Christian Zionism: true friends of Israel?

The Zionist dream, so forcefully articulated by Theodor Herzl in Der Judenstaat in 1896 and a year later at the First Zionist Congress, may actually be attributed to the writings and activities of Christians like Lewis Way, Joseph Wolff and Henry Drummond from as early as the 1820s.

Christian Zionism is born of the conviction that God has a continuing covenantal purpose for the Jewish people, expressed in the literal interpretation of the Bible and demonstrated in the existence of the State of Israel. God's promise to Abraham remains unconditional and eternal. 'To your descendants I give this land. I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God' (Genesis 15.18; 17.8).

This article will focus on the earliest Christian Zionist organisation in Britain. The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ), is an evangelical Anglican mission agency originally known as the London Jews Society and is representative of some 200 similar agencies operating in Britain and the US alone.

Christian Zionism defined

Walter Riggans, a former General Secretary of CMJ, defines a Christian Zionist as '...any Christian who supports the Zionist aim of the sovereign State of Israel, its army, government, education etc.; but it can describe a Christian who claims to support the State of Israel for any reason.' When founded in 1809, the LJS objectives were purely evangelistic and humanitarian. Today CMJ believes that there is also a political dimension to their mandate expressed in a commitment to the state of Israel.

Ultra-literalist

The rise of biblical literalism and a futurist reading of Scripture, which equates biblical references to Israel with the modern state of Israel and not the church can be justifiably attributed to Lewis Way, Henry Drummond, Edward Irving and their associates at the Albury prophecy conferences of the 1820s.
In 1821, for example, Way published a pamphlet called 'The Latter Rain' in which he called Christians to pray for the Jews, out of the conviction that prophecies have a 'primary and literal reference to the Jews'. This movement was the catalyst not only for the founding of the London Jews Society, but also for John Nelson Darby and Cyrus Scofield to develop their innovative dispensationalist theology and prodigy Christian Zionism.

So for example, Rob Richards, former UK Director of CMJ, insists, 'Israel is Israel is Israel.' Anne Dexter similarly argues: 'Some Arab believers and expatriate Christians in Israel feel so strongly about these matters that they will not read the parts of the Bible that seem to promise the land to the Jews or in any way uphold their election...' Large parts of the Scriptures are effectively invalidated by this approach.

On the basis of this hermeneutic Christian Zionists insist that God continues to have unique purposes for the Jewish people within their own land separate from any promises that relate to the Church. The Jews remain 'God's chosen people' eternally. With this deep conviction CMJ also encourage Jews to emigrate to Israel through organisations such as 'Operation Exodus'.

Jewish restoration

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, Walter Riggans reaffirmed CMJ's continuing commitment to restorationism: 'CMJ has always been at the forefront of teaching about God's restoration of the Jewish people to and in Israel, and we are continually excited by, and watchful of all that is happening... In other words, our prayerful interest in the state of Israel is as constant and committed as ever.'

Support for the state Although CMJ claim to neither 'condone nor condemn', but 'stand beside Israel', they nevertheless consistently and uncritically support Israel. A CMJ resource pack includes a section entitled: 'The state of Israel: Why should we support it?' '... in the biblical worldview one cannot actually separate theology and spirituality... one cannot divorce the issue of the people of Israel's relationship with God from their relationship to their delegated sovereignty in the land of Israel... God.. has made it possible for Jewish people everywhere to come and live in a restored Jewish homeland ...it seems to us that God is undoubtedly behind the re-creation of the Jewish State in the modern world. We are called to a support for the state of Israel...'
Such support invariably includes defending their military occupation of the illegally-held West Bank, Gaza and the Golan.

The extent of Eretz Israel

Representatives of CMJ have from time to time even argued that Israel has a divine right to other parts of the Middle East beyond even the existing disputed territories. Neil Cohen, vicar of Christ Church, Jerusalem, for example, advocates borders from the Nile to the Euphra: 'I stand firmly on the Scriptures and I believe what God said even 3,000 years ago stands true for today and tomorrow.' Anne Dexter elaborates further: 'The question of the ancient boundaries cannot be ignored. It underlies the policies of many Israeli statesmen. It explains why Sinai is always negotiable - it has twice been captured by Israel and returned to Egypt. It is the reason why Jewish settlements on the West Bank and Golan Heights is not just a matter of secure and defensible borders. It is the guiding principle in Israel's interpretation of West Bank autonomy, which insists that whatever the degree of self-determination allowed the people, the land itself belongs to Israel.'

In her view, Palestinian Christians must accept Zionism, and learn to live with it. 'Arab Christians are squarely faced with the biblical election of the Jews, and their role throughout history, particularly in the present.' Attitudes toward the peace negotiations are equally pessimistic. Walter Riggans, for instance, believes the Oslo Peace Accord threatens to legitimise Palestinian claims to Jerusalem and the West Bank: '... many Jewish people are quite devastated, and feel they have been betrayed into the hands of cunning and ruthless Palestinians who are exploiting the accords as a first step towards the elimination of Israel.'

Equally belligerent

Partnership of Jew and Arab is untenable in Israel... we live in an age of political correctness which claims we live in a world where all people have equal rights. I don't agree with that because I don't think it squares with the biblical record... the search for peace in the Middle East, laudable though it is, is a wild goose chase.

David Pileggi is equally confident that the 'facts on the ground' will ensure Jerusalem remains under Israeli control.

Attitudes

Typically, Christian Zionists equate Palestinians with the Philistines and often use the term Palestinian in a pejorative sense. David Pileggi is typical. 'Palestinians cannot be entrusted with a state in the heart of Israel... No delegations have lectured the Palestinians on peace and justice like those that endlessly besiege Israel. Is it only reprehensible when Israelis kill Palestinians, but somehow acceptable when Arabs murder each other?'

Rob Richards explains

The alien has rights and we can remind Israel of this. Palestinians and Arabs who have made Israel their home come under that biblical word 'alien'.
Richards ignores the fact that Palestinians over the age of 50 were living in their own land of Palestine before the state of Israel was imposed on them. Regrettably such a stance which sees the land as exclusively Jewish, in which Palestinians are merely 'aliens' and to which Jews from around the world are encouraged to settle, simply alienates CMJ from the indigenous Christians who live there.

A critical summary

This article has shown that behind their commitment to work '...with God in his continuing purpose for the Jewish people,' another overtly Zionist agenda is being pursued. This is best summarised in Crombie's own epilogue: 'For if the Bible is true, literally, then Israel would be restored, first physically, then spiritually. The CMJ work in Israel was founded during the last century upon such a belief. The establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 was surely an indication that such beliefs were correct... it reminds us that throughout the history of the church a remnant of believers has remained faithful to God's covenant relationship with Israel.'

Such literalist assumptions of restorationism preclude any possibility of an alternative reading of the Bible or history. While their commitment to the sensitive evangelisation of Jewish people remains clear, their solidarity with Jews has also led to their becoming apologists for the state of Israel itself. On this fundamental issue the valued ministry of CMJ is essentially flawed because of its intransigent and partisan support for what remains an apartheid state.

Stephen Sizer

NB. The bibliography can be found on EN's website.