EVANGELICALS CHALLENGE CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS
AS CONTRARY TO JESUS’ LIFE AND TEACHING

“The images that are being portrayed in the press and the United States are not deterring the Evangelicals from wholeheartedly supporting Israel.”  Pat Robertson during his recent visit to Jerusalem, (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 9, 2006).

On July 19 & 20  Christians United For Israel (CUFI) met in Washington DC with an agenda which included encouraging Israel to give serious consideration to  a pre-emptive strike on Iran as well as calling for full American support for Israel's increasingly violent campaign in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.  This approach to the issues of our day is harmful to all persons – Christians, Muslims, and Jews – in the Middle East and around the world.

The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ) represents a different perspective.  With the vast majority of U.S. Evangelicals and an even higher percentage of U.S. Christians generally, the ISCZ believes that seeking God’s justice and peace is a crucial element of Jesus’ mandate for the Church.  We believe that the ideology of Christian Zionism threatens both American politics and biblically grounded faith, turning the good news of Jesus Christ into a militant, Crusader ideology that justifies violence in the name of God, increasing the cycles of terrorism, insecurity, and injustice.  ISCZ works and prays for the security of all of God’s people in the Middle East and fears that CUFI’s call for military solutions makes not only Israelis and its Arab neighbors less secure, but also citizens of Europe and the United States more vulnerable to potential terrorist acts. 

In the present conflict, we denounce violence and the suffering of innocent lives on all sides: in Israel, in Lebanon, as well as in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank. We grieve for those who are victimized by the endemic violence which accompanies the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors.  We grieve as well over the damage which has been done to the life giving message of Christ at the hands of Christians who condone and even celebrate the violence. Self-identified as “Christian Zionists,” these church leaders claim to bless Israel through unconditional support for the state’s military policies on the basis of a questionable interpretation of God’s promise to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen. 12:3). Yet by advocating for violent “solutions” to this conflict,  the Christian Zionist effort at blessing has in fact become a curse; and not only for Israel, but for all peoples.

ISCZ’s executive committee is united in their concern for the “Peace of the Middle East” which includes Jews, Muslim, and Christians.  The above statements are from the Evangelical members of the ISCZ to fellow Christians and most especially Evangelicals.  Muslim and Jewish members of ISCZ share with Christian members a vision for seeking God’s justice and peace in our broken world.

The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism, www.christianzionism.org.  The founding purpose of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism is to promote the study of the history, theology, and politics of Christian Zionism while offering a biblical nonviolent vision about the conflicts surrounding Israel and Palestine, and their global impact.

Contacts for further interviews and more information:

Rev. Dr. Donald E. Wagner.  773-244-5785, dwagner@northpark.edu; North Park University, Chicago.

Rev. Dr. Stephen Sizer.  07970 789549, Stephen@sizer.org; Christ Church Vicarage, London.

Rabbi Haim Beliak. 310-592-8960, bbeliak@earthlink.net; HaMifgash (The Encounter) Los Angeles, CA.

Rev. Ann E. Helmke. 210.363.1007, annhelmke@justice.com; Peace Center, San Antonio, TX
Rev. John Hubers.  773.256.0700, jmhubers@gmail.com; Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Rev. Dr. Arthur Preisinger.  830.372.3092, apmp@satx.rr.com; Texas Lutheran University (retired), Seguin.
Rev. Robert O. Smith.  773.402.9735, rosmith@uchicago.edu; University of Chicago, IL.

Dr. L. Michael Spath.  260.481.0509, spathl@ipfw.edu; Indiana Purdue University, Fort Wayne.

August 15, 2006