Christian Zionism is a theological and political movement within Protestant evangelical Christianity that supports the existence of the state of Israel and the right of the Jewish people to occupy their national homeland. This might seem harmless enough, but it’s being blamed for significant loss of innocent lives and labeled a “brain virus” by popular Christian commentators. Why is this controversial and where should God’s people land on it?
Firstly, differences in the way we interpret scripture (hermeneutics) often lead us to different theological positions. While Zionism follows from a literal biblical hermeneutic, opposing viewpoints rely on a more metaphorical approach. Since Protestant Evangelicals tend to interpret the Bible more literally, they tend to align with Zionism. This should come as no surprise.
And while other interpretive frameworks may disagree with the necessity of a modern Jewish state, there doesn’t appear to be any convincing theological motivation, at least from the Bible, to actively oppose the existence of a Jewish state or to discourage Jews from settling there; theological attacks on Zionism are therefore evidently energized by other values and world views.
Secondly, the key dynamic in the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict is evidently Dar al-Islam (“House of Islam”), the Muslim belief that once a territory is ruled by Islam it must always remain under Islamic control. This is not a fringe belief; it is rooted in mainstream Islamic jurisprudence. So, by definition, since the Islamic Ottoman Empire ruled this area for four hundred years, right up until the end of WW1, Israel can never make peace with serious adherents to Islam, with Iran and her proxies Hamas, Houthis and Hezbollah; eventually, Israel must either persuade Islamic fundamentalists to abandon their convictions, destroy them or be destroyed by them. There are no other options.
Additionally, Islamic ideology prioritizes loyalty to Islam above any degree of human suffering; the eradication of the Jewish state is commendable regardless of the means, including leveraging women and children as human shields to maximize human misery should Israel retaliate to eliminate ongoing threats. Failing to acknowledge this dynamic in the midst of on-going atrocities, blaming Israel for causing civilian suffering as they defend themselves, is an irrational double standard that places Israel in a no-win situation, but it conveniently energizes convincing propaganda.
Thirdly, we should also carefully consider whether the nation of Israel, the Jewish people of the Diaspora, actually has a right to occupy what was once their homeland. It is difficult to imagine a reasonable justification for failing to acknowledge this right.
For starters, Israel has soundly defeated her Arab enemies in every single war between them, armed conflicts started by Arab neighbors bent on annihilating Israel. Historically, territory conquered in war goes to the victor; the right to claim ownership of an area is based on the ability to defend it. There is no other consistent historical precedent to establish national sovereignty over a territory. This is how Islam acquired the disputed land in the first place.
Secondly, the land of Israel certainly is the ancient homeland of the Jews. This is well-established both archaeologically and historically. Arab occupation of the land during the Diaspora is irrelevant.
Finally, the fact that God Himself gave this land to the physical descendants of Abraham as an everlasting possession is apparent to those who take their Bible at face value. (Ge 13:14-15, 15:18, 17:8) He not only gave it to them, He also enabled them to conquer it step by step by supernaturally empowering them against far stronger enemies; they could never have done this on their own. (De 20:1-4) Anyone who has studied the Arab-Israeli wars in any detail will find the same pattern: God is the only explanation Israel has ever existed as a nation state.
I will never forget sitting in a military science class at the US Air Force Academy in 1980, when my professor said: “The US Air Force is the greatest in the world; I wouldn’t hesitate to put her up against any other nation…” And then he paused in the midst of the cadets’ patriotic cheering. He continued unexpectedly, “… except one: I would never turn the US Air Force against Israel. There is something about Israeli pilots that’s hard to describe. Though they’re young, inexperienced, flying inferior aircraft and aren’t as well trained, they consistently execute with a precision exceeding the technical design and capability of the aircraft itself. God Himself is with these people; make no mistake about it.”
Agree with the politics of the Jewish state or not; like their politicians or not; find the Jews themselves reasonable and deserving people or not; this is not the point. The land of Israel belongs to Israel: this is their homeland; they have no other; God Himself gave it to them for an everlasting possession, and God is now defending them and enabling them to live there again.
Regardless how unpopular Zionism becomes, let no child of God be found on the wrong side of eternal history here. God’s purposes in Israel are not yet complete (Ro 11:25-29); they will indeed be accomplished. Woe to anyone who dares to stand in His way.
Opponents of Zionism often site its roots in Pre-millennial Dispensationalism, popularized by John Darby of the Plymouth Brethren. This is a straw-man logical fallacy: Zionism is much more consistent with a completely unified view of scripture; it is weakened by Dispensationalism, not strengthened by it.
Mainstream Christianity’s opposition to Zionism is rooted in Replacement Theology, or Supersessionism, the belief that the Christian Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan as God’s chosen people and that He has no more special interest in or use for the Jewish people in general or the nation of Israel as a whole. This is based on a general misunderstanding of the Pauline epistles, taking them out of context and rejecting Torah as God’s moral standard for all mankind. This error (Is 8:20, Mt 5:17-19) has been inherent in Christianity as we know it today since its inception in the mid 2nd century. It’s a distinctly different religion than the Apostolic Christianity of Christ and His Apostles.
The fact that God’s eternal heavenly city is called New Jerusalem, that it has 12 gates named after the 12 tribes of the children of Israel, that earthly Jerusalem itself is “the city of the great king” (Mt 5:35), that the Gospel itself is “to the Jew first” (Ro 1:16, 2:9-10), and that the 144,000 Gospel witnesses hand-selected by God in the end times are evenly divided among the 12 tribes of Israel, each of which is explicitly named (Re 7:4-8) should tell us all we need to know about Supersessionism. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Ro 11:29)