Israel and the church

Israel and the church

by Maria MackayPosted: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 9:49 (BST)

The London School of Theology was the setting for a recent discussion among theologians who feel that the time has come for a different kind of debate on the question of Israel and the Jewish people.
Among them was Calvin L Smith, Principal of King’s Evangelical Divinity School, who is alarmed by the “vociferous” tone with which some Christians are speaking out against Jews and the modern state of Israel.
Of particular concern to him is the emergence in recent decades of an especially politicised form of supercessionism actively campaigning against Israel. 'New supercessionists' hold the belief that the church has replaced Israel as God’s people and that God therefore no longer has a purpose or plan for the Jewish people.
He said that some Christian anti-Israelists had gone as far as to say that Zionists were deviants of the faith and were contributing to the “current demonisation of Israel”.
“Let’s disagree by all means but labelling each other heretics and retreating to shout from the sidelines is causing considerable disunity within the church,” he said.
Smith believes that God still has a plan for Jews but he accepts that the state of Israel has made mistakes and that Christians in the Holy Land are suffering as a result of Israel’s actions.
“We see very many Christian Zionists who demonstrate an intense love for Israel and the Jewish people - indeed problematically. A minority of pro-Israel gentile Christians are so enthralled that they take an ‘Israel right or wrong’ position,” he said.
“Some pro-Israel Christians are one-sided, unaware of some of the difficulties some Arab Christians in the Holy Land experience, whether caused directly or indirectly by the Israel state.