year career as a Middle East analyst, holding a degree in Middle Eastern Studies and having taught classes on Middle Eastern culture.
Recap of the events that happened on October 7th:
Hamas, a terrorist organization and the established government in Gaza, breached the security wall into Israel and massacred approximately 1400 Israeli citizens and took approximately 250 citizens hostage back into Gaza
This attack led to a response from Israel, which has been ongoing and has become increasingly complicated
What are Israel’s goals? How would they know when the war is over?
Israel’s primary goal: destroy Hamas
They are unapologetic about eliminating the enemy and securing their nation; however, they understand that it may cost the lives of some hostages because they are unwilling to make negotiations with terrorists. Negotiations would only lead to monetizing their citizens and allowing the enemy to continue in their terrorism.
Is Israel’s goal realistic?
Israel cannot eliminate the hatred against them, but they can dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, such as destroying tunnels, weaponry, Hamas leadership, and so on
Challenges for Israel:
Not a “typical” war fought with uniformed military, airplanes, tanks, etc but is instead intertwined among innocent citizens with enemy weapons in hospitals and schools, and plain-clothed terrorists hidden among the public
Propaganda war—Hamas wants Israel to bomb the hospitals & schools so that Israel will look bad in the international community
What are the pros and cons of a ceasefire?
A ceasefire has no end goal; it is just a delay of the inevitable. The war has to happen in order to eradicate the enemy
What is going on with Iran’s involvement in the war?
Iran has been involved in the war since October 7th and even beforehand
Hamas is a proxy group/terrorist cell controlled by Iran
Is this really leading to WWIII?
In short: no!
The media is trying to sway public opinion and get people to believe that the US should stay out of the conflict and stop providing money
No other countries want to get involved to defend Iran and get in the middle of the fight between Palestine and Israel; countries like Russia and China have already released statements indicating their stance
Reminder: Not everyone thinks like us with “American ideals”, which often stem from a Judeo-Christian worldview, where there is a sense of compassion for suffering. Other nations may operate VERY differently and, therefore, must be addressed in ways that will ultimately eradicate evil (unfortunately, even at the expense of innocent life, for the greater good). In short, if the United States pulls back, there will be someone else who will come in to fill that power vacuum.
Part 2: Discussion about Title IX:
Title IX was amended to include gender identity; in other words, any person who identifies as a female can now have equal access and equal protection, rather than the protections being in place solely based upon sex
This is very concerning in terms of what it will mean for locker rooms, bathrooms, and girl’s and women’s sports
Sexual harassment and sexual discrimination can now include refusal to use a person’s preferred pronouns
Includes schools from kinder thru college
Goes into effect on August 1st, 2024
We will keep you updated on this topic! In the meantime, check out the Alliance Defending Freedom and Christian Educators:
https://adflegal.org/press-release/biden-wreaks-havoc-title-ix-threatens-future-womens-sports
Resources:
Krista and Monique’s book, Walking in Unity, is now available for pre-order! Be sure to check out the link and pre-order a copy for yourself, your pastor, and a friend!
We've been discussing the Middle East conflict in several previous episodes. To find the content across all our platforms (CFBU, Theology Mom, & ATT), check out the playlist, "Judaism, Israel, & Middle East Conflict" for all the recent episodes located in one place:
Come see us at the Unshaken Conference! The conference has 3 more stops this year! Check out the trailer and then click the link to register for the conference near you! Use the code FRIEND20 to get 20% off the ticket price!
Title IX resources:
Alliance Defending Freedom: https://adflegal.org/
Christian Educators: https://christianeducators.org/
Connect with the Guest:
Make sure to like and subscribe to the Off Code Podcast on YouTube, hosted by Kevin and Monique, where they discuss issues of the black community from a biblical perspective. This podcast is very educational and is for EVERYONE! Check it out:
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