Mark Tooley recently commented on the future of evangelical support for Israel. You can read his article HERE
He notes that, in the past, American Evangelicals have mainly sympathized with Israel. But that is slowly changing. People like Wheaton College Professor Gary Burge leads hundreds of young evangelicals to the Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. These conferences are invariably pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel. They present Israel as an oppressive nation which has illegally acquired Palestinian land. Burge has also been featured in the movie With God On Our Side. We commented on that movie HERE
For these and other reasons young evangelicals are moving away from supporting Israel.
I find there’s much I can agree with Tooley and I share many of his concerns regarding the waning evangelical support for Israel. In fact there are many good secular reasons why Israel should be defended by Christians. One only has to look at the treatment of Christians by Israel’s neighbors. This is something Christian critics too often fail to do and sometimes deliberately ignore
Tooley notes that:
Compounding this activism is the fading of the old Religious Right, whose leaders, like the late Jerry Falwell, were outspokenly pro-Israel and claimed to speak for millions. A new generation of Evangelical leaders is more reluctant to wade into controversy. Some old Religious Right figures were believers in Dispensationalism, a 19th century movement asserting and stressing various End Times events, including the restoration of Israel, before Christ’s return.
He writes that the “Left Behind” literature is rooted in Dispensationalism. The reason he mentions “Left Behind” is because critics of Christian Zionism seek to trivialize the movement any way they can. One of these is to connect CZ to the popular book and film series. It should be noted that what is commonly known as “Dispensationalism” is argued from a biblical standpoint regardless of what people think about “Left Behind Theology.” It should also be noted that not all popular “dispensationalists” necessarily align with the biblical teaching.
Mark Tooley should be lauded for his concern. He has convened a conference. Its purpose is for “prominent theologians” to discuss and analyze Christian Zionism. They will ask:
Can Christian Zionism be defended in the 21st century? Theologically? Historically? Can it be defended in ways that are consistent with Jewish and Christian scriptures? Are its legal, moral and political out-workings compatible with the ideals of the biblical covenant?
Tooley concludes:
Neither Providence nor the Bible are neutral between a people striving to survive against many others who hope for their elimination. Effectively explaining why requires both good political and theological judgment.
I know they have the correct secular justifications for supporting Israel. But I hope they can come up with sound biblical reasons as well.
God certainly isn’t neutral and He has informed us of His plans for Israel in the Bible. This has little to do with allegations against Dispensationalism or Christian Zionism and everything to do with believing His word. God will do as He has promised independent of the conclusions arising from Mark Tooley’s conference. More importantly, He does not need any support in bringing out His purpose.
What does the Bible have to say?
The Restoration of Israel in the New Testament
Sharing is caring!
