Dr. Al Snyder

: By Dr. Al Snyder; Published: 04 February 2015

"Israel's Prime Minister is correct to stand up for what is right, rather than cower to those who are more concerned with what they consider to be political correctness." This was a statement made by Israeli Goodwill Ambassador Earl Cox in a recent TV interview in Augusta, Georgia.

Cox was referring to the invitation extended by U.S. Speaker of the House, John Boehner, to Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a full session of the U.S. Congress on March 3, without having first received the blessing of the White House.

Cox went on to say, "While the White House is busy criticizing Boehner and Netanyahu for moving outside of what they consider proper channels of protocol, Netanyahu should instead be hailed as a hero for his courageous willingness to sacrifice his own political future in order to warn the free world and save his country from facing a nuclear armed Iran.

: By Dr. Al Snyder; Published: 28 January 2015

Like so many of America's elite universities, North Carolina's Duke University began with a strong Christian foundation. And like many of America's elite universities, Duke has strayed from those original values.

In 2004 Duke raised eyebrows for sponsoring a Palestinian Solidarity Movement conference. As one might imagine, the movement promoted divestment from Israel and supported the outrageous claim that "Zionism is racism." The conference sold T-shirts calling for the destruction of Israel.

When Jewish students criticized the anti-Semitic nature of the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, they were accused of wanting to silence free speech. An article ran in the student newspaper entitled, "The Jews," which suggested that there were too many Jews at Duke. It complained about "the powerful Jewish establishment" in the country. Not surprisingly, some Jewish students left Duke in disgust.

: By Dr. Al Snyder; Published: 29 October 2014

We have been writing about the wars in Israel - the bombings, the rockets, the tunnels and the human shields in Gaza, not to mention the anxiety and political intrigue in Israel. But one important topic seems to be getting lost in the shuffle - the remarkable nature of the people of Israel. Take a close look at Israel’s people, and the little Jewish country there in the Middle East is as the Bible says it is - “a Light Unto the Nations.”

After 2,000 years of exile, during which time only a remnant had the privilege to live in the homeland of Israel, although under difficult conditions, the Jewish people have now come home from the four corners of the earth. Two thousand years of dwelling in other people’s lands led to an enormous ethnic, religious and cultural diversity in today’s Israel, often leading to serious internal conflicts on issues such as the military draft, acceptable social norms, and developing a constitution that could be made acceptable to all.

: By Dr. Al Snyder; Published: 15 January 2014

An American-Iranian Christian pastor, Saeed Abedini, 33 years old, is now in an Iranian dungeon prison. Born to a devout Moslem family in Iran, he was recruited to become a suicide bomber at age 20.

As he witnessed the hatred and brutality of his Moslem trainers, he decided that Islam was not for him. He trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior and converted to Christianity. Soon he began to openly proclaim his faith in Christ.

In the early 2000's, Abedini headed up 100 house churches in 30 cities, reaching about 2,000 members when the movement was tolerated by the Iranian government. But with the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, the house church movement was subjected to a crackdown by Iranian authorities, and the Abedini family moved to the United States.