No Biblical Support for Christian Zionism's Political Views
Zionism denies basic teaching of Jesus and the Prophets
The church centered society that makes up the largest voting block in the US practices the reverse of what its leaders say they believe. American Southern Baptists and most non-denominational mega-bible-churches, often led by TV celebrities, have in common a profession that the Bible is the literal, inerrant word of God, preserved by His hand in context. But in practice leaders teach not from the words but from footnotes and commentaries to the bible written by various men who tell us what they think the bible means. Only by resorting to man made distortions are leaders able to support the Zionist political machine that thrives on war.
A growing list of authors recognize what this mere hundred year old sub-sect of supposed Christianity is doing, but unfortunately most of them have stopped short of explaining why and how Zionist leaders get away with it. Pastor John Hagee and novelist Tim Lehey are anything but literal in their reading of the Bible; rather they present the most fanciful and abusive distortion of Christ following ever seen on the planet, including Mormonism.
Once more there are too many Christian Zionist to be ignored. A Gallup poll May 25, 2007, stated that "about one-third of Americans today believe the Bible is absolutely accurate and that it should be taken literally word for word." Pew Foundation has repeatedly confirmed Gallup's number that adds up to about 100 million people. Other polls tell us these misled "literalists" tend to vote in a block generally identified today as Christian Right.
James Carroll, a first class journalist for the Boston Globe, gave us "Onward, Christian Zionists" on August 23, 2010, in which he observed "Christian Zionism is shorthand for the idea that the return of Jews to the Holy Land is a pre-requisite for the return of Jesus the Messiah, and the final redemption of the world." and " have been central players in the drama of Palestine for almost two centuries."
Carroll is dead on so far, and goes on to ask: "What if fundamentalism, in other words, is not the crime but the evidence — evidence of a destructive, yet widespread religious attitude that contributes to the political impasse that continues to stymie Palestinian and Israeli peace negotiators?"...and.. ."American Christian Zionism is a particularly lethal form of contemporary fundamentalism. Theologically uncritical and dangerously triumphalist, it is bad for Israel, Palestine, America, and peace."
Were it not for mega millions of misled Christian Zionists in America who support Israel's warmaking agenda in the Middle East there would be no occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and Philistine, and children could sleep soundly in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza confident that no american made bombs would fall on their beds tonight.
Christian and Jewish Zionists Both Deny Jesus' Teaching
The books that Christian Zionists rely upon reveal how crafty distortions have, for two generations, enabled Celebrity Christian leaders to support political Israel and perpetual war in the Middle East.
When I meet a professing Christ follower my first question is, "What do you make of Jesus’ words in the 5th chapter, Book of Matthew, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Blessed are the meek, the merciful, the pure; Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God?"
If the person I ask is a bright child, he will usually say these are rules Jesus expects. However, when I ask a pastor or adult church leader in those churches that are influenced by Christian Zionism's world view, the answer is usually confused, something like this: "We do not live in a perfect world,"... "we have to realize Jesus was giving an object lesson on how bad the world really is," or "He showed us how impossible the pure life is." Those leaders who realize they are supporting world conflict might say "some wars are just, are you a pacifist?" or "these are not really standards Jesus expects of us, because we are all sinners." From the most scholarly I hear "life will be that way someday in the Millennial Kingdom after Jesus returns to earth, after the rapture."
Misleading footnotes dominate several other study bibles, including the John Mac Arthur and modern and popular NIV Study Bibles. Corrupted bibles misdirect pastors, who then misdirect the followers of Jesus. Christian Zionists pastors usually refer to the text as "the inspired or inerrant word of God."
The most damaging of the Christian Zionist bible distorters was Cyrus I Scofield, who in 1908 wrote a book that has since been revised three or more times by its owner, Oxford University Press. The Scofield Reference Bible is used in many seminaries. Deceptive footnotes and "Subheading" have bern added to traditional text that directed readers to believe Jesus words in Matthew 5, are "The Principles and Rules of the Kingdom" (meaning Heaven) which is very different from rules to live by on this earth. In 1967, Oxford University Press put forth drastically changed FOOTNOTES and SUB-HEADINGS carefully interwoven with the Scofield original notes making them nearly indistinguishable to most readers. Even the new language style is conformed to the old, blending, like the old and new boards in my oak floor, deliberately interwoven to make the old and new seem indistinguishable to the casual eye. The devil lurks in the footnotes.
Children come up with the right answer when asked what Jesus' words mean because they have not yet been inculcated with the Christian Zionist jargon. In contrast, Christian Zionists as much as say that Jesus' words are not to be taken literally, but are a description of life in a perfect place Jesus has prepared for those who believe in him.
Once we understand how and why Christian Zionists distort Jesus' words, we can quickly see why they support Israel's occupation of the land of the Philistines. US wars in the Middle East and Israel's brutal occupation are seen as “God’s will”--necessary steps in the chain toward a perfect world after Jesus comes back. Several celebrity Christian leaders openly lobby for a preemptive strike on Iran and the deportation of all Palestinians from the State of Israel.
The church-centered pro-Zionist group that influence the largest voting bloc in the U.S.A, practice the reverse of what their leaders say they believe. Southern Baptists and most non-denominational mega-churches are led by TV celebrities, profess that the Bible is the literal, inerrant word of God, preserved by His hand. They teach not from the ancient words, but from man added footnotes and commentaries inserted into several popular study bibles, which often avoid or deny Jesus words. This is the dark secret this sect can not face. This author's audio-visual presentation on this subject is called "The Tragedy and The Turning."
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Also by Charles E. Carlson:
The Judeo-Christian Conflict: Zionism vs. Jesus
Scofield: Soft Leather Outside, Corrupt Inside
The Unacceptable Cost of Christian-Zionism
It May Be Time To Leave Your Church
The Crucifixion of Jesus' Words
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Illustration: freakygaming.com
URL: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/2010/12/06/no-biblical-support-for-christian-zionis
