Mixing theology and politics regarding the nation of Israel now includes something called “Christian Zionism,” a perspective that is dividing Christian churches.
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #238 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
Recently, about one thousand American evangelical leaders traveled to Israel to show their support, learn more about what’s happened on the ground, and for many of them to directly affirm something called “Christian Zionism.” This gathering has been billed as “the largest public-diplomacy mission in Israel’s history.” “The event was initiated by Christian Zionist leader Mike Evans and the Friends of Zion.”
Meanwhile, some Middle Eastern Christians have offered scathing critiques of this event, considering it shameful for what they say is an absence of contact with Palestinian believers and in the event’s propagation of what the Middle Easterners consider heretical Christian Zionism.
This event comes “after the anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish social-media platformed onslaughts by the likes of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish podcasters and political commentators Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes, among others, all of whom avow—(oddly)—a form of Christian justification.” Tucker Carlson recently called Christian Zionism a “brain virus and heresy.”
“The support for Zionism is under a renewed attack of opposition and invalidation. One stream of vitriol, of course, stems from the ideology that Judaism and Jews have been replaced. A second flow of animosity essentially is structured on hard-core antisemitism. A third current of negativity is predicated on the neo-Marxist progressive politics of defining Zionism as ‘colonialism.’ The fourth wave has been the development of a Christian-based ‘Palestine liberation theology.’”
“People are throwing this term ‘Zionism’ and ‘Zionist’ around, sometimes as a compliment – sometimes as an insult – and don’t seem to understand what it really means.” So, let’s pause for a moment and define Zionism and Christian Zionism.
Zionism is the idea of a return to Zion, meaning Jerusalem or the Land of Israel, an idea with deep roots in Jewish religious tradition. For centuries, Jewish prayers, holidays, and rituals expressed the hope of returning to Zion—"Next year in Jerusalem" they would say during Passover and Yom Kippur liturgies. However, these expressions were spiritual or messianic hopes, not a political program. Then came Theodor Herzl (1860–1904), an Austro-Hungarian journalist, considered the father of modern political Zionism. The first Zionist Congress was held in Basel, Switzerland, 1897, where the movement formally adopted its goal of establishing “a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured by public law.” Today, Zionism, is best understood as a spectrum encompassing a broad set of beliefs, some contradictory to the other.
Christian Zionism is a theological and political movement that supports the Jewish return to the land of Israel and the modern State of Israel, based on specific interpretations of the Bible. Evangelical supporters included, back in the day, Jerry Falwell Sr., Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, Pat Robertson, and recently John Hagee, Robert Jeffress, Paula White-Cain, Mike Evans, David Jeremiah, and Michael Brown. Evangelicals who reject Christian Zionism include John Piper, N.T. Wright, and the late J.I. Packer and R.C. Sproul.
Christian Zionism involves these core biblical beliefs:
- God’s covenant with Abraham is eternal — “I will bless those who bless you” (Genesis 12:3).
- Israel’s modern restoration fulfills prophecy – “I will take the Israelites out of the nations… and bring them back into their own land.” (Isaiah 66:8; Ezekiel 37:21-22). “Has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew” (Rom 11:1–2).
- Christians have a biblical mandate to support Israel — both spiritually and politically.
- Opposition to Israel is opposition to God’s plan, while blessing Israel brings divine favor.
- Premillennial eschatology — Israel’s rebirth is a prelude to Christ’s Second Coming.
A few Christian Zionists—but not all—support what’s called “Replacement Theology,” also known as supersessionism, the belief that Christians or the New Testament Church have replaced or superseded the Jews (ethnic Israel) as God's chosen people, and that this New Covenant in Jesus Christ renders the Old Covenant obsolete. This is a heretical doctrine that most Christian Zionists reject.
The politics of Christian Zionism gets complicated.
- The term is often used as an insult or bludgeon or label for anyone who supports Israel in ways an opponent disagrees.
- Israel is considered God’s chosen nation by virtue of biblical command, which translates to unconditional support (Genesis 12:3).
- Political theology merged with populism: Israel’s defense and U.S. nationalism were portrayed as linked covenants with God.
- Israel became not just a prophetic marker but a symbol of Christian identity and divine blessing for nations that support it, such that Israel now functions as a symbol of conservative Christian identity, patriotism, and biblical fidelity.
Criticisms of Christian Zionism can be summarized in this list:
- Christian Zionism mixes theology and nationalism/political ideology – Critics claim Christian Zionism elevates nationalism, military power, and territory over the universal message of reconciliation in Christ.
- Christian Zionism ignores moral/justice concerns regarding Palestinians and is accused of marginalizing or dehumanizing Palestinian Christians and Muslims, viewing them as obstacles to prophecy rather than neighbors to love.
- Church’s prophetic voice is muted – By sacralizing Israeli military or political action, critics say Christian Zionism abandons the New Testament ethic of peacemaking.
- Over-emphasis on land and ethnicity – critics say, divides the Church by giving theological priority to one ethnic or national group and contradicts Paul’s teaching that “in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek” (Gal 3:28).
Christian Zionists argue that “although Christian Zionists differ on certain points, (they) are united by one truth: Zionism is rooted in God’s unbreakable biblical covenants. Simply put, the Jewish people have the divine and historical right to a sovereign state in their ancestral homeland of Israel.” “Some assume we view Israel through rose-colored glasses, as if the Jewish people and their leaders are perfect. (But) that could not be further from the truth. Like the United States, Israel is imperfect. Jews and Christians alike are imperfect. Yet Christian Zionists choose to be loyal friends to Israel in a world where antisemitism continues to spread like poison.” “(Their) allegiance is not to politics or personalities but to Scripture, which we regard as God’s unchanging truth.”
For me, the term “Christian Zionism” is problematic because it can be interpreted with so many meanings, some of which I directly oppose, so while I support much that it represents, I don’t usually use the term. That said, I do not believe Christian Zionism, i.e., a belief in God’s promise of the Holy Land to the Jewish people, is ipso facto heretical, much less anti-biblical.
I believe God’s Word is immutable and that his covenants and promises in both the Old and New Testaments are permanent. So, I believe God promised the Holy Land to his chosen people, the Jews, and this promise is yet theologically and practically operable today.
I do not believe in Replacement Theology, the idea the Church supersedes or replaces the Jews in God’s plan and providence.
I think we, too, must be careful jumping from the Bible to the current news saying, “This is what God is doing.” God’s Word is complex, and it is not for us “to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” (Deut. 29:29; Isa. 46:9–10; 55:8–9; Acts 1:7). We must also, I think, be careful equating the modern nation state of Israel directly with all God said about the Jewish people, in part because Israel is a pluralistic, democratic state that can make mistakes like any other. Israel is not above critique. Meanwhile, I believe Israel has a right to self-determination, existence, and as required, self-defense.
I certainly believe the Gospel is for all people, including Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians. I believe God loves Arabs and those called Palestinians. I do not believe Christians should denigrate, ignore, dismiss, or otherwise politically mistreat who these people are.
One tragedy of the Gaza War is the apparent ease with which some American evangelicals have dismissed or downplayed the horrible effects of war on the people, including children, in Gaza. Their suffering is as dreadful as the suffering of Jews in Israel, and among the people of Gaza are Christian believers, who have also suffered.
So, I desire a just peace, and I pray all may hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the true and ultimate source of change.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
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