With God On Our Side looks at the theology of Christian Zionism, which teaches that Jews are God’s chosen people, and have a divine right to the land of Israel. Aspects of this belief lead some Christians in the West to give uncritical support to Israeli government policies. Some policies privilege Jews at the expense of Palestinians and lead to great suffering among Muslims and Christian Palestinians while threatening Israel’s security.

Is there a biblical alternative for Christians who want to promote peace and reconciliation for both Jews and Palestinians?

“A documentary demonstrating that God is not pro-Palestinian, he is pro-peace; he is not pro-Jew, he is pro-justice. Like Peter’s vision at Joppa, this film may well evoke in multitudes the quintessential sigh of understanding: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism’ (Acts 10:34).”—Hank Hanegraaff, host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast.

Running Time: 64 Minutes

04 From the Editor
For Those Who Are Not Gaga over Gaga

05 Response
Old Earth Creationism…How to Avoid Raising Nice Teenagers…Was Israel Commanded to Commit Genocide?

06 Effective Evangelism
Apologetics through Internet Videography

08 Practical Hermeneutics
Stoning Adulterers

10 A World of Gaga
by Mark Sayers

14 Discerning and Responding to Gaga’s Worldview
by Douglas Groothuis
Cultural Discernment and Apologetics: Lady Gaga is a teen (and post-teen) idol, whose recordings are bestsellers and whose videos are watched by tens of millions. Why does her music and message resonate so powerfully with the younger generation, and how should Christians respond?

18 Christianity and McLarenism: Questions and Problems
by Kevin DeYoung
Doctrinal Discernment: Brian McLaren’s latest book, A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith, is two steps forward in terms of clarity and ten steps backward in terms of orthodoxy

24 Original Sin: Its Importance and Fairness
by Clay Jones
General Apologetics: According to one survey, almost three-quarters of Americans reject the doctrine of original sin and almost one-half of evangelicals are in the same category. Christians need to appreciate and better defend the rationale for this doctrine, which is foundational to the gospel message of Christ’s incarnation and atonement

28 What Has Poetry to Do with Apologetics? T. S. Eliot’s “The Journey of the Magi” for the Apologist
by Holly Ordway
Cultural Apologetics: Imaginative literature has a significant, if often unrecognized, place in the work of apologetics, as this poem by T. S. Elliot powerfully demonstrates

34 Marshall McLuhan, What Were You Doin’? Coiner of “The Global Village” Turns One Hundred
by Arthur Hunt
Cultural Discernment: From his vantage point in the 1960s, the late Marshall McLuhan foresaw the Internet, social networking, the flood of digital technologies, and many of the ways they would transform the world. What can we learn from this unconventional but farsighted thinker?

36 Ambiguous Islam
by John Ferrer
Today’s Religious Movements: If a “moderate” Muslim condemns 9/11 in one breath, but supports terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in another, how helpful is that? To be credible to outsiders, Muslims who claim to be moderate need to resolve this and other tensions within their belief system and message

40 Yahweh Is His Name
by Bob Hunter
Today’s Religious Movements: Ever run into a professing believer who insists on calling God Yahweh and Jesus Yeshua, follows aspects of the Law of Moses that most Christians do not observe, and holds to other peculiar beliefs and practices? If so, this is your opportunity to find out what that was about. If not, this is your opportunity to be prepared

42 Forgiveness in the Bible and in Pop Psychology: Two Conflicting Views
by Jerry Jarman
Doctrinal Discernment: Unconditional forgiveness is taught not only in many Christian circles but also widely in New Age and pop psychology seminars and literature. But is it biblical to say you are obligated to forgive even those who have not repented of sinning against you?

46 Enlightenment Humanism: Our Savior from Violence?
by Angus Menuge
Philosophical Apologetics: In his recent ambitious book The Better Angels of Our Nature, Harvard professor Steven Pinker argues that biblical faith fosters violence while eighteenth century Enlightenment humanism has been responsible for a decline in the same. As this feature-length Summary Critique of the book demonstrates, however, Pinker glosses over many facts of history to arrive at this conclusion

52 Reviews
A Summary Critique: Bart D. Ehrman’s Forged…Douglas Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics…Two recent books on the Christian and technology

60 Viewpoint
Thinking about the 2012 Elections: Five Questions for Pro-Life Advocates

62 Ask Hank
Did God Create Everything Out of Nothing?