Most conservative Christians in the United States have been supportive of Israel, ever since the creation of a modern Israeli state in 1948. Many believers are motivated by their theological convictions about God’s promises to ancient Israel, including those concerning the land first promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:7. For many Christians, present-day Israel is either a fulfillment of biblical prophecies or anticipates a future, fuller realization of God’s promises.
Other Christians interpret the land promise more typologically but nevertheless have supported Israel for other commendable reasons. They’ve resonated with the widespread Jewish desire, dating to the late 19th century, to have a nation of their own in their ancestral land from which most Jews had been displaced for two millennia. This sympathy increased considerably in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Others have appreciated that Israel is the only functioning democracy in the Middle East and has been a strategic U.S. ally for over 75 years. Still others have argued that Israel has a right to exist and to defend itself against aggressors, the latter of which has included all of her neighbors at various times.
Broad conservative Christian sympathy for Israel has remained steady since the horrific terrorist attacks perpetuated by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. While Christians have rightly debated the morality of some of Israel’s responses in the time that has elapsed since the opening atrocities, one would be hard-pressed to find a conservative believer who rejects the right of Israel to defend itself against Islamic terrorism. Furthermore, evangelicals have been among the most vocal critics of progressive forms of anti-Semitism in the West that have expressed sympathy for Hamas and her allies.
It’s a good thing for Christians to express solidarity with Israel. It’s also virtuous for believers to reject anti-Semitism in whatever form that ancient prejudice manifests. However, at times we can be tempted to forget about our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in Israel and who are also impacted by wars and other tensions in the region. Furthermore, though Israel has a far better track record of religious freedom than her Muslim neighbors, the picture is far from ideal for Christians and other religious minorities.
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Nathan is a professor of faith and culture and directs the Institute for Faith and Culture at North Greenville University in Tigerville, S.C. He is the senior fellow for religious liberty for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is a senior fellow for the Land Center for Cultural Engagement, and is a senior editor for Integration: A Journal of Faith and Learning. He also serves as teaching pastor at the First Baptist Church of Taylors, S.C.