[Darris McNeely] You know what anti-Semitism is? It's the hatred of Jews normally, and anything connected with the Jews. Anti-Semitism has taken a bit of a different turn in recent months because of the most recent Israeli actions against the Gaza Strip area, the bombings that took place just a few weeks ago over the summer months. And as a result of that, especially in Europe, there was another rise in anti-Semitism, anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish marches, attacks, slogans and statements that have shocked, quite frankly, a number of people. In fact, just a few weeks ago German chancellor Angela Merkel spoke at a rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, just a few blocks from Germany's own Holocaust memorial to the dead Jews of World War II, and in that, she tried to put a tap on what she really understands to be, again, a rise in anti-Semitism, anti-Jewishness, within Europe and especially within Germany - and this is quite troubling, certainly, given Germany's past record with its own Jews during World War II with the extermination of more than six million Jews there.

And so, it's an issue that needs to be watched. As this latest one has taken more of a turn against Israel – the state of Israel, because of its actions in defending itself against the rocket attacks from terrorists out of the area of Gaza – it is now turned upon Israel, and it has created some particularly large problems there from a diplomatic and a political point of view.

What's taking place here in Europe with slogans being painted – the Star of David being painted on certain shops, and in one instance even a synagogue being torched – something that hasn't happened in Germany – and this was done in Germany – something that hasn't happened since the World War II era. Frankly, there's a – we're seeing in Europe a time of firsts since World War II with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia a few months earlier, and now some of these attacks upon Jewish businesses, individuals, and even a synagogue in Germany – this should be shocking and this should be frightening. And so it's important to be aware of what is taking place, but more importantly, to understand why.

Anti-Semitism is more than just a bias and a hatred and a persecution of a particular religion or an ethnic group of people. It is really at its heart and at its core a hatred of God. We've covered this on Beyond Today before, but it's something we cannot forget. In Romans 1:29, actually verse 28, the apostle Paul writes – he says, "Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge," as he spoke about people during that day, it really comes down to this: mankind has not wanted to keep God in their knowledge, to retain Him in their knowledge. And this hatred against God is what we see historically, and even in our day, coming out against Jews in the form of virulent anti-Semitism.

Don't ever let it grab you. Understand what it is. It's more than just about a religious or an ethnic group of people. It is really about how we approach God and frankly, whether or not we will yield our hearts and our lives and our whole being before the God of creation. And that's what's at the heart of it. And that's something that we all want to understand and never find ourselves expressing in any way like something like this, in terms of bitterness, hatred, and anger.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.