Articles on Christian Zionism
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Seeking the Peace of Jerusalem:
Overcoming Christian Zionism in the Quest for Justice View the following conference sessions!You are invited to watch one of these videos:
Christian Zionism and the Palestinians: The Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek – Founder of Sabeel Jerusalem Christian Zionism’s influence in your church and congregation: Dr. Gail Allen – Interchurch and Interfaith and Ecumenical Office, United Church of Canada Rabbi David Mivasair – IJV Canada, rabbi emeritus of Ahavat Olam Synagogue, Vancouver A Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue: Rabbi Alissa Wise – Jewish Voice for Peace, USA Jonathan Kuttab – Co-Founder of Al-Haq Human Rights Centre, Ramallah, Palestine For conference details visit: www.necefsabeel.ca To evangelicals, Zionism an increasingly tough sell
Ryan Rodrick Beiler
The Electronic Intifada Oslo 19 March 2015 A recent poll found a major shift away from evangelical support for Israel. (Ryan Rodrick Beiler) While the lobby giant AIPAC wields power in Washington, evangelical Christians have long been the grassroots base of Israel advocacy in the US. But that support is eroding. According to a National Association of Evangelicals poll, forty percent of US evangelical leaders have changed their thinking about Israel over the past fifteen years. The most common change? “A greater awareness of the struggles faced by the Palestinian people,” the survey concludes. “One of the most important developments is that Christian voices are coming out of Palestine,” said Munther Isaac, Vice Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College in the occupied West Bank. “They are challenging evangelicals to be in conversation with them.” “We’re seeing that with younger evangelicals, there is an openness because they’re very much interested in social justice issues,” Isaac told The Electronic Intifada. “They want to make a difference and they want to see their faith put in action.” Read the full article Christian Zionism's flawed vision of Israel: MarmurChristian Zionism is marred by the misguided assumption that Judaism ended with the Hebrew Bible.
By: Dow Marmur Columnist, Published on Sun Mar 29 2015 My dictionary defines Zionism as “a movement for the re-establishment of a Jewish national homeland and state in Palestine.” This was realized in May 1948 when the State of Israel was established. Many Jews are Zionists and committed to the quest for freedom and sovereignty of their people. But the majority of the world’s Zionists aren’t Jewish. Early Christians with Zionist sympathies included Lord Balfour, British foreign secretary, and his prime minister, David Lloyd George. In 1917, three years before the League of Nations gave Britain the mandate over Palestine, Balfour wrote to Lord Rothschild, a Jew, that “His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object.” The State of Israel may not have come into being without this Balfour Declaration. Christian Zionism has also helped to shape America’s widespread support for Israel. Most of the county’s evangelicals are said to be Zionists. They have determined America’s solid commitment to the Jewish state, even now when their president has been challenged by Israel’s prime minister. Without such support, Israel may not be able to exist. It’s understandable that, in view of anti-Semitism through the ages and into our own days, Jews must have a state where they will always be welcome as citizens, which is what Israel’s Law of Return stipulates. But why do believing Christians support them? Read more... Zionism is the problem
Judaism is Torah, ethics, an exaltation of the spirit. If Judaism is truly Torah, then it cannot be reduced to the confines of any particular territory, for as scripture said of Torah, its measure is greater than the Earth. Rabbi Aaron Samuel Tamarat 1929
Posted by tschmidt on April 18, 2015 on Theology In The Vineyard At one time the Jewish community had fierce proponents of justice in their pulpits. Then a strange thing happened. The date usually given is June 1967, the 6 Day War when Israel easily defeated the Egyptian army. Of course the Israeli government, as it usually did and continues to do, prepped the people and the docile public that this would be a fight to the finish, little Israel (always David, not Goliath) was fighting for its survival. It was never the case and was best explained by Mordecai Benton a Knessert member on April 14,1971 “The entire story of the extermination was invented in every detail and exaggerated a posterior to justify the annexation of new Arab territory.” Read more... Replacement TheologyRev. Brian D. Warner, M.A., Wheaton College Graduate School
What is Replacement Theology? It is a pejorative term used by a growing number of misinformed Christians who unwittingly misrepresent the views of fellow believers. The purpose of this web site is to encourage Christians to cease using this unkind term, for it is theologically inaccurate, divisive, incendiary to honest Christian discourse, and overtly offensive. Summary A typical definition of “Replacement Theology” can be paraphrased as such: “Israel has been replaced by the Christian Church, so the promises and prominent position once held by God’s chosen people are now held exclusively by the Church.” Such a view is false. The majority of Christians today and through the years see Gentile believers as grafted in to the vine of Israel. (Rom 11:1721) There is no replacement. Hence, the term "Replacement Theology" is inaccurate and ought not to be used. Read more... Putting a Christian Zionist in ChargeWhat Canada Can Tell Us
by Philip Giraldi, January 28, 2014 AntiWar.com (Philip Giraldi is a recognized authority on international security and counterterrorism issues. He is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer who served eighteen years overseas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Spain. He was Chief of Base in Barcelona from 1989 to 1992 designated as the Agency’s senior officer for Olympic Games support. Since 1992 he consulted for a number of Fortune 500 corporate clients.) Even though there were few good reasons to vote for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, the Republicans provided plenty of better reasons not to vote for their candidates, allowing Obama to benefit from the political vacuum. I was particularly concerned in both election cycles regarding the in-your-face religiosity of several of the GOP candidates. I assessed Sarah Palin as being basically a Christian Zionist, though admittedly a particularly ignorant version thereof who hardly understood what she was promoting, while Romney’s Mormonism with its affinities to evangelical Christianity and strong ties to Israel was equally disturbing. I care little for what one chooses to believe but when the beliefs are such that they will likely be translated into policy that impacts on all the rest of us it is difficult to pretend that a candidate’s religion doesn’t matter. Be that as it may, the United States has recently benefited from having heads of state that either are believers in a casual way or engaging in a form of piety that is essentially phony, as Bill Clinton did when he paraded around Bible in hand pretending penitence after having had a White House intern perform oral sex on him. Read more... |
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To evangelicals, Zionism an increasingly tough sell
Christian Zionism's flawed vision of Israel: Marmur Zionism is the problem Replacement Theology Putting a Christian Zionist in Charge 
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