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The Jews, modern Israel and the New Supercessionism

Middle Eastern views

THE JEWS, MODERN ISRAEL AND THE NEW SUPERCESSIONISM
Edited by Calvin L. Smith
King’s Divinity Press. 156 pages. £12.99
ISBN 978-0-9562006-0-0

Hmmm, I’m really not sure about this book.

If you want to find out what Supercessionism is then this book tells you (‘Supercessionism the view that the church has displaced, or replaced Israel, also known as replacement theology…’). But it does so from a strongly Christian Zionist position (‘Christian Zionism, the view that modern Israel represents God’s restoration of his chosen people to the land’). In fact, the book came out of a conference by Zionists who are worried about the new form that Supercessionism is taking; not new in belief, but new in attitude — an attitude that seems to be ‘deeply critical of modern Israel. It also tends … to portray Christians who broadly believe God has not finished with the Jewish people … as somehow fanatical and extreme, even heretical’.

So this book is a publication of papers from this conference by seven different evangelical speakers. Though it is heavily Zionistic and firmly against Supercessionism, yet it is written in a good Christian spirit of brotherly love and consideration for those who differ. Nice.

The papers cover subjects like: The meaning of Israel in Romans 11; The Modern State of Israel seen through the lens of Biblical Theology; How a first century Jewish hermeneutic enhances our understanding of the Scriptures; Israel’s right to the land; How the rise of the pre-millennial hope impacted politics and the rebirth of the nation of Israel; and, perhaps the most helpful chapter, a look at Faith and Politics in the Holy Land today.

But, by the book’s own admission, it is not dealing with things that are essential for salvation (p.65). Ah. This is why I’m not sure about it — £12.99 and a good couple of hours reading it and it’s not going to make a scrap of difference to eternity. Hmmm.

Paul Pease,
trying to be a good minister of Christ Jesus