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NOTABLE BOOKS ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM AND CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS 

New Book!

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Biblical Interpretation and Middle East Policy: The Promised Land, America and Israel, 1917-2002

- by Irvine H. Anderson

Irvine Anderson's provocative argument--that fundamentalist interpretations of the Christian Bible have helped create a cultural predisposition that favors returning the Jewish people to the "promised land"--offers an important perspective on British and American foreign policy toward Israel. He asserts that stories about promises of land to the Hebrew people and the "Second Coming of Christ" have made it easier for Zionist and pro-Israel lobbies to be effective in both countries.


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Rapture Culture:  Left Behind in Evangelical America

- by Amy Johnson Frykholm


Allies for Armageddon: The Rise of Christian Zionism

- by Victoria Clark 

MORE BOOKS!



NEWS N BLOGS ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM and CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS

Updated 8 May 2008

LION AND THE LAMB: May the Best Person Win This Election 

- Crossville Chronicle

No Middle East Peace without Paying Respsect to History 

- The Independent 

McCain Surrogate Brownback downplays Christian Zionist, John Hagee's, Bigotry

- Huffington Post  

Rabbi Denounces Messianic Jews' New Evangelistic Campaign in Israel:  A Spiritual Hamas 

- Israel/National News.com

The Hagee Hypocrisy Is McCain's Rev. Wright Episode

- The Bulletin 

Pro-Israel Propaganda Group Plan to Rewrite History on Wikipedia Exposed 

- electronicintifada.com

The McCain-Hagee Connection 

- e-Israel News 

The American Israel Fairy Tale 

- al-Ahram Weekly 

A New Evangelism in the US

- Timesonline.com

After Their Verbal Sparring Christian Zionist, John Hagee and Reform Rabbi, Eric Yoffie, May Meet 

- Jerusalem Post 

Reform Leader Urges Christian Zionist Boycott 

- The Jewish Chronicle 

For McCain, Little Talk of Controversial Endorsement from Christian Zionist, John Hagee

- New York Times

Hardship for Evangelicals in Jordan:  A Lesson for All Christians to Rethink Ties to Christian Zionism 

- Christianity Today 

The Fight for Jerusalem Begins:  Contrary Israeli Attitudes Towards Christian Zionists

- Israelnationalnews.com

Reform Leader:  "Christian Zionists Hurt Country"

- Jerusalem Post 

Allying with Christian Zionists is Bad for Israel

- ha'aretz 

A New More Peace-oriented American Jewish Alternative to AIPAC 

- The Turkish Weekly 

So-called "ex terrorist" turned Christian Zionist, Walid Shoebat,  Exposed as Fraud by Jersualem Post

- Jerusalem Post

FRIENDS 

A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Middle East Peace

Jews on First

Holy Land Christian Foundation 

Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Churches for Middle East Peace

Sojourners

Jerusalem based blog site

Christians offering an alternative to the biblical and political distortions of Christian   Zionism - because if we remain silent they'll assume we agree.  MORE
The La Grange Declaration, 1979 - This statement was prepared and endorsed in 1979 by 5000 American church leaders, including many in the evangelical community. Much of what it addresses is sadly still unresolved 

Joint declaration by Christian Leaders on Israel’s 60th Anniversary

The Declaration

We, the undersigned, church leaders and representatives of our different denominations and organizations, join together on the 60th anniversary of the Israeli state to offer a contribution to that which makes for peace.

We recognize that today, millions of Israelis and Jews around the world will joyfully mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel (Yom Ha'atzmaut). For many, this landmark powerfully symbolizes the Jewish people’s ability to defy the power of hatred so destructively embodied in the Nazi Holocaust. Additionally, it is an opportunity to celebrate the wealth of cultural, economic and scientific achievements of Israeli society, in all its vitality and diversity.

We also recognize that this same day, millions of Palestinians living inside Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the worldwide Diaspora, will mourn 60 years since over 700,000 of them were uprooted from their homes and forbidden from returning, while more than 400 villages were destroyed (al-Nakba). For them, this day is not just about the remembrance of a past catastrophic dispossession, dispersal, and loss; it is also a reminder that their struggle for self-determination and restitution is ongoing.

To hold both of these responses together in balanced tension is not easy. But it is vital if a peaceful way forward is to be forged, and is central to the Biblical call to “seek peace and pursue it” (Ps. 34:14). We acknowledge with sorrow that for the last 60 years, while extending empathy and support to the Israeli narrative of independence and struggle, many of us in the church worldwide have denied the same solidarity to the Palestinians, deaf to their cries of pain and distress.
To acknowledge and respect these dual histories is not, by itself, sufficient, but does offer a paradigm for building a peaceful future. Many lives have been lost, and there has been much suffering. The weak are exploited by the strong, while fear and bitterness stunt the imagination and cripple the capacity for forgiveness.

We therefore urge all those working for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine to consider that any lasting solution must be built on the foundation of justice, which is rooted in the very character of God. After all, it is justice that “will produce lasting peace and security” (Isaiah 32:17). Let us commit ourselves in prophetic word and practical deed to a courageous settlement whose details will honor both peoples’ shared love for the land, and protect the individual and collective rights of Jews and Palestinians in the Holy Land.
“Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid” (Micah 4:4)

Background to the Declaration

As Israel marks its 60th anniversary this May, for Israelis and Palestinians the conflict and the suffering continues. We believe that this landmark is an important opportunity for Christian leaders around the world to add their voices to a special call for a justice-based peace.

The statement acknowledges the pain of both peoples – and the rights of both peoples to security and dignity. Grounded in biblical truth and supported by pastors, professors, heads of organizations and editors across denominational, national and political lines, this historic statement will be a prophetic cry and a powerful witness.

On May 8, Israeli Independence Day, the joint statement and a full list of signatories will be published on this blog and sent to the national press in the US and UK. To add your name to the list of signatories, or to get a copy of the statement as a Word document, email Philip or Ben at the address below.

Spread the word - the more people who get behind this call for justice and peace, the more powerful an impact it will be able to make.

Blessings and peace.

Ben White & Philip Rizk, 18 March 2008
Justpeace60@gmail.com

LINK TO BLOG:  Justpeace60 

 


Media Pieces on Christian Zionist John Hagee's Endorsement of Senator John McCain 

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Democracy Now! Interview with Journalist Sarah Posner on McCain-Hagee 

for Video click on picture

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Controversy Over Christian Zionist Hagee's Endorsement of McCain

(MSNBC Video - click on picture)

McCain Faces Fire Over Minister's Views

(CBS News Video) 

McCain Gets Endorsement of Christian Zionist  Leader in Texas 

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Bill Moyer's Journal VIDEOS on Christian Zionism 

March 6, 2008

McCain and Hagee:  How Responsible are Candidates for the Views of their Supporters?


Nov 30, 2007

Christians United for Israel (CUFI)  as Barrier to Peace in Israel/Palestine

An Evangelical Leader and Jewish Rabbi Speak on CUFI and Peace


October 5, 2007

Israel's New Best Friend 

End Game in the Holy Land?

 

 

Arab Christians and Christian Zionism
George Sabra

Rice University Webcast 

Lecture by George Sabra, Associate Professor in Systematic Theology at the Near East School of Theology, Beirut 

 

 

Resources for the Study of Christian Zionism and  Christian Zionists

 

An Adult Christian Education Course: Left Behind: Israel, the Bible, and the Future

             Left Behind, Israel the Bible and the Future

The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism


Downloadable Brochure 

(English,Hebrew,and Arabic versions)


Excellent Resource on Christian Zionism from 

The Mennonite Central Committee Peace Office

ARTICLES and MULTI-MEDIA PIECES ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM AND CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS

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5 Myths About Being 'Pro-Israel'

By Jeremy Ben-Ami

Six decades ago, my father fought alongside Menachem Begin for Israel's independence. If you'd have told him back then that politicians in the world's last superpower would be jockeying today to see who can be more "pro-Israel," he would have laughed at you. Grateful as I am for decades of U.S. friendship to Israel, I have to wonder, as the state my father helped found turns 60, just who is defining what it means to be pro-Israel in the United States these days.

Some purported keepers of that flame claim that supporting Israel means reflexively supporting every Israeli action and implacably opposing every Israeli foe -- adopting the talking points of neoconservatives and the most right-wing elements of the American Jewish and Christian Zionist communities. Criticize or question Israeli behavior and you're labeled "anti-Israel," or worse. But unquestioning encouragement for short-sighted Israeli policies such as expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank isn't real friendship. (Would a true friend not only let you drive home drunk but offer you their Porsche and a shot of tequila for the road?) Israel needs real friends, not enablers. And forging a healthy friendship with Israel requires bursting some myths about what it means to be pro-Israel.

1. American Jews choose to back candidates largely on the basis of their stance on Israel.

This urban legend has somehow become a tenet of American Politics 101, which is why politicians work so hard to earn the pro-Israel label in the first place. But it's a self-serving fable, cultivated by a tiny minority of politically conservative American Jews who actually are single-issue voters. Most Jewish voters make their political choices the way other Americans do: based on their views on the full spectrum of domestic and foreign policy issues.

Moreover, the American Jewish community still has a markedly progressive bent. Exit polls suggest that nearly 80 percent of Jewish Americans voted for John F. Kerry over George W. Bush in 2004; some 70 percent of them were opposed to the Iraq war in 2005, according to the American Jewish Committee; and polls show that most American Jews say they favor a more balanced U.S. Middle East policy that's aimed at achieving peace.

2. To be strong on Israel, you have to be harsh to the Palestinians.

Wrong, and counterproductive to boot. One popular way for members of Congress to earn their pro-Israel stripes is to come down as hard as possible on the Palestinians, by using economic and diplomatic pressure or giving the Israelis a freer hand for military strikes. That may satisfy some primal urge to lash out at Israel's foes, but it does Israel more harm than good.

As Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has argued, Israel's survival depends on offering the Palestinians a more hopeful future built on political sovereignty and economic development. As long as Palestinians despair of a decent and dignified life, Israel will be at war. And as long as the only channel for the Palestinians' ingenuity is building better rockets, not even the Great Wall of China will protect Israel's cities from their wrath. Helping the Palestinians achieve a viable, prosperous state is one of the most pro-Israel things an American politician can do.

3. The Rev. John Hagee and his fellow Christian Zionists are good for the Jews.

Hardly. Are Israel and American Jewry really so desperate that we must cozy up to people whose messianic dreams entail having us all killed or converted to Christianity? Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, and his ilk believe that Israel dare not cede any territory in the quest for peace, claiming that the Bible promised all of the holy land to the Jews. In other words, Christian Zionists look at the trade-offs that Israel must make to achieve peace -- and hope to thwart them. Then again, peace is not what these folks have in mind; they hope that Israel will seek to permanently expand its borders, thereby goading the Arabs into a war that will become the catalyst for Armageddon and the second coming of Christ. Do your ambitions for Israel extend beyond turning it into the fuel for the fire of the "End of Days"? Then Hagee and company are not -- repeat, not -- your friends.

Full Article Here

 

Christian Zionist Author and Tour Leader, Joel Rosenberg 

Who Are These People? : A Short Video on Christian Zionists in Israel

Ha'aretz Video

Biblical Inerrancy and Christian Support for Israel

from the ReligionBlog of the Dallas Morning News 

by Jeffrey Weiss 

In this past week's edition of the regular e-newsletter called "Falwell Confidential," Jonathan Falwell recounts a discussion he had with the Ambassador from Israel to the United States , Sallai Meridor, who was particularly worried about Iran . And then Mr. Falwell wrote:

In Genesis 12, God told Abraham that He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel . As we approach the 60th anniversary of the rebirth of the State of Israel, let us make sure that we are doing everything we can to bless Israel . We must realize that God's statement to Israel did not give us the benefit for interpretation or adjustment. His directive was clear: bless Israel .

Go to the jump for my musing about how perhaps even those who consider themselves biblical inerrantists might think there was room for some interpretation, if not adjustment.

Let's start with Genesis 12:2-3:

"I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you..."

Do you notice a word that's not there? " Israel ." Which is not surprising, since the word doesn't show up in the biblical narrative until Jacob gets the name in Genesis 32. The descendants of Abraham (and Jacob) ultimately ended up founding a couple of nations: Israel and Judea . Both were destroyed. Which one was intended in Genesis 12? Both?

Beyond that, what kind of "Israel" might the text be referring to?

The biblical nation was a divinely mandated theocracy created through miracles as explicit and unmistakable as plagues, a city's walls collapsing, and the sun itself halting in its course across the sky.

The modern nation, far from a theocracy, was founded by hardworking men and women, aided in part by the astonishingly stupid tactics used by some of their opponents.

Some would argue that Israel's survival has in fact been a miracle, given the numbers who oppose it. If so, it's a lot less explicit than those of the bible. And there are in fact some ultra-Orthodox Jews (at least as inerrentist about the Jewish texts as any Christian) who consider the modern nation illegitimate because it was not created by a messianic, explicit miracle.

Is modern Israel theologically identical to the nation that is referred to in Genesis 12 simply because it uses the name "Israel?"

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