Christian Zionism and American Foreign Policy

Never fails. War starts up between the states of Israel and Palestine and American Christian Zionism rears its ugly head.  Why?  While Christian Zionists believe that Christ’s covenant was a fulfillment of the Mosaic covenant, i.e. dealing with salvation, they do not believe that Christ’s covenant was a fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, i.e. dealing with Abraham’s offspring and land.  Christian Zionists, however, miss the Apostle Paul’s point in Galatians 3 that the offspring (singular) and the land (God’s Kingdom) are realized in Christ.  Christ is the offspring.  Those that belong to Christ are also Abraham’s offspring (Gal 3:28-29).  Abraham’s children are spiritual, not ethnic.  Furthermore, this “land,” God’s Kingdom, is not dependent upon where lines are drawn on a map in the Middle East.  Rather, the Kingdom of God is found in Christ.

Does this mean that I do not support the contemporary state of Israel?  Certainly not.  I support Israel’s right to defend itself just as much as I support any nation’s right to, including Palestine.  It is a complicated situation and I do not have any easy answers for that region.  If Christian Zionists, however, are going to allow their interpretation of Scripture to affect their foreign policy, I would ask that they re-read the New Testament and consider how Christ’s covenant affected the Old Testament covenants.

Encouragement for This Season's Mover

Having a military career means lots of moving.  In the last fifteen years I have moved my family no less than nine times; an average of once every 20 months.  Military members also often help each other move.  Over an entire career, that is a lot of moves I have participated in.  Over time, our nomadic lifestyle has disciplined us into developing adaptive and persevering natures.  We grow not only accustomed to change but over time thrive and even yearn for it.  

I realized recently that my “adaptive and persevering” nature has developed a thorn.  I have become condescending towards those that rarely move and therefore buckle under the pressure of doing so.  However, in a moment of my significant lack of sympathy in my neighbor’s struggle, I was hit with an epiphany; moving is not normal.  Consider the first move of Man.  Adam and Eve lived in the paradise of Eden until they sinned and were promptly evicted from the premises (Gen 3:23-24).  Every time we move it is a reminder of original sin and the resulting alienation between Man and God.  Even in the best of situations, when we choose to move rather than be evicted, we are merely seeking something better than we have, ultimately searching for that which can only be satisfied when we finally arrive in God’s Heavenly Kingdom.  We drag our families around in pursuit of that better job, prestigious school district, bigger house, etc.  There is nothing wrong with any of these, yet our never ending hunger for such things is really an ancient echo of our eviction from Eden and our longing to return.

Moving will continue to be a part of life this side of glory.  Being adaptive and persevering through change are sound traits.  However, one should never become so callous to moving that they look down on those that rightly struggle.  Do you trust in the righteous works of Jesus alone for your salvation?  If so, you can go through the process of moving with the peace of mind that at least your move into the Kingdom God has already been accomplished.  

Here's to Complicating Your 4th

Every 4^th of July I have mixed feelings. There are, of course, the patriotic emotions that are hard to avoid when one is surrounded by loved ones under a firework filled night sky. Why the mixed feelings? As my wife often points out, I am a rule follower. I am most comfortable when I obey the established authority. As a child I obeyed my parents. As a Christian I obey God. As a citizen I obey my government. In this context I realize that I would most likely have been a Loyalist during the time of the American Revolution. I cannot see myself taking up arms against my country, in that case England, and my King. 

I sympathize greatly with the often misunderstood "traitor," Benedict Arnold. He first fought beside his countrymen (English & American colonists) in 1755 against the tyranny of France and their terrorizing Indian tactics during the French and Indian War. Later, believing in the American struggle against British oppression, Arnold took up arms against his country and became the most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army, most notably at the Battle of Saratoga, at which his right leg was desperately wounded. His private correspondence displayed both a spirit of rebellion against tyranny and a desire to see America eventually rekindle her communion with England.  However, Arnold was beside himself upon learning of the Franco/American alliance of 1778, an unthinkable treason to any British-American. Arnold changed sides and once again fought for his King.  Having traded his blue coat for a red one, Arnold later asked a captured Continental officer what the Americans would do if they captured him.  The officer replied, “Cut off your right leg, bury it with full military honors, and then hang the rest of you on a gibbet.”

I do not live during the American Revolutionary era, however. The American colonists won and I live on this side of history. I have since attempted to take up and participate in this experiment of liberty and the spirit of rebellion against tyranny. The mixed feelings continue, however, and will likely endure for some time.