Zionism contradicting what Christians believe to be supporting

Whose land is it? Does it belong to the Israelites or the Palestinians? Or is for the children of the promise? There is no easy answer to Christian Zionism. Does the Bible give right for Palestinian Christians to be kicked out of their land? I don’t think so. No matter how we all look at it, it all boils to one thing; control. The Israelites have no right to kick the Arabs out of the Land. The land belongs to the Arabs as much as it belongs to the Jews. In addition, the Christian Zionist has little to do with Christianity but more with the politics of the Middle East.
I always thought that Christianity was basically black and white with no gray areas. However, as I have grown as a Christian, I have found that this is not the case. There are a lot of gray area issues when it comes to Christianity. The land promises in Israel happens to fall in this category. Does our faith require that we support only Israel? As a Christian Zionist you would take a stance of supporting the Israelis through their endeavors. You would be inclined towards what Burge refers to as an expression of “spiritual faithfulness” (pp. 233). However, I disagree. Our faith requires that we support our brothers and sisters in Christ. This includes every Christian in the world, whether they are Arabs, Africans, Europeans or Jews. As Christians, we have an obligation to the Palestinian church because they are as much part of the kingdom as we are. Not supporting them and thinking that only the Jews should have our support is basically taking us out of the promises as Children of God. If the Palestinians do not have a right to the promises made by God, so do us because we are all Gentiles. To some extent, our faith requires us to take a stance. However, it is not a stance for the Israeli and against the Palestinians or vice versa. They are both children of God, none better than the other.
It is very easy to read one book or seat in a church pew and let the view of one individual craft our beliefs on Christian Zionism. This already happened when Cyrus Scofield took it upon himself to foretell the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Scofield wrote that before Jesus was to come back, the Jews would return to Jerusalem and claim their land back. Zionism is not a Christian movement and to maybe the Christians realized this. By adding Christian to Zionism, they seem to have made it okay to believe the way they do. Today, as Burge points out, Christian Zionists have a zeal for Israel and are willing to promote more or less political agendas” (pp. 241). Israel has used the media effectively to gain sympathy from not only the world leaders but the world church. The Christians outside seem to react to the media’s reports of what is going on in Israel. However they pay no heed to the fact that the country is letting the outside world know what they want. After the crusades, the Jews used the holocaust as way to gain sympathy from the land, and when that seemed to loosen its grip, they turned to the scripture.
Much emphasis is put on the fact that Israel belongs to the Jews. However, there is no much focus or much mention of the Land in either the Old Testament or the New Testament. Jesus was very much aware about the conflicts and beliefs about the Promised Land yet he did not pay attention or address these beliefs. Burge makes a statement that each Christian should take time to mull over. On page 171, he states, “If talk about claiming the land was central to Jewish consciousness, certainly Jesus gives us some hints, some suggestions that he understands the debates of his day. He too could read the Old Testament. He understood the land promises of Abraham. Did he not believe them?” Jesus never established himself as a political leader. He was coming for the fulfillment of the promises not to lead Israel to a new order. The Jews were so concerned about defeating the Romans that they missed it when the promised messiah came and went. The people who accepted Christ were not Jews but Gentiles. Then when He left, He ordered the disciples to preach the good news from “Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the world”. Everyone was included into the new promises because by faith, the Gentiles were called the children of God.
Theology of Christian Zionism is attributing to the secular Israel by supporting them in their gains and control over Palestine. If the Christians are going to stand with the Jews, then they are supporting them completely even in their denial of Jesus as their Messiah. Christians can’t have it both ways. They are either for Christ or supporting the Jews in spite of their denial of Christ as the Messiah. Burge defends the Christian Zionists by saying that their support of Israel “has little do with history, less to do with politics… [their] commitment is grounded in sincere Christian conviction” (pp. 236). Although this is a good excuse, it is not acceptable. One question arises then. If we (Christians) support the Jews in their pursuits, aren’t we uniting them in their unbelief? Then how can we claim to be Christians?
Moreover, what about the brothers and sisters of the Palestinian Church? This is one question that Burge raises to the Jewish Christian. In the book, he includes an answer that he received from one from one of these Jewish Christians. To the question, the Jew replied, “’They are not really Christian as you might think…Arabs lie, they cheat in business deals, and they will give you their word one day and then deny it. They don’t seem to respect life or truth like anyone does’” (244). When asked about the rights of Palestinian Christian, the same Jew answered that “you have to keep God’s long-term plan in mind” (pp. 244). Basically the Jews are treating the Palestinians like the Samaritans. Does anyone have any right to judge on who the real Christian is and who is not? I believe that the final decision lies in the hands of God. Whether a person is a Christian or not is up to God to decide.
Palestinian Christians are suffering under the hands of the Jews and the world church chooses to ignore this in their ardent support of the so-called promises to Israel. Ironically, while the Jews and the Christian Zionists are using the scriptures to fight and persecute the Palestinians, the Palestinians Christians are using the scriptures to find solace. Burge tells of several scriptures in the Bible which meal a lot to the Christian leaders and their parishioners in Palestine. One of these scriptures is Luke 4:18-19. Burge says that “Jesus had the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed on his mind…God’s salvation would be complete, not just securing our eternal destiny but also giving us a life graced with deliverance from all evil and suffering” (pp. 196)
Studying this topic in class led me to do some more research about Christian Zionism. I went to the Internet where I came across an article by a Jew, who stated,
It was God’s plan for the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the children of Israel, the Jewish people, to be His example to all the nations of the world. We are destined to be the light unto the nations. It was for this that we were chosen by Him. When we stand up and fulfill our destiny we will enable all people to elevate themselves to holiness. This will eventually create conditions for true redemption and world peace under the rule of the living God of creation.

After reading this article, a few questions came to mind. First of all, according to this particular individual, they were to be our leaders to the ultimate peace. If they are to be an example to the world, then what example were they sending out? Or that hating our neighbors and kicking them out of their land was the way to achieve peace? If we follow the Jewish example of how we are to treat our neighbors, then this world will be full of chaos. If the Israelites claim to be the children of the promise, then they should live up to their name. The first thing they should do is live by the first commandment of loving one another. Second, they should live by the golden rule which is to love their God with all their heart, mind and strength. It they do this; there cannot be room for hatred for their Palestinian neighbors. In addition, the Gospel of Christ offers salvation not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. There is no where in the Bible where it says that the Jews are going to be more favored than the Gentiles. We have all received grace freely not because it is our birthright. When Romans 3:23 says “all have sinned” it does not exclude the Jews. They are going to go before the same judge as the rest of the Christians.
The promises made to Abraham in Genesis were fulfilled in Christ. Jesus was the Seed. While Jews will try to fulfil these promises by law, the promise of an inheritance is made to those who faith in Jesus. In Hebrews 12:18-28, the scripture points out that Christ became the mediator of the Abraham covenant. Through Christ the Gentiles have been grafted in the covenant. The Jews claim the land of Israel because of their inheritance and promises made to them. If this is the case, the Palestinians have a right to the land for two main reasons. First, the Palestinian Christians have been engrafted also in the promises. Burge states that, “If land promises come to Judaism by virtue of tenure in the land and biblical promises, Arabs who embraced Judaism gain these promises as well and their faith in Jesus does not invalidate their claim to the Jewish ancestry”(pp. 199). Second, if the Christian Zionists disinherit the Arabs because of their ancestor Ishmael, then they have missed a few facts. If you look closely, you will find that in Galatians 4:21-31, Hagar is associated with the Jews. Therefore, the Palestinians are as much part of the promises, as the Jews.
Looking at my stance on all this, I have to side with the Covenantal theology. The Israelites are always going to be an important part of the Church because that is where we trace our faith. Although the covenant was not replaced, it is not fulfilled until the coming of Christ. He became the new mediator of the covenant. With His coming, He allowed us all by grace to become part of His family. I believe that history is important to us because it tells us where we have been. While Israel’s history is important, it is no longer significant. Amos 9:7 states that Israel is no different than the rest of the world. They have received as much grace as any other nation.
There is no easy way to conclude. I can say read your Bible and then find the truth, and this would be a beginning, but we need to take it further. Instead of Christians trying to separate these two nations, we need to get on our knees and pray for our brothers and sisters in the Israel/Palestine area. Burge points that “no one is happy in Israel/Palestine. The Israelis are not happy. Their quest for security - haunted as it is by terrors of the past has made them to forge a state that makes few proud. The Palestinians are not happy. Their quest for nationhood has put them at odds with Israel and let to terror and strife that likewise has lost the esteem of many” (pp. 260). Instead of trying to fulfil God’s promises Christians everywhere should be praying for this nation. Pray that God will restore the trust among both Jews and Arabs. Pray that both sides will find healing from their past and that they can both go on without looking back and walk towards building bridges. As Burge points out, it seems that the Israelis want a separation from their Arab brothers. We need to pray for bridges of hope to be built because the last thing we need in the Middle East, is another South African Apartheid.