Hello Dojo readers,
Last week, my dear friend Scott Volk (founder of "Together for Israel") asked me if I would put together something of a “Case against Christian Zionism.” He wanted to hear the what I felt were the strongest arguments in favor of not supporting it.
[For those who are unfamiliar with the term, when I say Christian Zionism I am referring specifically to the belief among many Christians that the Holy Land belongs exclusively to the Jewish people and that the modern state of Israel is the fulfillment of God's promises to regather them. Thus the state of Israel should be politically, financially, and morally supported by Christians as a reflection of our faith in--and faithfulness to--God's purposes in history.]
Now Scott and I have a wonderful relationship and though we don't agree on some things politically or theologically, I consider him a faithful brother, a good friend, and someone who genuinely loves people and seeks to serve them regardless of ethnicity, religion, or nationality. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Scott, you can attest to this firsthand!
So I told him I'd be happy to put together a list of reasons why I personally do not believe Christian Zionism is a biblically faithful view. And rather than relegate it to an email, I wanted to share it here at Disciple Dojo so that others can evaluate my reasoning and study it for themselves.
Here they are…
[Of course, it should go without saying—but sadly, in our current climate, does not—that opposition to Zionism is 100% NOT opposition to Judaism or the Jewish people. Antisemitism is a very real, and very sinful, phenomenon. As such, it has NO PLACE WHATSOEVER among followers of Israel’s Messiah! Many Zionists as well as anti-Zionists conflate the two for their own rhetorical purposes. But this is just that: conflation. The points below in NO WAY negate the notion of Jewish people living freely and safely ANYWHERE in the world…including the Holy Land. Let me be resoundingly clear about this up front, as I know someone reading this will try and paint it as antisemitic…or will try and use these points to justify their own antisemitism. In the words of the Pharisee, Shaul “μὴ γένοιτο·”]
7 Reasons Why I am not a Christian Zionist
According to the Hebrew Scriptures, the Land belongs to YHWH alone and Covenant Israel were to be stewards who lived there as foreigners themselves (Leviticus 25:23). The Land does not ultimately belong to the Israelites...in fact, Torah makes it explicitly clear in numerous places that their possession of the Land is 100% contingent on Covenant faithfulness (Leviticus 18:28, Leviticus 26). Apart from Covenant faithfulness, no Israelite has any claim whatsoever to the Land according to Torah.
The Promise of the Land was given not to a nation, but to Abraham's Seed (Gen 15:18; 17:7-8; 26:4). In the New Testament the Gospel makes clear that Messiah--and all who are "in Him"--are Abraham's Seed (Galatians 3:7-9, 16-18, 26-29; Ephesians 2:11-21). One can be ethnically and even religously Jewish...yet not be Abraham's Seed, according to John the Baptist (Matt 3:9) and Jesus (John 8:39ff).
Christian Zionism implies that Gentiles who follow Messiah are not actually "heirs to the Promise" (Galatians 3:29), but are "excluded from citizenship in Israel" (Ephesians 2:12) and thus receive only the 'spiritual' salvation and Covenant blessings. The 'real world' Land Promise (originally given to Abraham's Seed) can only be claimed today by ethnic Jews--regardless of whether or not they are living in Covenant faithfulness. The Bible knows nothing of such an artificial bifurcation.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel was *always* an ethnic mixture of people united by their Covenant faith in YHWH. From Ephraim and Manasseh (half-Egyptian), to Zipporah (Midianite), to the mixed multitude that came out of Egypt, to Rahab (Canaanite), to Ruth (Moabite), to Caleb (Kenazzite), to the Prophetic promise that Egypt and Assyria will be "my people" and "my handiwork" (Isaiah 19:25), and that foreigners will be joined to Israel (Isaiah 14:1)..."Israel" in its Covenant identity has always been, and will always be, Jew and Gentile together. Even in Romans 9-11 where Paul uses "Israel" as shorthand for "unbelieving Jews", he bookends the discussion by noting that "not all Israel are Israel" (9:6) and that when all the "wild branches" AND "broken off branches" have been joined to the single tree, only "in this way" (Gk: houtos) will "all Israel be saved." (11:26).
Christian Zionism applies extremely selective literalism in equating modern political Israel with the visions of the Prophets, ignoring many details in Scripture in order to make the founding of the modern state "fit" with Prophecies that were originally about Judah's return from Babylonian exile. While multiple (or deeper) fulfillments of prophetic passages are possible, this is ambiguous at best in light of the actual events in the 19th-20th centuries. Furthermore, Zionists maintain that "Israel" in the Bible should always be interpreted literally, yet "Babylon", "Assyria", "Gog" and "Magog" are symbolic of various other modern nations (which constantly must be updated depending on the geopolitical situation!).
Christian Zionism denies the teaching of Moses that Israel's return to the Land must be *preceded by repentance* and turning back to YHWH (Deuteronomy 30:1-8). The Zionism that directly led to the founding of the modern state of Israel was largely secular and led by atheist ethnic Jews who rejected Torah Judaism--which is why it has often been staunchly opposed for over a century by many Orthodox Jews around the world and even in Israel today.
Christian Zionism places ethnic identity over Covenant identity. It teaches that any non-religious European Jewish immigrant has more right to live in the Land than a Palestinian Christian whose family has lived there since the time of Jesus. Not only is this a blatant violation of basic human liberty, it is also entirely lacking in Biblical justification.
So there you have it. My 7 reasons for not embracing Christian Zionism. Now, I want to be very clear:
I am NOT saying that any Christian who holds to Christian Zionism is an unfaithful heretic or a wolf in sheep's clothing (though some of its most vocal and bombastic advocates may very well be both of those things!).
What I AM saying is that I believe their faithfulness and devotion to God's Kingdom exists *in spite of* their Christian Zionist views, not because of it. I have many friends who are Christian Zionists, and I have benefited from the works of numerous Christian Zionist scholars and teachers. I disagree with them and try to persuade them to abandon that view, but I do not break fellowship with them over it, nor do I hold any personal animosity toward them. This is an area where I recognize Christians strongly disagree at times. That is why I am always eager to dialogue on this subject and welcome any debate (so long as it’s not antagonistic, obnoxious, or intellectually dishonest!).
There are many other reasons that I could give for why we should reject Christian (or most other forms of) Zionism, but these are the main ones I find to be compelling from a Biblical perspective.
Also, it is important to emphasize that none of these reasons rely on any particular geopolitical or historical perspective regarding events in the Middle East, nor do they necessitate holding to any particular political stance on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Of course, I have opinions on those things…and you can see me debate a mutual friend of mine and Scott’s on that subject HERE.
[Note: There IS a form of Zionism that I do believe can be reconciled with a faithful Biblical worldview. It is called Hagshamah Zionism. For those interested in learning more about it, see the essay "Hagshamah" by Philip D. Ben-Shmuel in "The Land Cries Out" and the writings of Martin Buber in "A Land of Two Peoples."]