Those behind the public campaign to demonize and delegitimize the State of Israel have opened up a new front in the Christian world. A few voices representing a minority of Christians have begun to attack Christian Zionism as an extreme and even heretical theological position because it gives credence to the truth that Israel's modern-day restoration was not a political accident but ordained by God.

Those who criticize Christian Zionismas an extreme or heretical position completely overlook the fact that an overwhelming number of Christians support Israel. (In the wake of the atrocities that happened on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants raided southern Israel and brutally murdered more than 1,200 people, 90 prominent pastors and other Christian leaders issued "An Evangelical Statement in Support of Israel.")

There should be room for respectful disagreement among Christian denominations and theologians on politics and the scriptural significance of Israel, but many of today's attacks on Christian Zionism distort facts, history, and theology.

Theologically, Christian support for Israel centers on one's understanding of the Abrahamic Covenantand whether it still applies to the nation of Israel. Those who do not believe that God's covenant with the Jewish people is still valid generally support what is known as Replacement Theology. This theology was the root of antisemitismthroughout centuries of Christian history.

Politically, the debate about Israel in the Christian world centers on whether one accepts the Palestinian narrative, which demonizes and delegitimizesthe people and the State of Israel. This narrative distorts facts and rewrites history to vilify and demonize the people of Israel to the point that it is nothing but a new expression of age-old antisemitism.

Overview of Theologies vis-a-vis Israel

Responses to this campaign from Christian Zionist organizations

Resources