Christians and Israel -
Dr. Richard Booker

Christian Zionism

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Shalom! We are living at a time when Christians and Jews are discovering one another in their shared love for Israel. This has caused a monumental paradigm shift in Jewish and Christian relationships. Whenever there is a shift of such magnitude between people groups, there is a natural and understandable caution as former foes reach out to become friends.

When Jews and Christians begin relating to one another, we experience normal human challenges relating to trust, judging or misjudging one another’s motives, and learning to communicate with sensitivity and respect. We must not let these challenges deter us because the risks of remaining separated are much greater than the risks of being united.

Christians who love Israel are often referred to as “Christian Zionists.” I am a Christian Zionist and there are millions of us around the world. I want to say to my Jewish readers that Bible-believing Christian Zionists are your best friends. But what is a Christian Zionist?

A Christian Zionist is first of all a Christian. The word “Christian” means many things to many people. The word has become so generic that it has lost its true meaning. While there are many different Christian denominations, and theologies, a biblical Christian is a person who has a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob thorough Jesus. Our faith is not so much a religion as it is a relationship.

Christian Zionists believe that the God of the Bible made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob which is still in force today. Part of the covenant includes the promise of the land that would eventually be called Zion or Israel. We believe that the modern ingathering of the Jewish people back to Zion is a work of God that will bless the whole world.

Zionism and Zionist are words that technically relate to Jews. However, at the first Zionist congress in 1897, Theodore Herzl acknowledged his gentile friends attending the Congress as “Christian Zionists.” From that time until now, Jewish and Christian Zionists have worked together to fulfill the centuries old dream of “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

Christian Zionism actually pre-dates Herzl. The Puritans published many books in the 16th and 17th century declaring that one day the Jews would return to their ancient homeland. In 1587, a Christian Zionist named Frances Kett was burned alive for saying that the Bible promised a return of the Jews to Eretz Israel.

There were many influential Christian Zionists in England and America in the 1800’s. Lord Shaftesbury, who led the abolition of slavery in England, proposed the return of the Jews to Palestine under the supervision of the British government. Jean Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Red Cross, established the Palestine Colonial Company to assist Jews in making Aliyah. American minister William Blackstone sent petitions to the United States government requesting American support for the return of the Jews to Palestine. His petition was signed by many prominent American leaders.

William Hechler was the Anglican minister who opened doors for Herzl and won support from the Church of England for sponsoring the return of the Jews to Palestine. The result was the Balfour Declaration written by Christian Zionist, James Balfour.

Christian Zionist organizations in our time are working tirelessly on behalf of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. I will discuss these in future articles.

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Dr. Richard and Peggy Booker are the Founding Directors of the Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies (IHCS), a non-proselytizing, Christian Zionist educational organization. They have dedicated their lives to educating Christians in their Judeo-Christian heritage and the holocaust, building relations between Christians and Jews, and working tirelessly to give comfort and support to the people of Israel. To learn more about their work and study materials, or to have Dr. Booker speak to your group, contact them at www.rbooker.com.

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