Christian Zionism all juiced up
Christian Zionism dates back to the 19th century, but picked up steam after the creation of the state of Israel seemed to validate the worldview. A number of Christian Zionist organizations have proliferated in recent decades, from Americans for a Safe Israel, founded in the early 1970s, to the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, which dates to 1980, to the Christians' Israel Public Action Campaign, a lobby; the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, which emphasizes prayer; Christian Friends of Israel; and on and on. The first Christian Congress on Biblical Zionism was held in 1985, where delegates from around the world had the chance to hone their case for supporting Israel based on a literal reading of the Bible. But Hagee's new effort could be a milestone. His goal is to bring together some 35 million Christian Zionists under a single umbrella to maximize their sway on Capitol Hill--his vision that "every pro-Israel church, Para-church organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to Biblical issues." Some 400 evangelical powerbrokers met in February in San Antonio, where Hagee's 18,000-member church is based, to set up the new lobby. Other key leaders at this Summit on Israel included familiar names such as Jerry Falwell and Gary Bauer. According to Abe Foxman, Hagee told the Conference of Presidents that evangelicals support Israel from a biblical perspective, but was vague on the details. That's likely because talking to this audience about his belief in the rapture, laid out in the 1999 end-of-times film Vanished in the Twinkling of an Eye, which Hagee narrates, and in Hagee's half a dozen end-times books, such as From Daniel to Doomsday, in which, according to Armageddon Books, "he systematically counts down the prophetic events leading to Christ's second coming." Hagee has called Genesis 12:3 ("I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you") "God's foreign-policy statement." For a flash, it seemed as if Hagee might be a different kind of Christian Zionist, one who didn't believe that Jews were all destined to return to Israel--only to burn in the fiery pits of hell for all eternity. On March 1, the Jerusalem Post reported that Hagee had long promoted an innovative "dual covenant" theology, which grandfathers Jews into heaven in the end times because of their special covenant with God, but the pastor vehemently denied the assertion the very next day. Hagee is no joke, having already made a name for himself as the most prominent fundraiser for the Israeli cause in the evangelical world. John Hagee Ministries claims it has donated more than $8.5 million to date to resettle Jews from around the world in Israel. "As Christians," he writes on his ministry's website, "we must recognize the critical importance of the Jewish people in God's plan for us all." In return for his devotion, Hagee has been courted by Israel's Tourism Ministry. Could his new project change the face of the Israel lobby in Washington--and usher in an even more hard-line American stance against Palestinian rights and any kind of land-for-peace solution?
Christian Zionism all juiced up | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)
Christian Zionism all juiced up | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)
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