Former Trump faith advisor urges Evangelical Christian pastors, families to come to Israel in 2022 for vacation, not just a pilgrimage

JERUSALEM—It was a joy to welcome my good friend, Rev. Johnnie Moore, back to Israel this week.

It’s been two years since he was last here due to COVID restrictions.

Last night, I invited him over to our apartment in Jerusalem for coffee to catch up, hear about all the people and places he has visited in recent days, and discuss how to continue building ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS into the most trusted source of news from the Middle East for Evangelicals in the U.S. and around the world.

To say that Moore – the former co-chairman of President Donald Trump’s faith advisory board, a former member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the former vice president of Liberty University – was thrilled to be back in the Holy Land is an understatement.

When I asked him what his message was to Christians who are wondering if it’s now time to come visit Israel – or come back to Israel and bring others – he was unequivocal. 

“Very simply: now is the time to return,” Moore said. “Israel is such a part of the lives of Christians and this long absence has been difficult. We need to make up for lost time!”

As of March 1, one no longer needs to be vaccinated to visit Israel, so Moore recommends booking your trip immediately.

“Take vacation days at work, take your kids out of school for ten days and come over spring break,” he said. “And bring your extended family.”

“Pastors – every single one of them – should plan a visit with members of their congregation, however small or large the group can be,” Moore added. “Just do it now!”

“When you come this spring, summer or fall you will find a country ready for you,” he said. 

“It was the same Israel I have always known but also different — like seeing lost friends again, every holy place felt more pronounced, every conversation more alive and every footstep infused with meaning.”

Moore also encouraged Christians “to not only experience Jerusalem, the Galilee and desert but also spend a little time in Tel Aviv, Haifa or Eilat. You don’t just have to come here for a pilgrimage. You can come to vacation on the beach and spend a few days walking in the footsteps of the Bible. And in Jerusalem, of course, never miss the City of David.”

Moore, who serves on the Advisory Board of ALL ARAB NEWS and traveled with me on most of the Evangelical delegations I have led over the past few years, flew back to the U.S. today.

But he and I are planning a particularly interesting trip later to Israel this spring – more on that soon.