Christian Zionism: True Friends of Israel?
Seminar given to the Centre for Jewish Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 3rd November 1998

Introduction

  1. What is Christian Zionism? I propose to allow Christian Zionist organisations and leaders to speak for themselves. I am going to present their reasons for believing they are true friends of Israel.
  2. I am then going to offer a critical appraisal of the political agenda of Christian Zionism
  3. Then 15-20 minutes for debate and questions
  4. I will leave it to you to decide whether Christian Zionists are indeed true friends of Israel.
  5. This presentation as well as previously published material together with my continuing research into Christian Zionism is available on the Internet so you needn't take notes. www.virginiawater.co.uk/christchurch

What is Christian Zionism?

At its simplest, Christian Zionism has been defined as 'Christian support for Zionism.'1 In Der Judenstaat, published in 1896, Theodor Herzl forcefully articulated the aspirations of Jewish Zionists for their own homeland, but the Zionist dream was largely nurtured and shaped by Christian Zionists long before it was able to inspire widespread Jewish support in the 1940's. This was in part a result of the Protestant Reformation and the rediscovery of the Hebrew Scriptures, growth in romantic and travel literature, by the rise of 19th Western pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and above all by French and British Colonialist designs on the Middle East. British politicians like Shaftesbury, Palmerston, Lloyd George, Balfour, T.E. Lawrence and Allenby were all Christian Zionists.2

At the First Zionist Congress which Herzl convened in 1897 in Basle, the Zionist aspiration was formulated in a call for a, 'publicly secured and legally assured homeland for the Jews in Palestine.'3

At the 27th Zionist Congress held in Jerusalem in 1968, Zionism was by then defined in terms of five principles:

1) the unity of the Jewish people and the centrality of Israel in Jewish life;
2) the in-gathering of the Jewish people in its historic homeland, Eretz Israel;
3) the strengthening of the State of Israel;
4) the preservation of the identity of the Jewish people; and
5) the protection of Jewish rights.4

In 1975, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 3379 defining Zionism as, 'a form of racism and racial discrimination.'5 Contemporary Christian Zionism is in part a reaction to increasing world-wide criticism of Israel's form of apartheid.

So, for example, in 1967, following the passing of U.N. Resolution 242 condemning Israel's occupation of the West Bank when the entire international community closed their embassy's in Jerusalem, the International Christian Embassy moved to Jerusalem expressly to show solidarity with Israel. They and other Christian Zionists believe that the modern State of Israel, and Zionism in general, are divinely mandated, the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham. 'I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' (Genesis 12:3)6

Christian Zionists see themselves as defenders of, and apologists for, the Jewish people, and in particular, the State of Israel.

This support involves opposing those deemed to be critical of, or hostile toward Israel.7 It is rare therefore to find Christian Zionists who feel a similar solidarity with the Palestinians. Louis Hamada traces what he sees as the correlation between Jewish and Christian Zionism.

    The term Zionism refers to a political Jewish movement for the establishment of a national homeland in Palestine for the Jews that have been dispersed. On the other hand, a Christian Zionist is a person who is more interested in helping God fulfil His prophetic plan through the physical and political Israel, rather than helping Him fulfil His evangelistic plan through the Body of Christ.8

While this definition may be true of agencies such as Bridges for Peace (BFP) and the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem (ICEJ); other organisations such as Jews for Jesus and the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ) are committed to both evangelistic witness as well as political restoration. Christian Zionism then describes a broad coalition of agencies, some predominantly Gentile, others of Messianic Believers, that is people of Jewish origin who believe they have found their Messiah. Doug Kreiger, for example, lists over 250 pro-Israel evangelical organisations operating in America and founded between 1980-1985 alone.9

I have personally found over 100 different web sites of Christian Zionist agencies. Most Christian Zionists are self confessed evangelicals or fundamentalists, although many do not appreciate the source or consequences of their views concerning the Jews and the State of Israel. Let's explore the 7 most influential Christian Zionist agencies.

1. Churches Ministry Among the Jewish People

The aims of CMJ are:

    Evangelism: To be workers with God in his continuing purpose for the Jewish people, both in Israel and world-wide, especially in seeking to lead them to faith in Jesus the Messiah as their only Saviour.
    Encouragement: Supporting Jewish believers in Jesus in all possible ways.
    Education: To help Christians to appreciate the biblical, Jewish roots of the Christian faith and life. The concern to combat anti-Semitism.10

    In the 1996 Annual Report of CMJ, its General Director, Walter Riggans, explicitly and unequivocally identifies CMJ with restorationism and with support for the State of Israel. 11

    CMJ has always been at the forefront of teaching about God's restoration of the Jewish people to and in Israel, and we are continually excited by, and watchful of all that is happening. We are humbled by what the Lord is doing among Israeli believers. In other words, our prayerful interest in the State of Israel is as constant and committed as ever.12

Perhaps this is why Walter Riggans defines the term 'Christian Zionist' in an overtly political sense as,

    '...any Christian who supports the Zionist aim of the sovereign State of Israel, its army, government, education etc.; but it can describe a Christian who claims to support the State of Israel for any reason.'13

2. Christian Friends of Israel

Christian Friends of Israel (CFI) likewise insists on the unconditional necessity of 'Standing with Israel' and bringing blessing to her as a nation.

Although in their case, primarily through prayer and humanitarian projects rather than by evangelism.

    We believe the Lord Jesus is both Messiah of Israel and Saviour of the world; however, our stand alongside Israel is not conditional upon her acceptance of our belief. The Bible teaches that Israel (people, land, nation) has a Divinely ordained and glorious future, and that God has neither rejected nor replaced His Jewish people.14

3. Bridges for Peace

Bridges For Peace (BFP), founded in 1976 similarly affirm,

    'Through programs both in Israel and world-wide, we are giving Christians the opportunity to actively express our biblical responsibility before God to be faithful to Israel and the Jewish community.'15

4. American Messsianic Fellowship International

AMF International was founded as the Chicago Hebrew Mission in 1887 by William E. Blackstone (1841-1935). AMFI is, according to its own literature, a 'conservative evangelical ministry committed to seeing the Lord's purposes fulfilled by building bridges of understanding between Christian and Jewish Communities'.16 Their Articles of Belief defines those 'purposes' to include the following future scenario,

    We believe that the blessed hope is the Lord Jesus' personal, imminent return to rapture the Church and then introduce the millennial age, when Israel shall be restored to their own land and the earth will then be full of the knowledge of the Lord.17

5. The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America

The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) claims to be the largest association of Messianic Jewish believers in the world, founded in 1915.

MJAA has affiliations in 15 countries, 250 Messianic Synagogues, and 350,000 Messianic Jews world-wide. They insist they are 'the leading representative organisation for American Jews who believe in Messiah Yeshua' 18 Their simple statement of belief is made up of four short paragraphs. The fourth states,
 

We believe in G-d's eternal covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We, therefore, stand with and support the Jewish people and the State of Israel and hold fast to the Biblical heritage of our forefathers.19

MJAA provides a wide range of ministries designed to 'service the needs of the Jewish revival.' These include the MESSIAH Conference, 'The world's largest annual international conference on Messianic Judaism' held each summer with over 2,000 participants.

In 1992 a MJAA position paper was published in the Israeli newspaper HaAretz entitled, 'Messianic Jews Say: "The Land Belongs to Israel"'20 In it, MJAA expressed their conviction that Eretz Israel has been given to the Jews by God and that they will 'repossess the regions of Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights.'21

6. Jews for Jesus

Jews for Jesus (JFJ) was founded in 1973 by Moishe Rosen22 to 'proclaim the message of Messiah to all people.' They claim to be,

    '...the largest and best-known of the non-denominational Jewish evangelistic agencies with missionaries in ten countries'.

In addition to their 15 branches and 60 chapters, JFJ sends out teams such as the emotively named 'Liberated Wailing Wall.'23
Their Doctrinal Statement asserts,

    We believe Israel exists as a covenant people through whom God continues to accomplish His purposes and that the Church is an elect people in accordance with the New Covenant, comprising both Jews and Gentiles who acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and Redeemer.24

Leslie Flynn, a representative of JFJ asserts,

    "The Jews are God's timepiece... They are the key to history and prophecy... God's unconditional covenant with Abraham, which includes the promise of the land, a seed to rule over the land and the blessing his offspring will be to all humankind... the regathering of Israel and her central place among the nations, seem to go far beyond anything that Israel has yet experienced historically... that are to be literally fulfilled in the personal reign of Christ on earth.25

7. International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

Of all the Christian Zionist organisations, the International Christian Embassy (ICEJ) is probably the most influential and controversial. ICEJ was founded in 1980, specifically in Jerusalem, as an attempt by Zionist Christians to reverse the effect of the decision by the international community to vacate their embassies in Jerusalem protesting Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank. Ironically ICEJ is housed in the confiscated home once belonging to the family of Dr Edward Said.

    When the vision of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was first given it was expressed in the following concerns; to care for the Jewish people, especially for the new-born State of Israel which includes standing up for the Jews when they are attacked or discriminated against, and for Israel to live in peace and security.... to care that the world wide body of Christ will be rightly related to Israel in comfort, love and prayer for her well-being, to care for the nations whose destinies will be increasingly linked to the way in which they relate to Israel, the care and preparation for the coming of the Lord.26

At the Third International Christian Zionist Congress held in Jerusalem 25-29 February, 1996 under the auspices of ICEJ, some 1,500 delegates from over 40 countries unanimously affirmed a proclamation and affirmation of Christian Zionism including the following beliefs,

    God the Father, Almighty, chose the ancient nation and people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to reveal His plan of redemption for the world. They remain elect of God, and without the Jewish nation His redemptive purposes for the world will not be completed...

    The modern Ingathering of the Jewish People to Eretz Israel and the rebirth of the nation of Israel are in fulfilment of biblical prophecies, as written in both Old and New Testaments.

    Christian believers are instructed by Scripture to acknowledge the Hebraic roots of their faith and to actively assist and participate in the plan of God for the ingathering of the Jewish People and the restoration of the nation of Israel in our day.

    The Lord in His zealous love for Israel and the Jewish People blesses and curses peoples and judges nations based upon their treatment of the Chosen People of Israel... According to God's distribution of nations, the Land of Israel has been given to the Jewish People by God as an everlasting possession by an eternal covenant. The Jewish People have the absolute right to possess and dwell in the Land, including Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan.27

In an amplification of those resolutions, the religio-political agenda of Christian Zionism is made quite explicit.

Further, we are persuaded by the clear unction of our God to express the sense of this Congress on the following concerns before us this day,

    Because of the sovereign purposes of God for the City, Jerusalem must remain undivided, under Israeli sovereignty, open to all peoples, the capital of Israel only, and all nations should so concur and place their embassies here.

    As a faith bound to love and forgiveness we are appreciative of the attempts by the Government of Israel to work tirelessly for peace. However, the truths of God are sovereign and it is written that the Land which He promised to His People is not to be partitioned... It would be further error for the nations to recognise a Palestinian state in any part of Eretz Israel...

    The Golan is part of biblical Israel and is a vital strategic asset necessary for the security and defence of the entire country....

    The Islamic claim to Jerusalem, including its exclusive claim to the Temple Mount, is in direct contradiction to the clear biblical and historical significance of the city and its holiest site, and this claim is of later religio-political origin rather than arising from any Qur'anic text or early Muslim tradition.

    Regarding Aliyah, we remain concerned for the fate of imperilled Jewish People in diverse places, and seek to encourage and assist in the continuing process of Return of the Exiles to Eretz Israel. To this end we commit to work with Israel and to encourage the Diaspora to fulfil the vision and goal of gathering to Israel the greater majority of all Jewish People from throughout the world.28

In summary, for Lewis Sperry Chafer, founding president of Dallas Theological Seminary, the most influential Christian Zionist academic institution in the world,

    'Israel is an eternal nation, heir to an eternal land, with an eternal kingdom, on which David rules from an eternal throne'29

For Christian Zionists, Israel is above criticism, she can do no wrong.

    Even though Israel should fall into sin, and should seem no longer to be a recipient of God's blessing, it would still be true that God has promised that those who bring blessing to His earthly people will themselves be blessed, while those who curse His earthly people will themselves suffer the results of God's displeasure. All history is full of examples of this fact...

    The fate of the nations that have injured Israel is a terrible warning that God never goes back on His promises. From Haman to Hitler, history shows how dangerous it is to hate His chosen people.30

Hal Lindsey, the most popular Christian Zionist writer, goes as far as to accuse those who refuse to accept Zionist reading of the Bible of encouraging anti-Semitism for denying a role for the State of Israel in God's future purposes,

    '...the same error that founded the legacy of contempt for the Jews and ultimately led to the Holocaust of Nazi Germany.' 31

An Appraisal of the Political Agenda of Christian Zionism

The 1967 'Six Day War' marked a significant watershed for evangelical Christian interest in Israel and Zionism. With the annexation of the West Bank Liberal Protestants and organisations such as the World Council of Churches increasingly distanced themselves from Zionism. Conversely the same events fuelled enthusiasm for Israel among fundamentalists.32 For example, Jerry Falwell did not begin to speak about modern-day Israel until after Israel's 1967 military victory.

    Falwell changed completely. He entered into politics and became an avid supporter of the Zionist State... the stunning Israeli victory made a big impact not only on Falwell, but on a lot of Americans... Remember that in 1967, the United States was mired in the Vietnam war. Many felt a sense of defeat, helplessness and discouragement. As Americans we were made acutely aware of our own diminished authority, of no longer being able to police the world or perhaps even our own neighbourhoods... Many Americans, including Falwell, turned worshipful glances toward Israel, which they viewed as militarily strong and invincible. They gave their unstinting approval to the Israeli take-over of Arab lands because they perceived this conquest as power and righteousness... Macho or muscular Christians such as Falwell credited Israeli General Moshe Dayan with this victory over Arab forces and termed him the Miracle Man of the Age, and the Pentagon invited him to Vietnam and tell us how to win the war.33

Billy Graham's father-in-law, Nelson Bell, the editor of the prestigious and authoritative mouthpiece of conservative Evangelicalism, Christianity Today, appeared to express the sentiments of many American Evangelicals when, in an editorial in 1967 he wrote,

    That for the first time in more than 2,000 years Jerusalem is now completely in the hands of the Jews gives a student of the Bible a thrill and a renewed faith in the accuracy and validity of the Bible. 34

Hal Lindsey

  The most influential of all fundamentalist Christian Zionists of the 20th century is undoubtedly Hal Lindsey. He has been described by Time Magazine as 'The Jeremiah for this Generation', and by his own publisher as 'The Father of the Modern-Day Bible Prophecy Movement.'35 Lindsey is a prolific writer, with at least eighteen books dealing directly or indirectly with the End Times, his own radio and television programmes, seminars, Holy Land Tours, and International Intelligence Briefing.

Lindsey's most influential book, The Late Great Planet Earth has been described by the New York Times as the '#1 Non-fiction Bestseller of the Decade.' It has gone through more than 100 printings with sales, by 1993, in excess of 18 million in English, with a further 30 million copies in 31 foreign editions.36 Despite dramatic changes in the world since its publication in 1970, it remains in print in its original un-revised form. Lindsey has subsequently become a consultant on Middle Eastern affairs to both the Pentagon and Israeli Government.37 This particular kind of reading of history, coloured by a literal exegesis of selected biblical scriptures, is dualistic, dogmatic, triumphalist, apocalyptic and confrontational.

  The titles of Lindsey's books show an increasingly exaggerated and almost pathological emphasis on the apocalyptic, on death and suffering.38 They are replete with categorical assertions that biblical prophecy is being fulfilled in this generation signalling the imminent destruction of the world. Hal Lindsey dogmatically asserts,

    We are the generation the prophets were talking about. We have witnessed biblical prophecies come true. The birth of Israel. The decline in American power and morality. The rise of Russian and Chinese might. The threat of war in the Middle East. The increase of earthquakes, volcanoes, famine and drought. The Bible foretells the signs that precede Armageddon... We are the generation that will see the end times ...and the return of Jesus.39

Lindsey's last but one book, The Final Battle, includes the statement on the cover,

    "Never before, in one book, has there been such a complete and detailed look at the events leading up to 'The Battle of Armageddon.'"40

Lindsey confidently asserts that the world is degenerating and that the forces of evil manifest in godless Communism and militant Islam are the real enemies of Israel. He describes in detail the events leading to the great battle at Megiddo between the massive Russian, Chinese and African armies that will attempt but fail to destroy Israel. He offers illustrated plans showing future military movements of armies and naval convoys leading up to the battle of Armageddon.41 These will merely hasten the return of Jesus Christ as King of the Jews who will rule over the other nations from the rebuilt Jewish temple on the site of the destroyed Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.42

    Jerusalem will be the spiritual centre of the entire world... all people of the earth will come annually to worship Jesus who will rule there.43

Lindsey was one of the first and probably the most successful to popularise a Christian Zionist reading of Scripture and contemporary events.

    Obstacle or no obstacle, it is certain that the Temple will be rebuilt. Prophecy demands it... With the Jewish nation reborn in the land of Palestine, ancient Jerusalem once again under total Jewish control for the first time in 2600 years, and talk of rebuilding the great Temple, the most important sign of Jesus Christ's soon coming is before us... It is like the key piece of a jigsaw puzzle being found... For all those who trust in Jesus Christ, it is a time of electrifying excitement.44

Perceptive Jews are not surprisingly cynical of Christian Zionist support for the State of Israel when it is realised that they believe most Jews will not escape Armageddon but will be annihilated in the tribulation to follow.

Lindsey, for example, predicts the 200 mile valley from the Sea of Galilee to Eilat flowing with blood several feet deep45 and large numbers of Jews will suffer and die.46 Lindsey's Christian constituency need have no fear. They will be safely raptured to heaven just before the tribulation begins. Just before the final conflagration Lindsey and others believe Jesus will,

    ...'rapture' true Christians into the upper air, while the rest of humankind, was being slaughtered below. 144,000 Jews would bow down before Jesus and be saved, but the rest of Jewry would perish in the mother of all holocausts.47

  The Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary have played no small part in promoting a Fundamentalist and Zionist eschatology among thousands of American ministers and missionaries.48

Charles Dyer

Charles Dyer, a professor of Bible exposition at Dallas even includes photographs allegedly showing Saddam Hussein's reconstruction of Babylon to the same specifications and splendour as Nebuchadnezzar.49 Dyer warns that this is evidence that Hussein plans to attempt to repeat Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Israel, the only Arab ever to have done so. 'The Middle East is the world's time bomb, and Babylon is the fuse that will ignite the events of the end times.'50

An indication of how seriously fundamentalists take the military aspect of their apocalyptic scenario can be seen from the content of the itinerary used by Jerry Falwell in his Friendship Tour to Israel.

It includes meetings with top Israeli government and military officials and,

    .....On-site tour of modern Israeli battlefields... Official visit to an Israeli defence installation... strategic military positions, plus experience first hand the battle Israel faces as a nation.51

The demise of the Soviet Union, the rise of militant Islam, the success of the Allies in the Gulf War, and the approaching third millennium have only fuelled more imaginative speculations among fundamentalists, while the same anti-Arab prejudices and Orientalist stereotypes persist. So Hal Lindsey insists,

    Long ago the psalmist predicted the final mad attempt of the confederated Arab armies to destroy the nation of Israel... The Palestinians are determined to trouble the world until they repossess what they feel is their land. The Arab nations consider it a matter of racial honour to destroy the State of Israel. Islam considers it a sacred mission of religious honour to recapture Old Jerusalem.52

There are however a number of Christian Zionist leaders even more right wing than Lindsey, Falwell and Robertson, who in the 1980's had direct access to Reagan and the White House.53

These include Terry Risenhoover and Doug Kreiger who were very influential in gathering American support for the Jewish extremist organisation, the Temple Mount Faithful.54 These particular Christian and Jewish Zionists believe that the Moslem Dome of the Rock must be destroyed and the Third Jewish Temple built in order to ensure the return of Jesus.55 In 1976-77 several events occurred simultaneously which had the effect of accelerating the influence of Christian Zionism as a political phenomenon in America.

    A religious and political marriage was consummated between American Zionist organisations, Israeli leadership, and Fundamentalist Christian Zionists.56

  In 1977 the Likud party under Menachem Begin came to power on an expansionist Zionist platform using biblical phraseology to justify the settlement of the West Bank. It was Begin for example who first renamed Israel and the Occupied Territories as Judaea and Samaria.57

In America the Jewish lobby realised the potential significance of wooing the political endorsement of the powerful 50-60 million Evangelical block vote through their fundamentalist leadership. With this in mind, in 1979, the Israeli government honoured Jerry Falwell with the Jabotinsky Award in appreciation of his support of Israel. They also provided him with a Lear jet to assist in his work on their behalf.58

U.S. President Jimmy Carter was well known for his Zionist beliefs and these he applied to his Middle Eastern policy.59 In a speech made in 1978 he explained how he saw the state of Israel as,

    A return at last, to the Biblical land from which the Jews were driven so many hundreds of years ago... The establishment of the nation of Israel is the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy and the very essence of its fulfilment.60

In the 1980 presidential elections, 80% of Evangelicals supported the conservative wing of the Republican party, and Ronald Reagan, in particular.

    The election of Ronald Reagan ushered in not only the most pro-Israel administration in history but gave several Christian Zionists prominent political posts. In addition to the President, those who subscribed to a futurist premillennial theology and Christian Zionism included Attorney General Ed Meese, Secretary of Defence Casper Weinberger, and Secretary of the Interior James Watt.... Once the Reagan Administration opened the door, leading Evangelical Christian Zionist televangelists and writers were given direct access to the President and cabinet members. Rev. Jerry Falwell, Christian Zionist televangelist Mike Evans and author Hal Lindsey among them.61

'White House Seminars' became a regular feature of Reagan's administration bringing Christian Zionists into direct personal contact with national and Congressional leaders. In a personal conversation reported in the Washington Post in April of 1984, Reagan told the chief Israeli lobbyist, Tom Dine,

    You know, I turn back to the ancient prophets in the Old Testament and the signs foretelling Armageddon, and I find myself wondering if-if we're the generation that is going to see that come about. I don't know if you've noted any of these prophecies lately, but believe me they certainly describe the times we're going through.62

  For Fundamentalists such as Jerry Falwell and Mike Evans, America is seen as the great redeemer, her role in the world providentially and politically preordained.63 The two nations of America and Israel are like Siamese twins, linked not only by common self interest but more significantly by similar religious foundations. Together they are perceived to be pitted against an evil world dominated by Communist and Islamic totalitarian regimes antithetical to the values of America and Israel.64

Mike Evans

So, for examaple, Mike Evans, founder and president of Lovers of Israel Inc, in the following quotations from his book, Israel, America's Key to Survival, mimics and plays on the apocalyptic scenario of Benjamin Netanyahu, offering 'biblical' grounds for their countries mutual survival.

    If America goes down, then the whole world goes down. Nothing will remain of the world. If America was not around, the Soviet Union would take over the world in three days. Their goals are to destroy America... to destroy it... to reduce it to nothing; and they feel they can effectively do it through terrorism.65

    Only one nation, Israel, stands between Soviet-sponsored terrorist aggression and the complete decline of the United States as a democratic world power... Surely demonic pressure will endeavor to encourage her to betray Israel. This must not happen. Israel is the key to America's survival. For God has said of the nations who will oppose Israel, "Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted... I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee..."(Isa.60:12; Gen. 12:3)...As we stand with Israel, I believe we shall see God perform a mighty work in our day. God is going to bless America and Israel as well. It is not too late. I believe this is the greatest hour to be alive, and the key is unity, standing tall, proclaiming with a voice of love our commitment to the House of Israel, and to the God of Israel.66

Ramon Bennett

Similarly, Ramon Bennett, author of 'Saga: Israel and the Demise of the Nations' and spokesman for Arm of Salvation, a Christian Zionist organisation based in Jerusalem, emotively dedicates his book,

    To the men of the Israeli Defence Force who display immense courage when facing impossible odds. To the grieving parents, wives, children, sweethearts, sisters and brothers and friends, whose tears have watered the parched earth of Eretz Yisreal.'67

The International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem has, since 1980, become the semi-official voice of this coalition of Christian religious and political Zionist organisations, frequently cultivated, exploited and quoted by the Israeli Government when ever a sympathetic Christian view point is needed to enhance their own policies, and rebut Western criticism.

For example, in October 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu the Israeli Prime Minister spoke at the Jerusalem 3000 rally organised by the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, to support Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem. Following the provocative opening of an underground tunnel by the Israelis from the Western Wall through the Moslem Quarter, he was cheered when he insisted the tunnel, 'is open. It will stay open. It will always stay open.'68

Not surprisingly the 1993 Peace-Accord signed by the Israeli Government and the PLO has been sharply criticised by Christian Zionist groups who see it as a threat to the realisation of Eretz Israel. In particular they have opposed the handing back of the West Bank and the threat to the status of the Jewish settlements. For example, Theodore Temple Beckett, Chairman of the Christian Friends of Israel Community Development Foundation, as well as President of the Colorado-based Foundation for Israel, has initiated an 'adopt-a-settlement program among American Evangelical Churches. The Jewish town of Ariel has already been adopted by Faith Bible Chapel in Denver. By the end of 1995 it was Beckett's expectation that around 70 Jewish settlements would have been adopted by churches,

    ...with larger churches adopting larger settlements and smaller churches adopting smaller settlements and giving all a morale boost to show them they are not alone and are loved by many.69

On the 21st December 1995, just hours before the Israeli's handed over administrative responsibility for Bethlehem to the Palestinian National Authority, the Voice of America radio station carried a news report claiming some Evangelical Christian groups had called for a boycott of Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem in protest.

    Nine Christian Organisations have called their faithful not to go to Bethlehem this Christmas, to protest the transfer of the City to Palestinian rule.

The International Christian Embassy, quoted in the Sunday Times, on Christmas Eve 1995 predicted that the celebrations that night would, '...look more like Arafat's birthday than that of Jesus.'70

Under Netanyahu's influence, the Israeli government remains enthusiastic to nurture the support of Christian Zionists. Exploiting the association of Megiddo with the apocalypse, Israeli planners and architects, with Netanyahu's blessing, have began creating a three dimensional 'virtual Megiddo'. While some critics have described it 'Apocalypso', Israeli officials are keen to capitalise on the millions of additional visitors, 'expected to flock to mark the end of the millennium in gloomy style.'71 Ze'ev Margalit, the official in charge of the development claimed, ...the beauty of this place is that it has a 6,000-year history that can take people back to the dawn of civilisation, a vibrant present and an apocalyptic future.72

Keen to encourage greater numbers of Christians to visit Israel leading up to the Millennium, Netanyahu has recently taken part in programmes broadcast on Evangelical radio stations.

    Boosting evangelical tourism dovetails with his plans to deepen Israel's ties with leaders of America's Christian far right, many of whom are sympathetic to Zionism... Netanyahu has a long history of nurturing these ties. He believes the conservative Christian influence in American public opinion, and particularly within the Republican party controlling congress, can be used to counter liberal Democrats such as President Bill Clinton, who want Israel to cede land to the Palestinians.73
     

Conclusions: Christian Zionism: True Friends of Israel?

  Karen Armstrong is not alone in tracing in Western Christian Zionism evidence of the legacy of the Crusades. Fundamentalists have, she claims, 'returned to a classical and extreme religious crusading.'74

Rosemary Ruether also sees the danger of this kind of Christian Zionism in its, 'dualistic, Manichaean view of global politics. America and Israel together against an evil world.'75 The following quote from Senator Bob Dole is a good example,

    American-Israeli friendship is no accident. It is a product of our shared values. We are both democracies. We are both pioneer states. We have both opened our doors to the oppressed. We have both shown a passion for freedom and we have gone to war to protect it. 76

This 'simple dualism' and 'highly dogmatic thinking' is something Bishop Kenneth Cragg comments on. Satirically, he writes,

    It is so; God chose the Jews; the land is theirs by divine gift. These dicta cannot be questioned or resisted. They are final. Such verdicts come infallibly from Christian biblicists for whom Israel can do no wrong-thus fortified. But can such positivism, this unquestioning finality, be compatible with the integrity of the Prophets themselves? It certainly cannot square with the open peoplehood under God which is the crux of New Testament faith. Nor can it well be reconciled with the ethical demands central to law and election alike. 77

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), representing the indigenous and ancient Oriental and Eastern Churches, has been highly critical of the activities of Christian Zionists, and the International Christian Embassy, in particular. They assert, for instance, that the International Christian Embassy has aggressively imposed an aberrant expression of the Christian faith and an erroneous interpretation of the Bible which is subservient to the political agenda of the modern State of Israel. Indeed they represent a tendency to,

    ...force the Zionist model of theocratic and ethnocentric nationalism on the Middle East... (rejecting)... the movement of Christian unity and inter-religious understanding which is promoted by the (indigenous) churches in the region. The Christian Zionist programme, with its elevation of modern political Zionism, provides the Christian with a world view where the gospel is identified with the ideology of success and militarism. It places its emphasis on events leading up to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today.78

In 1988 the MECC went further insisting that Christian Zionism had no place in the Middle East and should be repudiated by the universal Church because it was 'a dangerous distortion' and significant shift away from orthodox expressions of the Christian faith.

    (This is) ...a fundamental disservice also to Jews who may be inspired to liberate themselves from discriminatory attitudes and thereby rediscover equality with the Palestinians with whom they are expected to live God's justice and peace in the Holy Land.79

It is therefore perhaps not surprising that among the Middle East churches generally, Christian Zionism is regarded as a devious heresy and an unwelcome and alien intrusion into their culture, which advocates an ethnocentric and nationalist political agenda running counter to their work of reconciliation, and patient witness among both Jews and Muslims.80

Essentially, Christian Zionism fails to recognise the deep seated problems that exist between Palestinians and Israelis; it distorts the Bible and marginalises the universal imperative of the Christian Gospel; has grave political ramifications and ultimately ignores the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of indigenous Christians.81 It is a situation that many believe the Government of Israel exploits to her advantage, cynically welcoming American Christian Zionists as long as they remain docile and compliant with Israeli government policy. Cragg offers this astute critique of Christian Zionism,

    The overriding criteria of Christian perception have to be those of equal grace and common justice. From these there can be no proper exemption, however alleged or presumed. Chosenness cannot properly be either an ethnic exclusivism or a political facility.82

Christian Zionism offers an uncritical endorsement of the Israeli political right and at the same time shows an inexcusable lack of compassion for the Palestinian tragedy. In doing so it has legitimised their oppression in the name of God. In the words of Kenneth Leech, Christian Zionism as a form of fundamentalism,

    "...represents a narrowing of vision, a closing of doors, a diminishing of human beings, and a backward force in human history..."83

So to return to our question: Christian Zionists: True Friends of Israel? How you define a friend?

Summary of Christian Zionist Views

  • The Jews have the unconditional divine right to the land between the Nile to the Euphrates.
  • Arabs (often avoid using the term Palestinian) have no right to the Land
  • Jerusalem is the undivided, exclusive and eternal capital of the Jewish State
  • Jewish Temple will be rebuilt on Mount Moriah.
  • God judges and blesses nations according to their treatment of Israel
  • Battle of Armageddon will see the armies of the world opposed to Israel defeated
  • Messiah will then come to reign on earth from Jerusalem.

Christian Zionism : True Friends of Israel?

Constructive* Destructive
1. Encouragement of dialogue between Jews and Christians 1. Justifies apartheid in an exclusive Jewish State
2. Opposition to Anti-Semitism 2. Supports ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians and building of Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories to create Eretz Israel
3. Education of the Jewish origins of the Christian faith 3. Encourages religious intolerance, demonising Islam and any opposition to Israel
4. Humanitarian work among Jewish refugees 4. Incites religious fanaticism in supporting building of Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah
  5. Dismisses moderate Jewish position willing to negotiate land for peace
  6. Undermines Christian faith by justifying denial of human rights
  7. Apocalyptic Eschatology is in danger of becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. Christian Zionists are indeed 'Anxious for Armageddon'

* None of the constructive aspects are intrinsic or exclusive to Christian Zionism.

1 Colin Chapman, Whose Promised Land, Israel or Palestine? rev. edn. (Oxford, Lion, 1992), p.277.

2 Regina Sharif, Non-Jewish Zionism, Its Roots in Western History (London, Zed, 1983), back cover. See also next chapter on history of Christian Zionism.

3 Cited in Sharif, Non-Jewish, p. 1.

4 Cited in Sharif, Non-Jewish., p. 7; see also Uri Davis, The State of Palestine (Reading, Ithaca, 1991), p. 28.

5 Sharif, Non-Jewish., p. 1 & 120.

6 Rob Richards, Has God Finished with Israel? (Crowborough, Monarch, 1994), p.177.

7 Hal Lindsey, The Road to Holocaust (New York, Bantam, 1989). Lindsey accuses those who oppose dispensationalism of anti-Semitism, '...the same error that founded the legacy of contempt for the Jews and ultimately led to the Holocaust of Nazi Germany.' (back page).

8 Louis Bahjat Hamada, Understanding the Arab World (Nashville, Nelson, 1990), p. 189.

9 Halsell, Prophecy., p.178.

10 CMJ, Shalom, 3 (1996), p. 1.

11 The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People. General Director's Annual Report 1996 (CMJ, St Albans, 1996).

12 General Director's Annual Report 1996 (CMJ, St Albans, 1996)

13 Walter Riggans, Israel and Zionism (London, Handsell, 1988), p. 19.

14 Christian Friends of Israel, Standing with Israel, information leaflet, n.d.

15 Clarence H. Wagner, 'Who are we?' Bridges for Peace, Jerusalem, September 1996.

16 American Messianic Fellowship International, 'What is AMF' Internet: http://www.mjaa.org. obtained, 29 October 1996.

17 American Messianic Fellowship International, 'Articles of Belief' Internet: http://www.mjaa.org. obtained, 29 October 1996.

18 The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA), 'What is the MJAA?' Internet: http://www.mjaa.org. obtained, 29 October 1996.

19 MJAA, 'What does MJAA believe?' Internet: http://www.mjaa.org. obtained, 29 October 1996.

20 MJAA Position Paper, 'Messianic Jews Say: "The Land Belongs to Israel!"' published in HaAretz, 20 March 1992. MJAA. Internet: http://www.mjaa.org. obtained, 29 October 1996.

21 MJAA, 'Messianic.,'

22 Moishe Rosen, Overture to Armageddon? Beyond the Gulf War (San Bernardino, California, Here's Life Publishers, 1991)

23 Jews for Jesus (JFJ), Jews for Jesus Briefing Bulletin, '"Billy Graham was Misunderstood" Says Jews for Jesus Leader', Internet: http://www.jews-for-jesus.org, obtained 29 October 1996.

24 JFJ, Doctrinal Statement, Internet: http://www.jews-for-jesus.org, obtained 29 October 1996.

25 JFJ, Publications Page. obtained, 29 October 1996.

26 MECC, What, p. 11.

27 International Christian Zionist Congress Proclamation, International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem. 25-29 February 1996.

28 International Christian Zionist Congress Proclamation, International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem. 25-29 February 1996.

29 Chafer, Systematic Theology (Dallas, Dallas Seminary Press, 1975), Vol. 4. pp. 315-323, cited in Gerstner, Wrongly., p. 184.

30 Allan A. MacRae, "Hath God Cast Away His People? In Prophetic Truth Unfolding Today, ed. Charles L. Feinberg (Westwood, N.J., Revell, 1968), p. 95. Cited in Gerstner, Wrongly., p. 183.

31 Hal Lindsey, The Road to Holocaust (New York, Bantam, 1989) back page.

32 Rosemary Radford Ruether & Herman J. Ruether, The Wrath of Jonah, The Crisis of Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (San Francisco, Harper, 1989), p. 173.

33 James Price and William Goodman, Jerry Falwell, An Unauthorized Profile, cited in Grace Halsell, Prophecy., p. 72.

34 Wagner, Beyond., p. 4.

35 Hal Lindsey, The Final Battle (Palos Verdes, California, Western Front, 1995), back cover.

36 George Marsden, Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1991) p. 77. See also Michael Lienesch, Redeeming America: Piety and Politics in the New Christian Right (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, North Carolina Press, 1993), p. 311. Lindsey latest publisher, Western Front, is more conservative referring to 'a dozen books with combined world sales of more than 35 million.' Lindsey, The Final Battle (Palos Verdes, California, Western Front, 1995), back cover.

37 Wagner, Beyond., p. 4.

38 Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth (London, Lakeland, 1973); The Terminal Generation (New York, Bantam,); The 1980's: Countdown to Armageddon (New York, Bantam, 1981); Combat Faith (1986); The Road to Holocaust (New York, Bantam, 1989); Planet Earth-2000, Will Man Survive? (Palos Verdes, California, Western Front, 1994); The Final Battle (Palos Verdes, California, Western Front, 1995); The Apocalypse Code (Palos Verdes, California, Western Front, 1997);

39 Hal Lindsey, The 1980's, Countdown to Armageddon, (New York, Bantam, 1981), back cover.

40 Lindsey, Final., front cover.

41 Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth (London, Lakeland, 1970), p. 155; Louis Goldberg, Turbulence Over the Middle East (Neptune, New Jersey, Loizeaux Brothers, 1982), p. 172.

42 Lindsey, Israel., pp. 31-48.

43 Lindsey, Israel., p. 165.

44 Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth (London, Lakeland, 1970), pp. 56-58.

45 Hal Lindsey, The Final Battle (Palos Verdes, Western Front, 1995), pp. 250-252.

46 Hal Lindsey, Israel and the Last Days (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House, 1983), pp. 20-30.

47 John F. Mahoney, 'About this Issue' The Link (Americans for Middle East Understanding) Vol. 25, No. 4 October/November 1992, p. 2.

48 John F. Walvoord, Israel in Prophecy (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1962); Charles Dyer, The Rise of Babylon, Signs of the End Times (Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale House, 1991)

49 Charles Dyer, World News and Biblical Prophecy (Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale House, 1993), pp. 128-129.

50 Dyer, Rise., rear cover.

51 Wagner, Beyond., p. 3.

52 Lindsey, Israel., pp. 38-39.

53 Wagner, Beyond., p. 9.

54 Pevtzov, Apocalypse., p. 6.

55 Wagner, Beyond., p. 6.

56 MECC, What., p. 9.

57 Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreider, The Chosen and the Choice (London, Futura, 1988), p. 13. For how Christian Zionists justify occupation through such terminology, see Mike Evans, Israel, America's Key to Survival (Plainfield, New Jersey, Haven Books, 1980), 'Judea & Samaria', pp. 129-148.

58 Wagner, Beyond., p. 5.

59 Jimmy Carter, The Blood of Abraham (London, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1985)

60 Speech by President Jimmy Carter on 1 May 1978, Department of State Bulletin, vol. 78, No. 2015, p. 4, cited in Sharif, Non-Jewish., p. 136.

61 Wagner, Beyond., p. 5.

62 Ronnie Dugger, 'Does Reagan Expect a Nuclear Armageddon?' Washington Post, 18 April 1984.

63 Michael Lienesch, Redeeming America: Piety and Politics in the New Christian Right (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, University of North Carolina, 1993), p. 197.

64 Merrill Simon, Jerry Falwell and the Jews (Middle Village, New York, Jonathan David, 1984), pp. 63-64, 71-72.

65 Benjamin Netanyahu in Mike Evans, Israel, America's Key to Survival (Plainfield, New Jersey, Haven Books, 1980)

66 Evans, Israel., p. 221.

67 Ramon Bennett, Saga: Israel and the Demise of the Nations. (Jerusalem, Arm of Salvation, 1993)

68 Patrick Cockburn, Independent. 30 September 1996, p. 9.

69 Sarah Honig, 'Adopt-a-Settlement Program' The Jerusalem Post, 2nd October 1995.

70 Andy Goldberg, 'Christmas dissent hits Bethlehem...' Sunday Times, 24th December 1995, p. 14.

71 Andy Goldberg, 'Israel plans a hell of a party at Armageddon.' Sunday Times, 17 November 1996, p. 18.

72 Goldberg, 'Israel'., p. 18.

73 Goldberg, 'Israel' p. 18.

74 Armstrong, Holy., p. 377.

75 Ruether, Wrath., p. 176.

76 Near East Report, vol. 21, No. 20, 18 May 1977, p. 78. Cited in Sharif, Non-Jewish., p. 136.

77 Cragg, Arab., p. 238.

78 MECC, What., p. 13.

79 MECC, What., preface.

80 MECC, What., p. 1.

81 Chapman, Whose., p. 277.

82 Cragg, Arab., p. 237.

83 Leech, The Eye., p. 205.

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