I very much agree with your assessment here. As an American, the "Christian Zionism" thing makes no sense to me, but it is very mainstream here. I don't understand how sending weapons to the modern nation of Israel has anything to do with "blessing" Biblical Israel, but somehow this is the entire argument. Especially when both secular and religious Jews directly reject Christ, why are we supposed to call them "God's chosen" and place them in a protected category that we don't even put ourselves? It feels incredibly manufactured with the clear goal of manipulating Christians into supporting the government of Israel. Sadly, many have fallen for it.
Not sure about the UK, but there has been a huge political shift in the US recently over our billions in funding for Israel. Many younger rightwingers, bombarded with so many videos on social media of the atrocities in Gaza can't continue to justify supporting Israel. It has caused a very noticable fracture among the party- the pro-Israel right and anti-Israel right have become two distinct groups, both incredibly critical of each other. It was very apparent with the recent strikes on Iran that the US engaged in, and with the talk of potential regime change there. Many prominent voices like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have been openly critical of Trump's support for Israel and our seemingly endless funding of the war, and have been advocating for peace. Talking about AIPAC (the pro-Israel lobby that “donates” millions to control our politicians) has finally entered public discourse. We've been seeing a real split in the Republican voter base that is getting impossible to ignore. I'm at least heartened to see these issues becoming part of the larger conversation, and I'm hopeful that people will continue waking up to all of the pro-war propaganda.
Support for Israel is both a political and spiritual litmus test, in my view. As Christians, we have a duty to be peacemakers, not blind supporters of ceaseless war. You're right that even many Christians apply a secular mindset when it comes to the question of when we should engage in or advocate for war. We need to reexamine our values and consult our faith as we navigate these topics instead of throwing them away when they become inconvenient to our pre-conceived political goals.
Thank you GZ. I'm pleased to hear that people in America are beginning to wake up to this. In the UK we never had such a strong Zionist lobby, at least not in my lifetime. There's certainly a big split between the "pro-Palestine" and "pro-Israel" factions in the country, and that's why I wanted to write. But it does really concern me that a lot of the people I like and appreciate are so uncritically pro-Israel. I hope that people will wake up and realise that there is a third way, the Christian way (i.e. the right way!)
I think both the USA and Britain have got similarities but they are also quite different, and I think God needs to work differently in each country. So I hope and pray that things will work out for you there as much as they do here. Either way it's great that Christians from different countries can connect through the internet and support one another like this.
Yes, the US and UK definitely have their differences! And I agree that God will work differently in each place. Though it’s always interesting to hear perspectives from other places and get a broader view of the issues facing our world, and still connect over shared Christian values. That is a great benefit of the internet!
I very much agree with your assessment here. As an American, the "Christian Zionism" thing makes no sense to me, but it is very mainstream here. I don't understand how sending weapons to the modern nation of Israel has anything to do with "blessing" Biblical Israel, but somehow this is the entire argument. Especially when both secular and religious Jews directly reject Christ, why are we supposed to call them "God's chosen" and place them in a protected category that we don't even put ourselves? It feels incredibly manufactured with the clear goal of manipulating Christians into supporting the government of Israel. Sadly, many have fallen for it.
Not sure about the UK, but there has been a huge political shift in the US recently over our billions in funding for Israel. Many younger rightwingers, bombarded with so many videos on social media of the atrocities in Gaza can't continue to justify supporting Israel. It has caused a very noticable fracture among the party- the pro-Israel right and anti-Israel right have become two distinct groups, both incredibly critical of each other. It was very apparent with the recent strikes on Iran that the US engaged in, and with the talk of potential regime change there. Many prominent voices like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have been openly critical of Trump's support for Israel and our seemingly endless funding of the war, and have been advocating for peace. Talking about AIPAC (the pro-Israel lobby that “donates” millions to control our politicians) has finally entered public discourse. We've been seeing a real split in the Republican voter base that is getting impossible to ignore. I'm at least heartened to see these issues becoming part of the larger conversation, and I'm hopeful that people will continue waking up to all of the pro-war propaganda.
Support for Israel is both a political and spiritual litmus test, in my view. As Christians, we have a duty to be peacemakers, not blind supporters of ceaseless war. You're right that even many Christians apply a secular mindset when it comes to the question of when we should engage in or advocate for war. We need to reexamine our values and consult our faith as we navigate these topics instead of throwing them away when they become inconvenient to our pre-conceived political goals.
Great article as usual! Thank you!
Thank you GZ. I'm pleased to hear that people in America are beginning to wake up to this. In the UK we never had such a strong Zionist lobby, at least not in my lifetime. There's certainly a big split between the "pro-Palestine" and "pro-Israel" factions in the country, and that's why I wanted to write. But it does really concern me that a lot of the people I like and appreciate are so uncritically pro-Israel. I hope that people will wake up and realise that there is a third way, the Christian way (i.e. the right way!)
I think both the USA and Britain have got similarities but they are also quite different, and I think God needs to work differently in each country. So I hope and pray that things will work out for you there as much as they do here. Either way it's great that Christians from different countries can connect through the internet and support one another like this.
Yes, the US and UK definitely have their differences! And I agree that God will work differently in each place. Though it’s always interesting to hear perspectives from other places and get a broader view of the issues facing our world, and still connect over shared Christian values. That is a great benefit of the internet!
I am gaining a lot of knowledge through your writings. Keep going!
Thank you Gayle! Much appreciate your support. These are all things which I have learned from other people so I am trying to pass the knowledge on.