Evangelicals and Israel: The Story of American Christian Zionism

by Stephen Spector

Overview

Most observers explain evangelical Christians' bedrock support for Israel as stemming from the apocalyptic belief that the Jews must return to the Holy Land as a precondition for the second coming of Christ. But the real reasons, argues Stephen Spector, are far more complicated. In Evangelicals and Israel, Spector delves deeply into the Christian Zionist movement, mining information from original interviews, web sites, publications, news reports, survey research, worship services, and interfaith conferences, to provide a surprising look at the sources of evangelical support for Israel. Israel is God's prophetic clock for many evangelicals - irrefutable proof that prophecy is true and coming to pass in our lifetime. But Spector goes beyond end-times theology to find a complex set of motivations behind Israel-evangelical relations. These include the promise of God's blessing for those who bless the Jews; gratitude to Jews for establishing the foundations of Christianity; remorse for the Chu

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199887941
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/09/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	916 KB

About the Author

Stephen Spector is Professor of English at Stony Brook University. He is the author of Operation Solomon: The Daring Rescue of the Ethiopian Jews.

Editorial Reviews

Spector, a professor of English at Stony Brook University and a Jew, argues that evangelical Christian support for Israel is a good thing for Jews. To make this argument, in light of considerable distrust of evangelicals by American Jews and others, he offers impressively thorough research. Evangelicals' motives are complex, and include identification with Israel as an ally against terrorism as well as biblically-based conviction that God truly has favored Israel. His counterintuitive argument is likely to be questioned by those skeptical of his tendency to take statements at their face value: in analyzing, for example, whether George W. Bush's Mideast policy is affected by Christian Zionism, he credits sources supportive of Bush who tell him no, it's not. While some may find him naive, the depth of his work provides credibility for his view. (Dec.)

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Publishers Weekly

"Stephen Spector's Evangelicals and Israel is a significant accomplishment that advances our understanding of an important subject. Subtle, balanced and thoughtful, this book is required reading for anyone wanting to understand the relationship between American politics and our Middle Eastern policies today."
—Walter Russell Mead, Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of God and Gold: Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World

"Spector, no stranger to scripture, sheds light on the variety of true believers who inhabit the world of Christian Zionism. Without polemic or caricature, he deploys his own Biblical expertise, scholarship, and journalistic skills to investigate a complex, multi-layered, and sometimes paradoxical community in which theology and politics mix with a passionate belief in Israel's prophetic mission. Whether you agree or disagree, no one seriously interested in the fate of the Jewish homeland can afford to ignore his close reading and rich analysis."
—Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League and author of The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control

"For this definitive work on Christian Zionism and how evangelicalism shapes American foreign policy, Stephen Spector moves beyond assumptions or anecdotes. Instead, he bases his conclusions on extensive research, including interviews conducted directly with leaders - both inside and outside the evangelical world - who have influenced attitudes regarding the Middle East and policy toward Israel in recent decades. The results capture the variety and complexity of Christian Zionists' motives and convictions regarding not only Israel and the Jewish community, but also Muslims and the Arab world. He examines the intersection of politics and theology in a narrative that is both nuanced and compelling."
—D. Michael Lindsay, author of Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite

"From his intensive researches, Stephen Spector shows that Evangelical attitudes are very nuanced, varied and individual, even among traditional conservatives. ...Those interested in the role of lobbies, whether they are Jewish or Evangelical, had better read the book."—Times Literary Supplement

"An excellent analysis of evangelical support for Zion. . . [an] accessible and lively narrative."—Christian Century^

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