#Christian Zionism

[thejewitches]

This post is meant to serve as a jumping off point. Those citations exist for a reason and we encourage you to read further. This post can only address so much.

There was so much that simply couldn’t be covered in such a short post; not to mention a breadth of research that feels like it should be must read material for this topic.

A huge thank you to willatheewisps and a.hearth.witch (on instagram) for going over this prior to posting.

Let us know in the comments if you’re interested in a post going over the origins of the Christian Zionist movement, as well as how it inspired Jewish Zionism.

Did you know that it was a “proto-Christian Zionist” Church of Scotland clergyman & author Alexander Keith who coined the phrase, “land without a people and a people without a land” in his 1843 book?

[tikkunolamresistance]

Zionism has taught Jews that we are ontologically different from the rest of humanity and collective community. Instilled within us that our only claim to safety, the only true way we can be undoubtedly safe, was through the existence of a quasi-Religious, ethno-nationalist state strictly dictated by the Zionist project. That the self-determination of Jews can only, exclusively, be achieved through the establishment of this colony of forced-assimilation. The equation of Zionism equals Judaism, no matter the disastrous consequences of which, has raised millions of Jewish people around the world.

And trust, it has not only been by the hands of Jewish Zionism. For Christian Zionism plays a major, glaring role in this indoctrination. With there being more Christian Zionists than there are Jews in the world (with much of the Republican and Democratic parties being Christian Zionists) the ideology of The Rapture, second coming of Jesus, with establishment of Jerusalem as the World’s new Capital following; Jews and Palestinians are just canon-fodder; pawns to summon Jesus. We implore that you do further reading on this matter and it’s instrumental role in Zionist ideology.

And one can only wonder, one can only assume, that has this not since opened an irrefutable Pandora’s Box of a new kind of capitalist nationalism onto the global Jewish community? To appoint a group as above another is a complexity of supremacy that we’ve seen through history. If we look at Imperialist history, we see what ideology has forced its way through epochs to excuse brutal expansionist policy.

What’s worst, and what’s most enraging, is that Shoah has been weaponised not only from the Holocaust industry— the billions made from displaying Jewish generational trauma and the cinematic brutalisation of our people— to ensure the West can constantly remind us that their role in the war was for Jewish liberation, and certainly not due to fearing Nazi imperial domination as a threat to Western imperial interests… but to merit the Israeli States’ “right to self determination” and “self-defence” against inevitable Native Palestinian uprising.

Zionism is a right-wing, ethnonationalist idology that has been used to control and influence Jewish communities for decades, to justify imperialist expansion. It’s an insult, a disgrace, to Jewish history, identity and peoplehood.

Anti-Zionism is the radical rejection and desire to dismantle the very systems that harm not only us, Jews, but our brothers and sisters in this fight against capitalist regime. We seek unity, liberation, equity, justice. We seek love where there has been unprecedented hatred. We seek grace where there has been insolence. Anti-Zionism is integral in the fight for true global liberation.

There is pain upon the Holy Land, Palestine, and we must admit that we can do something about it.

[notaplaceofhonour]

By Emily K.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz-ja99M6UG/?igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==

[itisiives]

[hussyknee]

(cont'd in reblog.)

[kosmic-apothecary]

[violottie]

I don’t think you can fully confront the US’ support for these ongoing atrocities without understanding and confronting Christian Zionism. Christian Zionism often objectifies Jews while also dehumanizing Palestinians.

If you want an introduction to the Palestinian Christian perspective on this harmful ideology, I highly recommend the book The Other Side of the Wall by Reverend Munther Isaac and also checking out the event Christ At The Checkpoint." from Hannah Smith, 19/Apr/2024:

[a-queer-seminarian]

Decolonizing Palestine (2023) by Mitri Raheb: a Palestinian Christian’s call for a theological paradigm shift

As I dig into various responses to Israel’s colonization of Palestine, this book has become my top recommendation for Christians.

Lutheran pastor Dr. Mitri Raheb (b. 1962) is Palestine’s most widely published Christian theologian. His latest text, Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, the People, the Bible, could hardly have been more timely, coming out just a few months before the events of October 7, 2023.

If you are Christian — or are otherwise interested in unpacking how Christian theology has fueled Israeli settler-colonialism, and what Christian theology that centers and supports the Palestinian cause might look like — I strongly urge you to read the book in full. But if you don't have the time or inclination, I've published a Medium article that provides a thorough summary of his book.

Click here for the full review & summary of the book; what follows below the is a much briefer summation of Raheb's main points:

Western Christian theology today is dominated by Christian Zionism, all forms of implicitly endorse the oppression of Palestinians.

While conservative forms of Christian Zionism, with their focus on Israel’s supposed role in the Second Coming, tend to be centered, Raheb proposes a definition of Christian Zionism that reckons with “liberal” forms of Christian Zionism as well.

His definition emphasizes action over belief: “I argue that Christian Zionism should be defined as a Christian lobby that supports the Jewish settler colonialism of Palestinian land by using biblical/theological constructs within a metanarrative while taking glocal considerations into account.”

A paradigm shift is urgently needed in Christian theology, one that applies the lens of settler colonialism to our biblical interpretation.

Of the book’s four chapters, much of the first two focus on presenting Palestinian history through this lens, successfully arguing that modern Israel is a settler colonial state funded by Western powers:

“Today, empire is bigger than one state, nation, or military power. …Israel is part of this empire and is sustained by it” with both the “hardware” of military weapons, and the “software” of “a biblical blueprint that paints colonial practices with theological justifications of a ‘promised land’ and ‘chosen people.’”

To move towards a decolonial theology, our two hermeneutical keys are the land and the native people of Palestine. Understanding Palestine as:

the name of the “multiethnic, multicultural, and multireligious region that was able to include diverse identities and peoples within its boundaries” for the past 2,500 years; and

a land on the margins of “five regional empires that have determined its fate” for millennia,

we come to recognize that the voices lifted up in the Bible are colonized voices, those who are oppressed by and who resist Empire.

This lens helps us understand the theme of chosenness or “election” as well:

in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and elsewhere in scripture, “Election was and will always be…a promise to those weak and powerless, to those who begin to despair about themselves. …It is with a notion like election that the people of Palestine were able to face the diverse imperial occupations throughout millennia.”

Therefore, the appropriation of the concept of election by various imperial powers, from the British Empire to the United States to modern Israel, is completely contrary to its biblical significance.

That sums up Raheb’s main points in Decolonizing Palestine; for more information, go read his book — or read my full article over on Medium!

[hermenoodle]

Christian Resources on Palestine

Since I am seeing a lack of resources for Christians concerning Palestine from a faith based perspective (aside from the usual Christian Zionist fervor), I tracked down some sources, religious and secular, to bridge that gap. Even if you're not Christian yourself and know some Christians who have questions about what's going on, please share this with them.

Christ at the Checkpoint - A ministry and conference from Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine.

Friends of Sabeel North America - A peacemaking, ecumenical Christian voice for Palestine.

Christian Zionism - A resource that critically analyzes the intentions and theology of Christian Zionists from a Christian perspective.

1948: Creation and Catastrophe (YouTube)- A documentary where Israelis & Palestinians who witnessed the Naqba in the late 1940s talk about their experiences as well as detailing the trail of the ordeal.

With God on Our Side (YouTube)- From Vision Video, a Christian video distributor, analyzing Christian Zionism and giving voice to the Palestinian perspective.

Peacemakers: Crossing the Divide - A film that features both Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian believers' peacemaking efforts in the Holy Land. You can watch it for free in various languages.

Musahala - Faith based organization focused on reconciliation between Jewish people & Palestinians regardless of ethnic or religious backgrounds.

Theology in the Raw Interviews:

Eli Bonila, Jr. - married to a Palestinian.

Dr. Gary Burge - questions Christian theological support for Israel

Alex Awad - Palestinian Christian

Daniel Banourra - Palestinian Christian

Lisa Loden - Israeli Jewish Christian (Messianic) featured in the Peacemaking: Crossing the Divide film.

Rabbi Hanan Schelsinger - formerly Zionist rabbi

Rev. Munther Isaac - the Lutheran pastor behind the Baby Jesus in the Rubble photograph from Bethlehem (also check out the first episode of OnScript where he's featured).

Hope these will serve as an aid to understanding this a bit more than some streams of theology would want us to think.

[jyndor]

I'm sure the christian zionists are acting very reasonable and empathetic about all this and in no way are making it about themselves

[thejewitches]

The Green family are notoriously against every one of our values and they put their money where their mouth is. CUFI is not the only massive corporation that is funding Christian zionism in the USA. Corporations like Hobby Lobby, which have philanthropic arms and are subsequently funding the ‘charities’ of those who reap the profits of the corporations are extremely present in our landscape.

For those of you who follow our Threads, you’ve already seen today’s discussion…But for many of you, this is brand new.

Have questions? Ask away. Make sure to watch our other videos or read the blog! We’ve linked it in our link tree for easy reading!

[tikkunolamresistance]

Your daily reminder that Christian Zionists want Jews in Israel to trigger the return of Christ and the biblically prophesied “End Times”:

“Christian Zionists are premillennial dispensationalists who believe that the return of Jews to their homeland heralds the beginning of the biblically prophesied “End Times”.”

There are more Christian Zionists than there are Jewish people in the world.

Very, very important further reading, all incredibly sourced:

[bottlepiecemuses]

You do know this is from someone who mixes paganism and Judaism which is a big no no. Also all of this is fearmongering bs with half truths. A thing people forget a lot of Christian Zionists are zionists because we feel that we should also make up for past anti-semitism that the church supported. The demonization of christian zionism comes from misinformation like this.

[notsobeautifuldisaester]

Having to read Bible passages of Israel slaughtering entire cities whilst they're committing a genocide as we speak is jarring

Especially since I'm surrounded with people who sees this tragedy as a stepping stone to the rapture.

[brothersnackariahsbitch]

I just have one question for the Christian Zionists. Are you not scared to meet your God after supporting the genocide of his son’s people?

[hussyknee]

I'm blocking ANY American I see pulling this shit from now on. The blood is almost pouring out of our fucking televisions because of Biden. And the Dems. They deserve eternity in Hell. The Republicans are not "worse"- they just have worse manners, they are less polite - that's the only difference.

I have seen more dead children in the last three weeks than I have seen in my entire life. You would think that seeing Biden, Trump, Hillary and Bernie all support "Israel's right to self-defence" for the last solid three weeks would be a wake up call. (Bernie issued a milquetoast statement a few days that maybe this shit should stop, without saying the word "ceasefire" once.)

Imani is a prominent activist on both Black Twitter and Disability Twitter who has been consistently speaking out for all the millions of people continuing to die and become disabled from the Biden Administration's eugenicist COVID policies over the last three years.

There's also this:

This goes all the way back to Harry Truman in 1948 who was almost single-handedly responsible for the colonization of Palestine to creat Israel. But it doesn't mention that the US political establishment was actually against him at the time because they rightly said it would ruin their relations with the Middle East, and Truman's relationship with his own State Department nearly broke down over it. General Marshall, architect of the Marshall Plan, held out until 30 minutes before Britain emancipated Palestine, which was the deadline to claim what would be the initial land for the state of Israel. His decision is said to have been influenced by his Christian upbringing, despite his distaste of both Jews and Zionism.

Now why would an antisemitic white Christian be in favour of herding Jewish war refugees into Israel, where everyone knew they would have to stay fighting Palestine until it was completely defeated, which they couldn't do without relying on the US for help? 🤔 And how would the US government have stayed committed to Israel ever since? Raise your hand if you know the answer!

But no, y'all don't need a system change, just someone who will hold the line at the top against white Christian fundamentalism. There's nothing entrenched here at all. 🙃

Meanwhile:

Adrian Hemond, a Michigan-based Democratic strategist, cautioned that there is a lot of time between now and Election Day in which voters could change their minds as passions cool. And, he said, voters are highly sympathetic to Israel right now, which could benefit Biden politically.