Are Western Christians Making Things Worse in the Holy Land?
Arab leaders discuss the "negative influence on peace and justice in the Middle East" of Western Christians. Have some replaced the centrality of Jesus with the land?
Many have been sounding alarm bells at the growing volume and politicization of religious conflict in the Middle East, not among Jews in Israel, or Hamas in Gaza (though yes, there too), but among evangelical Christians in the West.
For years the Jordanian king and his government have stayed away from theological issues, especially those concerning the Christian faith. But the rise of religious nationalism in several places around the globe has encouraged Christian Zionists in the U.S. and other parts of the world to award Israel an open-ended justification for its prosecution of the war in Gaza and has forced a change in policy in Amman. (link)
Daoud Kuttab, a Jordanian Christian recently wrote:
Polls show that white American evangelicals’ support for Israel has surpassed that of Jewish Americans.
I find this interesting. Why would American Christians be more supportive than American Jews of Israel?
Another weird dynamic… some of the worst examples of settler extremism and Jewish terrorism (Yes that’s a thing) come from the West. The unique personalities of American and British immigrants to Israel, especially extremist settlers is recorded as far back as the 80s, where Israelis themselves were ashamed at the “crazy Americans” involved in the terrorism of the Jewish Underground. Some of this Western linked violence goes back to Jewish extremists during the British Mandate that pre-date the founding of the state, like Irgun and Haganah’s role in the 1930’s. These groups:
“came to be perceived by conventional eyes as the most violent and unrestrained terrorist organization of the modern era.”
Manachem Begin, the 6th Prime Minister of Israel, was leader of the group but then disbanded it to pursue politics. Read more here. Sort of like many other Israeli, Lebanese and Palestinian leaders (Yasser Arafat the prominent example) that move from extremist/terrorist/militant to politician… its is a pretty common path in the region. The latest example seems to be in Syria with Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Julani). All these guys seem to have some Western backing or at least influence in their past, especially while militant. For example, al-Sharaa was funded by the US and allies in Syria to destabilize Assad’s regime. But I digress to geo-politics, back to Western evangelicals...
Are Westerners making things worse in the Holy Land? While the problem of evangelical meddling is old, Arab scholars, theologians, church leaders and royalty seem to have reached a new level of concern. A recent conference at the Dead Sea in Jordan saw
40 internationally known academics gathered for three days to discuss how a largely politicized religious phenomenon is fueling and justifying the continuation of war, forced hunger and occupation of Palestine. The conference was meant to provide a platform for experts to discuss the intersection of theology, history and politics in shaping religious narratives and policies.
You can read the whole article here including notable contributions by Arab evangelical leaders like Dr. Jack Sara, president of Bethlehem Bible College.
Palestinian speakers spoke about the challenges of being a Palestinian evangelical Christian. “The term ‘evangelical’ has been marred because of the association of evangelicals with Israeli war criminals,” said Jack Sara, president of Bethlehem Bible College. He blamed Christian Zionism, calling it “a heretical replacement theology that replaced Jesus with Israel.”
Another Arab theologian and pastor recently answered questions on a panel I led about the differences in theological perspectives in the Holy Land between Western and Arab Christians at a large missions conference. He noted that as narrative/biblical theologians they do not see anything in the New Testament called ‘Christian Zionism’ nor is there anything in church history before 100 years ago (he asserts this is more of an external framework overlaid onto the narrative by moderns). There was Old Testament Zionism, yes, but not NT. Jesus repeatedly rejected any attempts to bring about a physical/ethnic Kingdom (Acts 1:6-7) and went to Syrians (Matt 4:24), ethnic outcasts like Samaritans (John 4) and those from Tyre and Sidon (Luke 10:14). It was not about one ethnicity, but about all nations, the world, all ethne. This is why the Jews wanted to first kill Jesus at the very beginning of his ministry when he opened the Isaiah scroll.
Speaking to a group of Western evangelicals at this large conference this brave theologian outlined Jesus’ intensification of the OT promises of land to include the meek inheriting the whole earth (not just OT Israel), Jesus himself being the true Jerusalem, true Israel (the faithful vine spoken about in Is 5) and the true temple (Matt 11). Therefore, in Christ, believers participate in these promises (along with any believing ethnic Jews) on a much grander scale. There is no replacement, as some might accuse, just wider and further inclusion. He echoed Dr. Sara’s concern that many Western evangelicals have replaced Jesus himself as the pinnacle of God’s redemptive plan with the state of Israel. Read or listen to more here.
Acts 10:34-35 says:
God showed that he accepted them [non-Jews] by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us [Jews]. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
Regardless of your views on eschatology or the Gaza war it’s never wrong to listen carefully to those closest to an issue, especially fellow Christians. Many of these brothers and sisters feel abandoned by the Western church, are mourning disastrous wars and death and are worried about the future of Christianity in the region (and in the West!). They point out prophetically that some Americans care more about land, and political states than people and peace. They are pleading with the church to stand with them on mission.
Do we have ears to hear?
PS - if you want to explore two different views on the Holy Land (and eschatology) from unique voices (uber-legit PhD credentials and also pastors) here’s a sermon from a Syrian background US pastor on the parable of the tenants (more dispensational) and another from a Lebanese evangelical pastor/scholar (you decide what this framework is… it’s a biblical/narrative hermeneutic not strictly covenantal).