This webinar addresses how the US administration is embracing Christian Zionism and “end time” theology to justify unconditional support for Israel and unprovoked war against Iran.
View my presentation on YouTube.
You can download an outline of my presentation here
See here for other translations and additional resources
The continuation of war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, now spreading to Lebanon, Pete Hegseth’s transformation of Pentagon into a Holy War Department, and the White House becoming a war cheering prayer house – all of those are necessitating a thorough conversation on the issues of Christian Zionism, dispensationalism, Christian nationalism, antisemitism and bad theologies that inspire the escalation of growing chaos and confusion in the US and the Middle East.
For that purpose we have updated several recent interviews with Rev Dr Stephen Sizer and created four 30-minute features. In the part one we are setting a stage for better understanding of Christian Zionism today by asking questions such as: How did we get here? Is the modern-day State of Israel a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy?
Rev Stephen Sizer said: “Ironically, it was Christians who sponsored and facilitated Zionism. Christian Zionism is simply Christian support for Zionism, but it preceded Jewish Zionism by at least 50 years. And today, nine out of 10 Zionists in the world are Christians. So Zionism is predominantly a Christian heresy. It’s a bit like saying, I’m a Christian racist. You can be a Christian or a racist, but you can’t be both. You can be a Christian or a Zionist, but you can’t be a Christian Zionist because Zionism is synonymous with supremacism, racism, apartheid. And that’s only been achieved through the use of military force, by ethnic cleansing, by expelling people off their land, demolishing their homes, forcing them to live as a subjugated people in an apartheid state. That’s what Israel is today. So, it’s anathema from my perspective that Christians would even dream of supporting such a monstrous creation.”
Further information on the historical roots and theological basis and political agenda of Christian Zionism
This webinar will address how the US administration is embracing Christian Zionism and “end time” theology to justify unconditional support for Israel and unprovoked war against Iran.
Some Americans have referred to what it is doing in Iran as the US’s “Holy War”. Mike Huckebee, the US’s Ambassador to Israel, remarked in February that it would be fine if Israel took control of land that would include a huge swathe of the Middle East.
Such positions come from an interpretation of Bible verses identified as Christian Zionism. This theological and political belief system says that the modern State of Israel’s existence is a fulfilment of biblical prophecy and a necessary sign to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It combines strong support for Israel, particularly regarding control over Jerusalem and the West Bank, with an end-times world view.
During this hour-long webinar, Stephen Sizer will provide a summary about Christian Zionist beliefs. He will be followed by Michael Spath who will unpack how Christian Zionist theology as influenced US foreign policy and how US churches are responding to it.
This month we’re continuing the conversation about Christian Zionism with Rev. Dr Stephen Sizer, the first Director of ISCZ. We’ll uncover more about the history of Christian Zionism and learn about why engaging in the work to combat this theology is so necessary.
If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform!
On Holy Saturday, we held a multi-faith vigil for Palestine in the Lower Gardens in Bournemouth. We walked in solemn procession to the pier, dug a grave in the sand and buried dolls representing the 15,000+ babies killed by Israel in Gaza. I spoke briefly about the Palestinian Christian community and their resilient faith contrasted by the silent complicity and cowardice of Western church leaders unwilling to hear and respond to their cry for justice.
“Gaza today has become the moral compass of the world”,[1] insisted the Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac in his now famous 2023 Christmas sermon, entitled, “Christ in the Rubble.”[2] It is sobering to realise that for the first time in history, genocide is being recorded live on social media by the victims themselves. No one can now say they did not know.
The struggles Palestinian Christians face today
Continue reading
I am sure like me you are here because you feel you have no choice. It is a moral imperative to show solidarity with people in Gaza and Palestine. It is sobering to realise that for the first time in history, genocide is being recorded live on social media by the victims themselves. No one can say they did not know.
I am deeply ashamed of our government’s refusal to impose sanctions on Israel, to ban arms exports and support the ICC and ICJ investigations into genocide and war crimes, or even simply demand that Gazans be given immediate and full access to food, water, fuel, shelter and medical supplies.
But I feel anger toward so called religious leaders who are failing to give moral leadership and pressure the government to comply with UN resolutions and uphold the rule of international humanitarian law. Where are the Archbishops and Bishops today? They still refuse to acknowledge let alone condemn Israel for imposing apartheid, and perpetrating ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza and Palestine.They are false prophets crying ‘peace, peace’ when there is no peace. They have not only lost their voices but lost their moral authority also.
It is hard to comprehend the enormity of the indiscriminate death and destruction Israel has wrought on Gaza. More women and children have been murdered or injured in Gaza than are here today in this demonstration.
What can we do? We can pray to the God of justice to bring an end to this evil, will punish war criminals and bring swift justice and lasting peace to Palestinians free in their own land. And we can act. If our political leaders won’t impose sanctions, we can boycott and divest from companies profiting from or facilitating the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. And remember to use your vote wisely in the forthcoming May local elections.
I invite you to join me in a minutes silence to remember the bereaved, the injured and traumatised in Gaza and Palestine today.
Continue reading
This article was originally published in May 2024. Between October 2023 and February 2024, the Church of England Archbishops and Bishops issued five statements on the genocide in Gaza (carefully avoiding using the term). Since February 2024, they have been completely silent despite mounting and indisputable evidence of genocide and war crimes, reported by the United Nations, to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, by human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and indeed even by Christian leaders in Palestine. It has indeed been a year of shameful silent complicity, not just by the Church of England but virtually every Western mainstream denomination.
“Gaza today has become the moral compass of the world”, insisted the Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac in his 2023 Christmas sermon, entitled, “Christ in the Rubble.” After his sermon went viral, his words were subsequently quoted by UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed.
Lamentably, many Christian leaders in the USA and Europe have stood by, silent and complicit, unwilling to criticise Israel for what is increasingly recognised as a genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.
This article will analyse the Church of England official statements about Gaza since 7th October 2023, together with criticisms, and provide an assessment of the Church’s moral integrity in its stance on Gaza.
Download the complete article (and also in booklet form for printing) – or continue to read the summary conclusions:
Continue reading
In February, Chris Williamson, the former MP for Derby North, interviewed David Miller and I on the relationship between the Church of England and Zionism on his weekly programme, Palestine Declassified, for Press TV. View the interview here.
