Friday, October 13, 2023

The Hermeneutics of Christian Zionism Critiqued - Stephen Sizer

Due to their incorrect interpretation of scripture, Christian Zionists incorrectly set the current nation state of Israel and the Jewish people apart from and above other peoples in the Middle East and all of humanity, when in reality all peoples are fully and coequally human and loved in the the eyes of God.

Christian Zionism encourages the continued military and economic funding of Israel by the United States, identifies with right-wing Israelis who resist negotiating land for peace, reinforces Israel's apartheid policies, and sanctifies the illegal settlement and absorption of the Occupied Territories into the State of Israel.

The most basic hermeneutical error which Christian Zionists consistently repeat is thinking that the Old Covenant before Jesus applies to the current nation state of Israel.

Due to their incorrect interpretation of scripture, Christian Zionists incorrectly set the current nation state of Israel and the Jewish people apart from and above other peoples in the Middle East and all of humanity, when in reality all peoples are fully and coequally human and loved in the the eyes of God.

The reality is that Biblical prophecy is invariably conditional rather than fatalistic. The Christian Zionist's particular reading of both history and contemporary events - determined by the dubious exegesis of highly selective biblical texts as well as their theological presuppositions - is therefore fatalistic. 

The full piece is available here

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Benediction: We Each Have Our Own Role To Play In God's Redemption Plan (based on Ephesians 4:10-13)

As followers of Christ and as members of the family of humankind, we are called to bring God's kingdom to life here on earth as it is in heaven. God is the source of all of the different gifts which we've been given to do that work.

Each of us, in our everyday lives and in our own unique ways, have a part to play in God's redemption plan. So let's make sure to be on the lookout for real life opportunities to bring out the best in everyone and everything.