While polls show that, across, the board, President Trump’s decisions regarding Iran are supported overwhelmingly by those who voted him into office, there is a lot of dissent and – dare I say – a vibe shift. There are several influential celebrity podcasters who are decidedly anti-Israel, but my perception is that there are also a lot of younger conservatives who want America to focus on our own problems instead of expending energy, money, and lives on distant places that will never embrace a pro-America or pro-democracy agenda. I also believe that there are a lot of folks giving Trump the benefit of the doubt and that if the US can accomplish Regime Alteration along with a disarmed Iran in a reasonable amount of time – like two months – President Trump and his party will see a bump in the mid-terms. But I do think there is a window of time beyond which the President will begin to lose credibility and the term “forever war” will be parroted by the MSM, the isolationists, and the anti-Zionists.
But hey, I’m not a political junkie nor a geopolitical strategist, so my contribution to this is going to be more in the way of theology. Because as it turns out, this is an issue where theology can play a big role. Tucker Carlson made the statement that there is no one he hates more that Christian Zionists (although he may have walked that back) and he identifies political figures such as Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee as representatives of that group who connect the blessings of God with those who support Israel.
I grew up in dispensational circles. For those who don’t know what that means, dispensationalism is a way of viewing the Bible that makes a distinction between Israel and the Church such that God has a specific plan for national Israel that is distinct from God’s plan for the Church. According to dispensationalism, the promises God made through the prophets in the Old Testament are not fulfilled by the Church, but that the present Age of Grace (aka the Church Age) will come to an end at the Rapture, after which God will deal with the nation of Israel again and fulfill promises regarding national blessings dealing with land, authority, a rebuilt temple, etc…
Dispensationalism came to the United States in the 19th century and became the dominant eschatological system. Because dispensationalism sees a future for national Israel, adherents were (and are) natural allies to the Zionist movement, which was a political movement – also arising in the 19th century – to give a homeland to the Jewish people in their ancestral dwelling place so that they could escape the pogroms (state sponsored persecution) against the Jewish people in Russia and Europe. In a time of great political upheaval and as a response to the terrible persecution of Jews in World War II, that plan was carried out in 1948 and modern Israel was born.
It would be hard to overestimate how the formation of a new Jewish nation-state excited the eschatological juices of 20th century dispensationalists. While prophecy has always excited passions, the certainty of Christ’s imminent return was unquestioned by many. When I was in Bible College, a pastor spoke from Matthew 24:34 “this generation shall not pass until all these be fulfilled” and preached that Christ would return before the death of the last Jew of the generation that saw the formation of Israel as a nation-state. Which I suppose is still possible, being that a baby born in 1948 would be 78 today and there are certainly folks living longer than that, but…well, I don’t even know what to say. That’s what he preached and that was a very common interpretation for pastors in my circles.
As we get farther away from the birth of Israel as a modern nation, there is a growing sense among young Christians that the eschatological fervor of the previous generation was misplaced, which is coinciding with a rise in skepticism toward the geopolitical alliance with Israel. American evangelical support for Israel was pretty much unwavering throughout the 20th century, and by and large it is still strong today. But there is a sliver on the right that is, at minimum, distrustful of Israel.
All of which might be summarized in this question: Is a New Testament believer obligated to support the nation of Israel? I’m going to answer “no”, but before I do I want to say a lot of important things.
First, it does not seem coincidental to me that the rise of an anti-Israel sentiment on the right is paralleled by a rise of anti-Semitism on the right. One is a question of geopolitical strategy and the other is a moral issue of the heart. My concern is that the anti-Israel sentiment is not being fueled by a coherent political stance but by a misplaced sense of moral outrage towards Jews in general. Jew-hatred is a perennial feature of the world, and it has no place among Christian believers. So while it is not incumbent upon Christians to offer unconditional support to Israel, it is incumbent on believers to not engage in ethnic animosity toward Jews. I want to sincerely ask my young, white, Christian, conservative friends, to please keep an eye on your hearts as you ponder this issue and consider the voices influencing your perspective. As a general rule, holocaust deniers are a bad source of information. Rehabilitating Hitler is a danger sign. Condemning books like “The Hiding Place” is bizarre.
Second, Christians ought to do good to the Jewish people as they have opportunity. In the first century, the Jews were persecutors of the Christian church, and yet Paul reminds the church that “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.” (Romans 11:28). The restoration of the Jewish people, not to a nation, but to God through His Son Jesus Christ would enrich the world, and it should be the object of our prayers and endeavors as opportunity arises.
Third, the establishment of the nation of Israel is a providential blessing upon the Jewish people in response to the atrocities committed against them. There is nothing intrinsically evil about the Zionist movement or about those who endeavored to make it a reality. That isn’t to say that every person or every act was virtuous, but Zionism as a political endeavor does not violate any law of righteousness.
Fourth, the nation of Israel is a geopolitical ally of the United States in a very unstable part of the world. While unconditional support is not required, supporting our geopolitical partners around the world is a good thing. The war in Iran is not necessarily evidence of a Zionist conspiracy, of a plot, or of divided loyalties in our own government. In fact, I find this kind of accusation particularly dubious in light of the fact that President Trump is not an ideologue but a pragmatist, and pragmatically speaking this whole situation could really blow up in his face. Furthermore, the Secretary of State is Catholic (not dispensational) and would rather focus on South America, and the Vice President would rather not get involved in overseas conflicts at all. I actually believe that the Iran war is an opportunistic endeavor based on perceived (whether rightly or not I don’t know) threats to US interests. I have no idea if it will be successful, but my personal opinion is that the conspiracy theories are simply wrong.
But the fundamental answer to the larger question remains unchanged: I do not believe that Christians are obligated to offer the nation of Israel unconditional support (with emphasis on unconditional). With that in mind, below is a short FAQ that delves into some specific questions that one might have.
Does Israel have a right to exist?
This is just a bad question in that we could ask the same regarding any nation and the answer would be just as hard to formulate. Do nations have rights to exist? Whether or not they have a right to exist, every nation must defend its existence against existential threats, so we could say that Israel has a right to exist so long as it can defend its own existence in the same way that every nation must defend its own existence. Israel understands this and acts accordingly.
What agreement can there be between dispensational Zionists and those who are not dispensational Zionists?
All Christians should desire to do good to the Jewish people, the primary means of which is to see them come to receive Christ as their Messiah. Evangelizing Jews can be distinct from promoting the interest of a Jewish State, but it should be a shared endeavor between Christians of different theological perspectives.
Why is anti-semitism a constant problem?
The two best reasons I have heard to explain the perennial problem of Jew hatred is because of 1) envy, in that the Jews are a high performing people who find ways to rise in society despite social bias against them, and 2) guilt, in that the Jews remind people of the righteousness of the Law. Guilt then leads to hatred.
Why are there so many conspiracy theories regarding the Jews?
People want to blame someone else for the suffering that exists in life and the Jews are a convenient target for the reasons stated above.
Should elected members of the US government or appointed members of the executive branch be allowed to hold dual citizenship?
No, but ethnic history is not the issue, loyalty is the issue. Decisions made by members of the US government should be for the benefit of US citizens and dual citizenship brings that into question.
Should Israel have a special status with the USA?
As a geopolitical ally, Israel should enjoy a partnership status with the USA that is mutually beneficial but which is not above scrutiny or violation.
Conclusion
When 9/11 happened I was in college. I did not support the US war with Iraq, and when speculation regarding a new draft arose, I had no desire to go die in a war that I did not believe in (although I would not have avoided a draft). I understand young men today who want to avoid a meaningless war sucking the life out of their generation. I believe that from a gospel perspective, Christians should be kindly disposed toward the Jewish people as our “elder brother” in hopes that they will come in and join the Father’s feast. As a nation, the US should pursue an alliance with Israel that is mutually beneficial in areas where our interests are aligned.
Nathan Writes 