Malcolm Hedding (born 1952) is a South African anti-apartheid activist, theologian, evangelical minister, and Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ).

Biography

Hedding was born in 1952 into a British descent family that had settled in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

region. His father, Guy Usher Hedding, managed a gold mine. Hedding entered the ministry in the early 1970s as a member of the Assemblies of God of Southern Africa. As a young ordained minister with the South African

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

, Hedding confronted the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

system from the pulpit and was forced to flee his homeland. Between 1986 and 1989, Malcolm a pastor of the Jerusalem Christian Assembly. During this period, he also functioned as the Chaplain for the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. As a Christian Zionist, Malcolm served from 1991 - 2000 as Chairman of " Christian Action for Israel," a biblical Zionist organization in South Africa.Official biography
/ref> Malcolm Hedding has been involved with the work of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) since 1981 and has been executive director since 2000. On 27 May 2011, it was announced that he would be stepping down as executive director as of 31 July 2011.

Views on Israel

Malcolm is currently a Christian Zionist leader based in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

who is challenging the branding of Israel with the "apartheid" label.Still Fighting Apartheid, Profile: Rev Malcolm Hedding, ICEJ Executive Director. By Lela Gilbert, Jerusalem Post 7 May 2007 Hedding believes the Israeli barrier fence has "nothing to do with apartheid and everything to do with Israel's self-defense". He said that Israel has proven its desire to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians while granting political rights to its own Arab citizens within a liberal democratic system, but that the Palestinians remain committed to Israel's destruction. By contrast, he says, it was a tiny minority in South Africa that held power and once democracy came, the Nationalist Party that had dominated the masses disappeared. According to Hedding, "Evangelical support for Israel is founded not on a prophecy, but on a promise, ..It is the promise God made to Abraham that the Jewish people would receive the land of Canaan for the sake of world redemption. The Jewish people became servants of the lord, to bring an understanding of revelation of God and his redemptive purpose to the world. Evangelicals defend their right to live in peace and security in land of Canaan, support that comes out of a sense of gratitude for what we've received."Friends in Deed
By Lee Smith, Tablet, 16 March 2010 Hedding believes

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

proven its desire to reach a settlement with the Palestinians, while granting political rights to its Arab citizens within a democratic system. Nevertheless, he says that the

Palestinians Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

remain committed to Israel's destruction.

Books

* The Basis of Christian Support for Israel, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem-USA, 2005, * The Great Covenants of the Bible, * Hear our cry, Struik Christian Books, 1993, * For Zion's sake, Contact Publications, 1986, * Understanding Revelation, Intend Publishing, 2013,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedding, Malcolm Christian Zionists White South African anti-apartheid activists Living people South African Protestant ministers and clergy Christianity in Jerusalem South African evangelicals 1952 births South African expatriates in Israel