Christian Zionism and the Jerusalem Patriarchs

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/18/jerusalem-patriarch-churches-say-christian-zionism-threatens-christianity

I won't pretend the Latin, Orthodox, and other Eastern Patriarchs have some of kind of great standing with me. It's not as if I respect their Christian opinions or ethical stands on the issues of the day.

I note this because when it's politically convenient, American Evangelicals will put great stock in these ethnic Christian communities - such as in Iraq (in the face of ISIS attacks) or in Armenia (when Türkiye is out of American favour). We could also point to the Orthodox within Ukraine.

Ethnic Christian communities on the wrong side of American geopolitical interests such as the Russian Orthodox and the various Palestinian groups - they don't count. They're not Christians.

In this case, the various Patriarchs in Israel and the occupied territories are acknowledging the role Christian Zionism is playing in terms of US-Israel relations. From Mike Huckabee's advocacy of Greater Israel to the numerous other apologists for Israeli butchery - the defense of Israel and the lobbying for its cause in the United States is most often connected to Christian Zionism, which in turn is almost exclusively fueled by Dispensational theology and its anti-New Testament theology and hermeneutics. While even the Old Testament says the promises were fulfilled (with the Davidic-Solomonic reign extending to the tributary states on the Euphrates in Syria and to the Sinai), Dispensational hyper-literalism demands that all lands from the Nile to the Euphrates belong to Israel - an area that would swallow up Syria, Lebanon, parts of Southeastern Türkiye, as well as large portions of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Eastern Egypt. There's no Biblical basis for this interpretation in the Old Testament and the New Testament repudiates even the assumptions that drive this kind of distorted and delusional thinking. And make no mistake, such thinking has geopolitical consequences.

As far as the unity of these Patriarchal flocks - that is of less concern to me as their authority and ecclesiology are built on other than Biblical foundations.

It is certain that Dispensationalism has emboldened the violent Settler movement and there is some overlap with the Messianic Jewish community and its Judaized interpretation of Christianity.

American Evangelicals have long bankrolled the Settler movement. If this has increased in recent years, then we're not surprised. Again, the advocates of Dispensational Theology are blood-soaked and they at least bear some of the guilt for the mass slaughter of Palestinians and even those dying in Iran with round 2 of the 12 Day War under way.

There is no small irony in the fact that many of these Israelis who benefit from Evangelical dollars nevertheless hate and are contemptuous toward Christians. They have been emboldened by the policies of the Likud-led coalition and in addition to the violence perpetrated against Palestinians, they pour curses and scorn on Christians as well - even spitting on them.

In the United States, it's difficult to even discuss this issue as the waters have been considerably muddied by the growth of Right-wing Anti-Semitism as well as revisionist history regarding the Nazis and World War II in general.

Due to almost everyone existing within a media-bubble, the outside data and ideas are unable to penetrate and stimulate any kind of response, change, or reflection.

And so the tragedy continues as chaos and confusion rule the day.