Interfaith Groups Call Out Dangerous Ideology of Christian Zionism
The Christian Zionist organization “Christians United for Israel” is extremely dangerous, based in “end times” theology with connections to white Christian nationalism globally.
Interfaith groups, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus raised their voices against Christians United for Israel (CUFI) that advocates for the destruction of the Palestinian people and the continuation of the war on Gaza. On July 29-30, 2024, CUFI gathered in Maryland and Washington, DC for their annual conference.
While CUFI’s stated goal is combatting antisemitism, the organization is in fact deeply anti-Semitic. CUFI founder and president John Hagee has referred to Hitler as a “hunter sent by God.”
Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have a right to a national home in the land of Palestine. Christian Zionism as an ideology that supports the return of the Jewish people to the Holy Land in order to precipitate what they claim to be the Biblical prophecy of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
On my trip to the West Bank in June of this year, I saw this ideology up close. We encountered people who truly believe in their divine right to live in the Holy Land based on this supposed Biblical prophecy. This ideology comes at the expense of Palestinians, cherry picking from the Bible and ignoring the plight of the indigenous Palestinian Christian population in the Holy Land. And this ideology is not fringe — CUFI membership outnumbers the entire Jewish American population.
What CUFI stands for runs counter to the true teachings of Jesus, to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45a), forgive others their trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15), to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21), and to seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14).
It is our duty as United Methodists to work toward equity, justice, peace, and human rights. As the United Methodist Book of Resolutions states, “We seek for all people in the Middle East region an end to military occupation, freedom from violence, and full respect for the human rights of all under international law” (Opposition to Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Land).
As Christians and people of faith, we must reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and any policies and ideologies that put people in the Middle East — including the Jewish people — more at risk. We can instead emphasize textual traditions that reject coveting the lands and homes of one’s neighbors (Isaiah 5:8) and make justice the inseparable companion of peace (Isaiah 32:17; James 3:18). This means opposing violence and injustices of all forms, and working for a durable peace in the Middle East.
You can take action for a just peace in Israel and Palestine by emailing your elected officials calling on them to work for a ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint by all involved.
Colleen Moore is the director of Peace With Justice at the General Board of Church and Society. She is responsible for developing and managing the agency’s legislative and policy advocacy in support of peace and justice.
