Reject Christian Zionism

Christian Zionism is a religious, political, and military movement couched in biblical ideas and imagery. There are clearly wrong actions from both sides in the Israel/Palestine conflict; neither Hamas (for example) nor Israel is without blame, yet both have legitimate claims.

For me, Christian Zionism is negative and counterproductive in the movement for peace, as well as being contrary to the character of Jesus portrayed in the Gospels. It doesn’t advance the values of the Kingdom. The way of Jesus was one of vulnerability, supremely demonstrated on the Cross, not the way of triumphalism.

Indeed, Jesus condemned the nationalism of the Jews on the first Palm Sunday and rightly predicted the downfall of Jerusalem in 70 CE as a result. Peacemaking in this area of longstanding tension and conflict requires sensitive understanding and diplomacy, not unilateral action and triumphalism.

My genuine hope and prayer is for a two-state solution to this seemingly intractable conflict, where (as so often) it’s the innocent who suffer and die. In recent times, Hamas have been provocative, and Israel have overreacted. I weep as innocent suffering continues.

I’m neither anti-Israel nor pro-Palestine; I’m on the side of justice and peace for all, pro-humanity you could call it. Selective interpretation of the Bible is not in keeping with its overall message, the character of Jesus, nor the values of the Kingdom.

One thought on “Reject Christian Zionism

  1. Although I agree with your conclusion, I approach the situation from a different perspective. Arguably, the underlying cause of so many conflicts in the world is religion. It is by its very definition divisive, dividing the world up into those who believe in any particular god and those willing to follow the teaching of the writer of the scripts supporting it on. Those who don’t subscribe to that particular religion are the other. Even those who say they follow a particular god (yes, there is more than one, about three thousand roughly), can’t even agree on whose script to follow.

    So we end up with a divided Christianity, a divided Islam and all sorts of other varieties. The fundamental question for those who believe in a creator god should be. What on earth are you playing at? Could do better?

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