Christian Zionism is not Christian heresy

OPINION:

In a recent episode of his podcast, Tucker Carlson commiserated with unabashed antisemite Nick Fuentes in condemning the likes of Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas as Christian Zionists.

“I dislike them more than anybody,” Mr. Carlson declared before fully aligning with Mr. Fuentes’ disdain for any American support of the Jewish state. “It’s insane, and it hurts us. We get nothing out of it. I completely agree with you there. It’s Christian heresy,” Mr. Carlson told a man who has openly praised Adolf Hitler as someone he thinks is “pretty cool.”

This exchange poses the question: What exactly is this boogeyman of “Christian Zionism” that Messrs. Carlson and Fuentes so disdain? What is it about this nefarious worldview that has these two men so up in arms?

The answer is simple. The idea of Christian Zionism is composed of two words that are pretty well defined.

First, let’s deal with the word Christian. It should go without saying, but a Christian is someone who has “confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in their heart that God has raised him from the dead.” (Romans 10:9) Put simply, a Christian is anyone who believes what the Bible says about Jesus: that “He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but through him” (John 14:6), and that if we “confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleans us of all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) In summary, a Christian is anyone who has “called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Second, the definition of Zionism is equally clear. A Zionist is anyone who believes that the nation of Israel has a right to exist. It is, frankly, no more complicated than that. If you think that Israel, as a sovereign nation, can and should defend its borders and its people against the atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023, against an enemy that bombs its cities, kills its babies, rapes its women and beheads its men and soldiers, you just might be a Zionist.

So, in summary, a Christian Zionist is anyone who is a Christian and who also believes that if there is any indigenous group of people on the face of the earth with the right to make a claim to a given piece of land, it is the Jews who, for some 4,000 years, have lived in, defended and governed the land of Israel.

Period. That’s it.

Now, some ask: Why do Christians believe this? Well, it’s because we believe the Bible, and the Bible makes it clear that all this is so. Here are just a few of the nearly innumerable Scriptural references to that end:

“My covenant with him shall endure. … I will not withdraw my faithful love from him or betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or change what my lips have said. Once and for all, I have sworn an oath by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His offspring will continue forever.” (Psalm 89).

“This is what the Lord says: The one who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night; Who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar, The Lord of Armies is his name: If the fixed order departs before me — this is the Lord’s declaration — only then will Israel’s descendants cease to be a nation forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35, 36)

“Has God rejected his people? Absolutely not! Do not boast that you are better than the branches. … You do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.” (Romans 11:1-18)

“So, what advantage does a Jew have? Considerable in every way. … If some are unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Absolutely not. Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar.” (Romans 3:1-4)

These passages are just the tip of the iceberg. Verse after verse in the Psalms and the Prophets makes the same point repeatedly: God made a promise to the nation of Israel, and God does not break his word.

As to Mr. Carlson’s claim that America gets nothing out of supporting the Jews against their aggressors, well, here’s another verse to consider: “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” (Genesis 12:3)

So, no, Christian support of Israel is not a recent dispensational “heresy,” as Mr. Carlson claims. In fact, as far back as the time of Moses, Jeremiah and the Apostle Paul, it has been Christianity 101.

• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of “Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery). He can be reached at epiper@dreverettpiper.com.