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Israeli Extremists and Christian Fundamentalists: The Alliance
by Grace
Halsell
At the time I
began my research for my book Prophecy and Politics, I discovered the
average American I met in Washington, DC, and New York was not interested
in TV evangelists and their link to Israel. Neither were book editors. I
went to 25 top editors in New York with my book idea on religion and
politics. Michael Korda of Simon and Schuster was typical. "Jerry
Falwell? Pat Robertson? Who is interested in those crazies?"
By the time my
book came out those "crazies" were on the front page of every
American newspaper and on every news channel. Of course, I didn't give
them this instant fame, which extended throughout the world. Two of them
earned it themselves by being in the middle of scandals.
The press told
us that Jim Bakker had committed adultery and that Jimmy Swaggart
regularly visited a prostitute. A fellow marine said Pat Robertson never
had to dodge bullets in Korea because he had used his father's influence
as a senator to escape front line duty. But almost everyone ignored the
biggest scandal of all: the peculiar mixture of prophecy and politics
professed by these and other Christian Zionists.
The
Christian Zionists Message
What is the
message of the Christian Zionist? Simply stated it is this: Every act
taken by Israel is orchestrated by God, and should be condoned, supported,
and even praised by the rest of us.
"Never
mind what Israel does," say the Christian Zionists. "God wants
this to happen." This includes the invasion of Lebanon, which killed
or injured an estimated 100,000 Lebanese and Palestinians, most of them
civilians; the bombing of sovereign nations such as Iraq; the deliberate,
methodical brutalizing of the Palestinians-breaking bones, shooting
children, and demolishing homes; and the expulsion of Palestinian
Christians and Muslims from a land they have occupied for over 2,000
years.
My premise in
Prophecy and Politics is that Christian Zionism is a dangerous and growing
segment of Christianity, which was popularized by the 19th-century
American Cyrus Scofield when he wrote into a Bible his interpretation of
events in history. These events all centered around Israel-past, present,
and future. His Scofield Bible is today the most popular of the reference
Bibles.
Scofield said
that Christ cannot return to earth until certain events occur: The Jews
must return to Palestine, gain control of Jerusalem and rebuild a temple,
and then we all must engage in the final, great battle called Armageddon.
Estimates vary, but most students of Armageddon theology agree that as a
result of these relatively recent interpretations of Biblical scripture,
10 to 40 million Americans believe Palestine is God's chosen land for the
Jews.
Has the power
of the Christian Zionists diminished?
I do not think
so. Rather, we are seeing how the Christian Zionists, motivated by
religious beliefs, are working hand in glove with politically motivated,
militant Jewish Zionists around the world. It is the Christian support of
Zionism that emboldens Zionists to believe they can dictate to relatively
weak and dependent countries such as Austria, whom they may choose as
their president.
It is the
Christian support of Zionism that allows Manuel Noriega to remain the
strongman in Panama, misusing his power, regardless of what harm he causes
to the United States, his neighbors, and his people.
It is the
Christian support of Zionism that enables the militant Israelis to take
over Palestinian homes surrounding the Al-Aqsa mosque in pursuit of their
well-documented plan to destroy Jerusalem's most holy Islamic site, sacred
to a billion Muslims around the world-one-fifth of humanity.
Christian
Zionists and the Iran-Contra Scandal
Remarkably,it
was this Christian cult of Israel that brought us the Iran contra scandal,
perhaps the most self-destructive act in the history of the United States.
Marine Col. Oliver North, the perpetrator of this misguided series of
actions, is a Christian Zionist. A born-again charismatic figure, he
endeared himself to the militant Israeli Zionists who plotted Iran-contra.
"He is more Israeli," said one Jewish general, "than we
Israelis." This is often the case. In his zealotry, the Christian
Zionist can become more Zionist, more militant, than the Jewish Zionist.
In the
Iran-contra hearings, Sen. James McClure (R-ID) explained to North that
the US had a stated policy of neutrality in the Iran-Iraq war. That policy
differed radically from Israel's policy of selling arms to Iran. Yes,
agreed North, the two policies were not the same. The question, to which
McClure's efforts yielded no response, then becomes: Why would the US
forego its American policy to pursue Israeli policy?
The answer,
unfortunately, lies in the belief system of Christian Zionists: They
believe that what Israel wants is what God wants. Therefore, it is
perfectly acceptable to give the green light to whatever it is Israel
wants and then conceal this from the American people. Anything, including
lies, theft, even murder, is justified as long as Israel wants it.
Another
perfect example of a Christian Zionist is Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI).
Throughout the hearings on the Iran-contra scandal, the Hawaiian kept the
focus on the contras and steered determinedly clear of any criticism of
Israel. If, in answer to questions, witnesses sought to explain the
seminal and continuing role of Israel, Inouye abruptly broke off the line
of questioning that had led the hearings to this unwanted destination.
Despite the
political problems created by its lay practitioners and the scandals that
rocked some of its TV ministries, this belief system-this cult of
Israel-has not been diminished.
Indeed, I hold
that Christian Zionism threatens not just the lives of Palestinians and
other Arabs, but the very existence of the United States. Because of the
cult of Israel, we have become a nation that does not have its own Middle
East policy, but the policy the government of Israel tells us to have.
Despite the
terrifying aspects of the alliance of militant Christians with militant
Jewish Zionists, I find some encouraging developments. In my visits to
colleges, clubs, and churches around the country, I have found strong
support for the message and warning in Prophecy and Politics. It has come
not only from liberal congregations, but from across the whole spectrum of
Christianity, including those Christians who call themselves
fundamentalists. These supporters see Christ as the bearer to humanity of
God's message of peace, brotherhood, love, and reconciliation. These
Christians do not endorse either the cult of Israel or its killIngs and
beatings of Palestinians.
I have found
many such Christians in my frequent visits to my home state of Texas.
There and all over this slowly-awakening land of ours, I have found a
small but increasing number of ministers and lay people who are deeply
alarmed by the cult of Israel and willing to stand up and speak out about
it.
Grace Halsell is a
Washington, DC-based writer and author of Journey to Jerusalem and Prophecy
and Politics.
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Halsell's book (s) now:
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