Christianity and Israel: A Relationship in Jeopardy
Writer: Douglas Sandoval
Jul 2018
From within the Zionist community, Christian support for Israel appears "too big to fail". Over sixty-seven percent of the several million represented in this demographic identify as "strong supporters of the Jewish state, some of the highest of any people group in America.
When speaking at the 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a moment to acknowledge that there are "no greater friends of the state of Israel than Christian supporters of Israel". This is not to say that other communities are any less important. But with the majority of Americans identifying as Christian or "Evangelical" this community maintains great influence upon U.S-Israel public opinion.
It is with great honor that I am here today, as a member of this community to discuss challenges threatening the future of Christian Zionism and to share what we can do to ensure its longevity.
1. A Growing Ambivalence
Generations of Christians who were born in or lived through much of the mid-20th century are strong supporters of Israel.
These Christians stand with Israel because they witnessed critical historical events, including Israel's founding, multiple wars and groundbreaking technological contributions to the world.
They affirm that the Bible reveals that Israel is the fulfillment of God's enduring covenant with the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland. These Christians know the threat of a world without Jewish self-determination .
One cannot say the same for the generations that have taken Israel's strength and existence for granted.
Trends reflect a "growing ambivalence" among younger evangelicals born in the late 20th-21st century.
A growing number of young Christians are now reporting to "have no strong views" about the state of Israel, or simply finding the issue irrelevant.
John Ahrens, Millennial Outreach Coordinator at Christians United for Israel supplicates that:
“We should be concerned by a tendency on the younger generation to be ambivalent toward Israel, and we would be absolutely wrong to assume that as they get older they will just somehow come around to supporting Israel,”
2. A Departure from Fundamental Beliefs: Millennial Christians are finding it difficult to accept the Bible as a historical and moral authority because it appears to "judgemental" and "intolerant". Trends show that Christians 18-35 are picking and choosing their beliefs to suit an individualistic worldview with over 54 % resonating with postmodernist views.
"Your truth is your truth". "My truth is my truth."
While it may not appear alarming to us Zionists as a whole, as we have a myriad of justifications for our support of Israel. We have to remember that Christian Zionism has a predominately religious basis: Christian Zionists traditionally support Israel because they believe the Jewish people are God's people. Some believe the State of Israel has a role in the fulfillment of prophecy. Christian Millennials, on the other hand, find traditional Christian Zionism hard to accept, often giving up on supporting the idea altogether.
The statistics shows a downward trend with only 58 % of younger Christians with an overall positive perception of Israel compared to 76 % of older evangelicals.
3. Anti-Israel Bias in Christian Seminaries
All of us are probably familiar with efforts of anti-Israel groups to pass legislation to boycott Israel on college campus and universities. But did you know that Christian seminaries have been some of the easiest targets of their efforts?
Anti-Israel groups have influenced the very training ground for the future pastors, priests, and church leaders. These are the people prepared to serve in your communities, to preach to your neighbors and now, to spread anti-Israel bias to millions of Christians across the nation, and around the world.
I attend Fuller Seminary, a graduate school in Pasadena, California. As one of the nation's largest and most renowned seminaries with over three thousand students in yearly attendance, Fuller is widely respected and respected for theological, biblical and ministerial training.
Through the pressure of anti-Israel groups from neighboring academic institutions Fuller has taken shocking biased anti-Israel measures within the decade. In 2011, Fuller condemned Christian Zionism in an open letter signed by all faculty members. Since 2009, head of Christian Ethics and long-term professor Glen Stassen openly taught students to support the BDS movement, including anti-Israel rhetoric in his quarterly lectures, academic publications, and books.
How many thousands of students have walked away from courses at Fuller, in rejection and unjustified hatred for Israel?
When challenged, professors at Fuller have openly condemned my support of Israel as "unacademic" and "immoral", their accusations built upon baseless, and unjustified claims.
Anti-Israel bias has made its way to the very top, Mark Labberton, President of Fuller Seminary has openly supported Christ At The Checkpoint, an organization that portrays Israel as the sole, and immoral oppressor of the Palestinian people. Labberton has published statements and shared articles through his social media accounts and seminary media outlet sponsoring groups and people affiliated with incitement and terrorism against Israelis.
Let me remind you that this is a Christian institution entrusted with the task of training Christian leaders and people of influence.
Sadly it isn't the only one. Anti-Israel bias is present in almost all of the largest seminaries. You will find experiences like I've described in Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Protestant religious training schools across the country.
Princeton, Union Theological, Vanderbilt, Harvard, Claremont and Yale while targeting the more academic end of the religious demographic are of no exception.
So how effective have these infiltrations been? After all, the majority of Christians still support Israel….well here are few results in line with current statistical trends:
In 2014, the Presbyterian Church, USA passed a divestment bill with a overwhelming majority voting in favor against HP, Caterpillar and Motorola. With leadership vowing to seek more BDS legislation in the future. PCUSA has over 9,304 congregations and over 1.4 million members across the country.
In 2016, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod voted in favor of BDS and permanent anti-Israel clauses in their church guidelines and articles. Combined, the major Lutheran groups in the U.S have over 15,353 congregations with nearly 6 million members.
Call to Action
Harder to track are the millions of independent churches lead by recent students of Christian seminaries so the damage is likely greater than the statistics reflect at moment.
But it is clear that hijacking of seminaries, and the abuse of millennial Christian ignorance and apathy is leading a devastating effect upon the future of Christian Zionism.
I believe however, that we cannot give up. There is a lot we can do to turn the tide.
Outreach to those in Apathy
As I mentioned in the first part of my speech, Christian Zionists are zealous, willing to march on Capitol Hill, to hold rallies in their communities and lobby ruthlessly. But Christian Zionists have made a grave mistake. Our efforts have been aimed at politicians and converting the hardline supporters of groups like JVP, the MSA, and SJP. Christians have aimed for margins, and in the process, lost their most important asset; their undecided and uninformed Christian peers.
If you are a Christian or know Christians, and you are unsure about where they stand with Israel offer to give them the facts. Invite them to your events. Befriend them. This alone can prove effective. If it worked for the opposition in feeding anti-Israel bias it can work for us. We need them to secure our future efforts.
2. The Many Reasons to be a Zionist
As a Christian, I stand with Israel because that God has kept his promises to the Jewish people, and to their forefathers; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through the State of Israel. While this was a compelling enough to persuade me. Our Christian peers more hesitant to biblical arguments from authority need exposure to the wide spectrum of reasons to support Israel.
Recently, Gerald McDermott, a well-known Christian theologian wrote a book titled A New Christian Zionism. Targeted to "Post Christian Millenials", the book details a uniquely fresh perspective on Christian Support for Israel ranging from religious to moral, ethical and philosophical angles.
My advice is to be confident in your religious or spiritual support for the state of Israel but familiarize yourself with all the reasons that we support the Jewish state. Zionism is for everyone, no matter your background.
3. Speak the Truth; Value the Power of a Campus Group and the Pen
Anti-Israel bias is deeply sewn into the ideology of Fuller Seminary and I likely will not have much luck attempting to convince seminary leadership to value Christian Zionism by demanding meetings with the staunch supporters of the anti-Israel movement on my campus.
What I can do is use my voice on campus to promote healthy, intellectual diversity. I can inspire students to know there is more than just one side to what Fuller is teaching. Using campus events, publications and student discussion, I have seen these efforts effectively drive students to do their own research and challenge Fuller to be open-minded and accepting of Christian Zionism. After all, a well-researched argument, bound by facts stands firm, even in the face of denial from those opposed can be very effective to the undecided.
The Fuller African community for example, was strongly encouraged to hear about the amazing relationship that Israel has cultivated with countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Ethiopia, sharing technology and strengthening diplomatic ties. Through fellowship and conservation, many of them are supporters of Israel in and outside of the classroom, in spite of the bias present in the administration.
But I am only one person. It will take a village to change what is happening in Christian communities in the United States, that is why I am sharing this with all of you. It will take all of us, whether we identify as a Jew, Muslim or Christian. As Zionists we stand for truth, intellectual diversity, media accountability and the values of Jewish self-determination. The future of Christian Zionism is only secure with your solidarity.
Thank you,
Douglas Sandoval