The Latest on Christian Zionism

A Catholic Perspective on Christian Zionism

May 2026

Responding to recent high-profile disagreements over Christian support for Israel, David Neuhaus outlines why “most Christians in the Holy Land see Christian Zionist ideology as incompatible with Christian faith.” The author proposes nine points for reflection on the Old Testament, the Gospels, and Pope Benedict XVI’s book, Jesus of Nazareth.

Neuhaus maintains that in the Old Testament God asserts that “the land is mine: with me you are but aliens and tenants” (Lev. 25:23). Jesus says very little about the bordered land of Israel, and after his resurrection a new order is established in which borders should not divide people. He also states that the devastating sufferings of the Jews during the Holocaust should not be alleviated at the expense of the Palestinians who played no role in that suffering.

Neuhaus concludes “that respecting Jewish attachment to the land must not contradict the fundamental right of Palestinians to live in the land of their ancestors, enjoy full self-determination and thrive there.”

To read the article: https://www.americamagazine.org/short-take/2026/02/10/christian-zionism-holy-land/

“The Flaws of Christian Zionism” was written by David Neuhaus, a Jesuit priest and Israeli citizen. On February 10, 2026, the article was posted on the website of America: The Jesuit Review. Neuhaus, who teaches Scripture in Israel and Palestine, was born in South Africa during the apartheid era but has lived most of his life in Israel.