Allies for Armageddon: The Rise of Christian Zionism

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Compared to all the fanfare the book The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy received, Allies for Armageddon: The Rise of Christian Zionism has virtually gone unnoticed. However, Allies for Armageddon is as valuable a book to read, especially for those concerned about US policy towards Israel. Journalist Victoria Clark does the difficult task of not only investigating contemporary Christian Zionism, she attended conferences, went on a guided tour to Israel, and she sat through hours of interview time with some of the leaders in this movement which number in the millions in the US alone.

The author begins the book by recounting the time she spent on a guided tour with Christian Zionist Chuck Missler. Missler represents the prototypical Christian Zionist in that he not only supports the unconditional defense of the State of Israel, he believes it is necessary for Jews to convert to Christianity in order for the End Times to take place. Here is where we see a major difference between Zionists and Christian Zionists–while both are adamant defenders of Israel–many Zionists are offended by Christian Zionists who want to convert them. While Zionists certainly recognize the political and financial support that Christian Zionists provide, they must always contend with the efforts to convert Jews and the arrogance that many of them display, even while on tour in Israel.

The book is divided into two sections, with the first half dealing with the origins of Christian Zionism to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. According to the author, Christian Zionism began in the early 17th Century in England about 200 years after the printing press was invented. One of the consequences of the printing press being invented was that more and more people had access to the written word. The Christian bible was one of the first texts to be printed and made available to the growing number of people who could read. The Christian Reformation also provided a larger context that allowed people to interpret the bible independently of the Catholic Church. England in particular began to be a hot bed for literal interpretation of the bible and the first time that Christians began to identify with the tribe of Israel.

The English Puritans identified heavily with the sufferings of the Israelites, thus the early waves of Europeans who invaded what is now the US, framed their landing in “the new world” as a contemporary version of what happen to the Israelites. One of the consequences of this identification with Israel was that many Christians began having a growing interest in the Jewish community, the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), and even understanding the Hebrew language. Both Harvard and Yale University made Hebrew a central part of their curriculum. However, the genesis of the brand of Christian Zionism that people encounter today began in the late 19th Century US.

According to the author, there were two historical developments that contributed to the birth of contemporary Christian Zionism. First, was Darwin’s theory of evolution and the second was “German Higher Criticism.” Darwin’s theory challenged a Christian fundamentalist notion that humans descended directly from Adam and Eve. German Higher Criticism was a school of thought amongst some theologians that took a much more critical and less literal interpretation of the Christian and Hebrew Scriptures. This type of scholarship took into account historical, cultural and sociological factors into account when interpreting those religious texts. The American Christian response laid the foundation for contemporary Christian Zionism.

There were several Christian ministers who developed what is now known as Christian Zionism, but the most influential of these late 19th century Christians was Dwight L. Moody. Moody, also known to some, as “Crazy Moody,” is the founder of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Moody was influential in two ways. First, he created a methodology for interpreting the bible along with Cyrus Scofield that could be used in a classroom setting and provides average Christians with accompanying texts to better understand their faith. The Moody Bible Institute continues to this day and is thriving as a center that promotes fundamentalist Christian belief, that include a very specific interpretation of the role of Israel in the Second Coming of Christ.

While US evangelicals were developing infrastructure to promote Christian Zionism; in England, British officials were applying the core beliefs of biblical prophecy by moving to assist in the creation of the state of Israel. As the father of modern Zionism, Theodore Herzel, was organizing support for a Jewish State–thousands of Jews were fleeing Russia for Palestine. It was in this context that Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, and Lord Balfour began moving the British Empire towards the creation of the state of Israel. According to the author, these men were deeply religious and there commitment to this biblical prophecy eventually led to the Balfour Declaration in 1917, which formally set in motion the right of Jews to occupy Palestine. Several years of negotiations led to Zionist groups organizing military brigades to forcibly remove Palestinians. One British military man who helped organize these brigades, Orde Wingate, was also a Christian Zionist. Clark states that “Wingate devoted himself to training what would become the core of Israel’s army today, the Haganah. Soon he was spying for the Zionists and leading ‘Special Night Squads’ in pre-emptive raids on Arab villages or on missions to deliver scandalously brutal reprisals.”

The second half of Victoria Clark’s book deals with Christian Zionism since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, particularly since the 1967 Six-Day War. The first major proponent of Christian Zionism in the late 1960s was author of the evangelical classic The Late Great Planet Earth, Hal Lindsey. Lindsey became famous shortly after his book and was a sought after speaker. By the 1970s, Lindsey was sharing his interpretation of biblical prophecy with America’s Air War College and even the Pentagon, according to Clark. The Late Great Planet Earth was an influential book for former President Ronald Reagan and even former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Lindsey continues to write, preach and advocate for the ongoing US support for the state of Israel. Lindsey even claims to have predicted the Israeli assault on Lebanon in 2006. In 2006, Newsweek interviewed Lindsey about his support for Israel. When asked about the success of the US dependent on its support for Israel, Lindsey says:

“I believe one of the reasons God has protected the U.S., despite the fact we have driven God from the public forum in our country, is because we have sought to protect Israel’s right to exist in secure borders. We have also been a safe haven for Israelites. When God gave the solemn covenant to Abraham that He would make him and his descendents into a special nation, He gave this special promise of protection, ‘I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.’ (Gen. 12:3) I believe God blesses those who help Israel. The rise and fall of nations can be traced to how they treated the Jews.”

In addition to Lindsey, other prominent Christian Zionists in the US consist of Pat Robertson, former US Presidential candidate Gary Bauer, Jerry Falwell, Ted Haggard, and the co-authors of the apocalyptic book series Left Behind, Jerry Jenkins, and Tim LaHaye. Clark not only points out that these Christian Zionists not only have the support of millions of Americans, they also have regular access to policy makers in Washington. Any one of these big name Evangelicals can get believers to send thousands of e-mails to the White House to pressure the government in favor of Israel. This type of ongoing lobbying has led to the creation of groups like Christians United for Israel, which has as its sole purpose the protection of the state of Israel. However, quite possibly the most influential Christian Zionist in America today is TV Evangelist John Hagee.

Clark devotes a whole chapter to Hagee, whom she interviewed in 2006 at his massive complex in San Antonio, Texas. The author says that upon entering the Hagee compound she was approached by his security guards known as PAWS – “Pastor’s Ass-whoppers.” Hagee himself came to the conclusion that Israel needed unconditional support of the US after he made a visit in 1978. Now Hagee hosts an annual event called the Night to Honor Israel. Hagee’s organization has raised millions of dollars to support Israel and the construction of Israeli settlements through his ministry. His 2006 book Jerusalem Countdown provides biblical explanations for current events in the Middle East. Hagee endorsed the Israeli bombing of Lebanon in the summer of 2006 and advocates that the US or Israel should drop a nuclear bomb on Iran.

In many ways, Allies for Armageddon is similar to the groundbreaking book on the US religious right by Sara Diamond, Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right. Diamond argued in 1989 when Spiritual Warfare was published that progressives in the US cannot afford to easily dismiss the power and influence that the Christian Right has on American politics. After reading Victoria Clark’s book on Christian Zionism, I would argue that those who care about justice not dismiss Christian Zionists as just a bunch of crazies. If the unconditional US support for Israel is to be challenged, then an understanding of the role of Christian Zionism is absolutely necessary. Allies for Armageddon can help us all find that understanding.

Victoria Clark, Allies for Armageddon: The Rise of Christian Zionism, (Yale University Press, 2007).

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Tags: history, religion, religious right