CHRISTIAN ZIONISM
Zionism is the nationalist, political and ideological movement that advocates for the self-determination of the Jewish people and the support for a Jewish homeland in the historic land of Israel but, is manifested in different areas including political, labor, revisionist, religious, cultural and diaspora thinking. Each area has its own oppositions and degrees of antisemitism. We are going to pursue Zionism as it relates to the issue of Christian Zionism.
Anti-Israel activists have demonized the term Zionism, which has had a detrimental effect on the use of the term Christian Zionism. It is the same with the term Evangelical Christian; anti-Christian liberals have so demonized the word “Evangelical” that, increasingly, Christians are no longer using it.
Personally, I do not want to give up on the term Zionism because it is, at its root, a biblical concept. The word “Zion” denotes Jerusalem, the very place God brought the people He chose for Himself to worship and the center of His redemptive activity. Zion is a real place in Israel, but also a theological symbol of God’s faithfulness, kingship, and future restoration: from Zion, God’s law will go forth (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2), and from Zion, Jesus will one day rule and reign (Zechariah 14:4; Acts 1:9–12).
The term was first used in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress by Theodore Herzl. This father of the Zionist Movement used the term when acknowledging the presence of several Christians among the Congress attendees. One of those Christian Zionists was Jean Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross.
Ultimately, Zion (Jerusalem) is the one place on the face of the earth where God chose to set His name and dwell among His people: “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.’” (Psalm 132:13–14)
For well over 1,000 years, most of the church believed that Christians had replaced the Jews as the people of God’s covenant. Known as Replacement Theology, God’s promises to the Jewish people are spiritualized and applied to the church. In rare instances, monks and priests read the scriptures differently; however, in the church’s first thousand years, this view remained predominant and became the fuel that fed centuries of Christian antisemitism.
This began to change in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when the Bible was translated into the languages of the common people, including into English. Christians began reading Scripture for themselves. They learned about Christianity’s Jewish roots and the promised return of the Jews to their ancient homeland.
As a result, respected theologians and preachers taught of a future Jewish restoration to the land of Israel. Entire movements of Christians began praying for this return. By the eighteenth century, the Restorationist movement had blossomed and included many theologians, writers, and politicians. Christian leaders had expanded their involvement in the Zionist cause beyond prayer to advocacy. They did all that they could to help the Jewish people return to Israel.
In recent years, the term Christian Zionism, as well as Christian Nationalism, has gained increased attention and scrutiny due to rising antisemitism and anti-Christianity. Seeking to delegitimize Israel and her supporters, prominent public figures have criticized the historical, biblical, and theological basis that connects Christians to their support of the modern State of Israel. One media personality even dismissed the movement as a collective “brain virus,” suggesting the Christian Zionist conviction is a pathology. Common caricatures suggest that Christian Zionism is a heresy, and adherents put Israel’s interests over America’s and blindly support the Israeli government no matter what. Some even claim that the Israel of the Bible has nothing to do with modern Israel. Wrong.
Christian Zionism is a theological framework based on God’s promises to Abraham, confirmed by the Hebrew prophets, and reinforced by the New Testament writings. It is not a new concept and throughout history, it has ebbed and flowed. This means that a narrower use of the term Christian Zionist is one who holds to the theological school of thought known as Christian Zionism and supports the right of the Jewish people to return to their homeland on scriptural grounds.
One must conclude that while there are many convincing arguments based on history, morality, and common sense to support Israel, for Bible-based Christians, the biblical basis for Christian support of Israel trumps them all and demands our lifelong pursuit of loving and blessing the Jewish people.
And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their
generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also, I give
to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as
an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:7–8)
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Galatians 6:2 encourages fellow believers to "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. As a community, we are bound together with the love of Christ." We exhibit that love through prayer for one another. Someone in our midst may be hurting, believing for a new job, seeking direction from God. When we come together in agreement for each other, we see God begin to work! We want to agree with you. We encourage our readers to let us know what we can all agree on for you. If you have a specific need that you would like us to pray for, let us know. The Word of God compels us to pray for one another in the community where we live. So agree with us as we pray for each other!
Community Prayer List
-Pray for those involved in protecting the border
-Pray for our troops in the Middle East
-Pray for President Trump, the entire Executive Branch
-Pray for the country of Israel and its protection from Muslim countries
-Pray for legislation that will benefit our country to pass
-Pray for the upcoming midterm elections
-Pray for the Peace of Israel
-Pray for revival and the spreading of the Gospel