Why I do not support Christian Zionism
With the current war going on between Israel and Hamas of
Palestine, Jews, Christians and Muslims around the world have begun to show their
support to either Israel or Palestine. The sad part is that these groups
have pulled out their daggers at each other believing that they do so in the
name of their God. They hardly realize that they do so as followers of the same
God worshipped and served in three different traditions – Judaism, Christianity
and Islam. I strongly believe that it is not the will of God to have an armed
struggle between them, seeking to annihilate the other. I do not entertain the
antisemitic feelings as some would do especially the extremist terror groups
like Hamas. I also do not condone the merciless retaliatory actions of the
state of Israel against the unarmed civilians who are vulnerably sandwiched
between Hamas and the Israeli army. In this article, I state my stand on Christian
Zionism which is heavily lobbying unconditionally to support the current state
of Israel against the Palestinians.
What is Christian Zionism?
Christian Zionism began as an ally of British imperialism,
legitimizing colonial expansion. It is a modern theological and political
movement which adopts the most radical Zionist attitudes, making it hostile to
a reasonable and peaceful resolution between Israel and Palestine. Their worldview of the Christian gospel is associated with the ideologies of empire
building, colonialism, and militarism. They believe that a state should
maintain a strong military capability and use it aggressively. Christian Zionism
gives a literal emphasis on the end times apocalyptic events foretold in the
Old and New Testament prophesies. They support and hold that the Jews' return
to Palestine is a crucial step in the divinely planned sequence of events that
will culminate in the Second Coming. Christian Zionists believe that universal
redemption and the return of Christ can happen only when all the Jews have been
gathered in their homeland and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour.
Can Christians unconditionally support the modern state
of Israel?
Many Christians support the present Israel because it is being introduced by Christian Zionists as obligatory. Most American-based
Evangelicals unconditionally support the modern state of Israel established
in 1948. Many do this as reparation for the historical mistreatment of Jews,
which extends back to the Christian Church's founding and the Holocaust
committed by Nazi Germany.
The Bible's instruction to bless Israel is primarily
misinterpreted to imply that God expects us, non-Jewish Christians, to support
Israel unconditionally, regardless of what the state of Israel does today. According
to the latest statistics a Palestinian child dies every ten minutes, due to
continued bombing by the state of Israel. Can a follower of Christ justify any
of the inhumane treatment of people by the State of Israel?
Some support the state of Israel since it is the homeland
of the descendants of Abraham through Issac. It is essential for Christians
to keep in mind that the present state of Israel is highly a secular and
irreligious State without reservation. It may surprise you to learn that
Israel has no official religion. “Traditional Judaism (55%), Liberal or
Conservative (17%), Orthodox and Haredim (ultra-orthodox) (8%), make up the
majority of Jewish Israelis. The nonreligious Jews are 20%.”
Given this scenario, is it possible for a Christian to fully
endorse the current retaliatory acts against the defenceless Palestinian
civilians?
What were the borders of Israel in the time of the Bible?
As Christians, we have a unique attachment to the land of
Israel because it is the land of the Bible. Our Lord Jesus Christ was born,
lived, died, rose again, and ascended to heaven in that great land. People
go on pilgrimage to visit the holy land visiting sights of historical
importance for the Christians. However, suppose Christian Zionists muster the support of the Christians to justify the war cry of the modern state of Israel. In that case, we will be sadly misled, because we have become blind to a historical and a biblical
reality about the land called Israel.
Through various historical and Biblical resources, we learn
that the borders of ancient Biblical Israel have had everchanging borders of ancient Israel. When the Israelites conquered the land of the
Canaanite tribes in the 13th century BC, the land extended from the
Mediterranean coast to the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). During the reign of
King David, the kingdom of Israel included the land from the Euphrates River in
the east to the River of Egypt Nile in the west. Under King Solomon, the
kingdom of Israel included parts of modern-day Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. However,
in the 10th century BC after the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom was divided
into two Kingdoms (states), Israel and Judah. So, the territory of ancient
Israel was reduced once again. In 721 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel was
conquered by the Assyrians and in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah was
conquered by the Babylonians leading to significant changes in territory,
population, and culture. Later, the Greeks established their own boundaries,
and then the Romans. This is compelling proof that the Bible is ambiguous about
the existence of an Israel state with clearly defined borders.
However, at the same time, all Christians have to keep in
mind the modern state called Israel was created by the United Nations when the
British could not resolve a conflict they created by making false promises to
both the Jews and the Arabs of establishing separate nations. These false promises
were given over a period of time to both sides in order to get military support
for the First World War and the Ottoman Empire.
The question I raise for Christians is, how does the call
for discipleship in the great commission of Jesus fit into your unconditional
support for the state of modern Israel after 1948.
The Great Commission of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 28:16-20
calls upon his disciples - followers “Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.’”
Jesus gave all His disciples the mission of making disciples
in every nation. It is a call to shift from being
exclusively limited to Israel to being inclusive of all nations.
That shift challenged apostle Paul who was a devout Jew, “circumcised on the
eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a
Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of
the churches; as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Phil. 3:5-6). He
called himself as “the apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13). In the
first-century known world, which went beyond Israel, Paul was one of the most
successful in making disciples. Jesus’ vision was that “making disciples” would
go forward in ever-widening circles until it reached “the end of the earth.”
The early Christians carried the gospel to most of the then-known world. But it
takes you and me—all of Jesus’ followers—to continue making disciples in every
spot on the globe. "The Bible is not a one-act play; rather, it is a
dynamic, complex narrative that demonstrates God's desire to bring about a new
commitment to a kingdom of shalom, or peace, in the world and among its
people."
Being devoted to Christ and his kingdom, not the state of
Israel, is my primary duty as a Christian. And yet, this dedication ought to
arouse in me a profound affection for Israel and a wish for its people to
fulfil the destiny that their Scriptures foretell: a nation of priests, a
light to the nations, a people in whom there is such goodness that the nations
will see the glory of God and rejoice.
👍Thank you & agree with you... But my concern is how to handle the jihadists who are making menace in over 100 countries ?? You cant have peace with them as their ultimate goal is Islamism.. Ch. De Sil.
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting reading your article. Thank you. Rav. Gun.
ReplyDeleteVery well written my dear brother Bishop - DJV
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, bro Bishop! Powerful! - Bishop Rud
ReplyDeleteThanks for deep balance
ReplyDeletebiblically sound thoughts! Rev Mi. de S
A great analysis. The current PM of Israel is happy to quote from the Old Testament and identify with it, as he proceeds with his agendas impossible to rationalize or condone by the greatest stretch of forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteFor a person who simply believes in the message and life of Jesus Christ with no reservation, the Old Testament ( as he quotes ) becomes abhorrent. One has to contemplate if one calls oneself a Christian in future or makes a clarification that one is just a follower of Jesus. Not a Christian as the world has come to know in its entirety. Food for thought? Pras. Jawad.
It is possible that B Netanayahu is killing people to save his political career. He was earlier investigated and convicted for corruption and he is a well-known philanderer. He is clearing Gaza North so he can use the land for his purposes. - Dr. Raj P.
ReplyDeleteDear Rev. Asiri Perera! I would like to commend you for your article on the current Israel Palestine conflict. Thank you for the balanced approach as well as very clearly articulating the historical & biblical perspectives & reality, which many of us Christians fail to comprehend in the clutter of media rhetoric. I would have preferred if you would have addressed some of the specific Biblical passages, especially from the Old Testament, which can be very easily misquoted out of context & thereby mislead those Christians who tend to argue based on biases which lead to partiality. Perhaps I will share with you some of these Biblical text, which I too have problems with, which could be reference material for your next article!
ReplyDeleteGod bless
L Das.