Confronting Christian Zionism webinar moderator reflects on series, speakers and advocacy

Final webinar registration open to first 500 attendees

by Scott O’Neill | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — The PC(USA)’s Christian Zionism working group, which includes PC(USA) national staff, congregation members and grassroots Presbyterians connected to the Israel Palestine Mission Network (IPMN), will present its third and final webinar on Confronting Christian Zionism.

The well-attended previous webinars covered the history and basics of Christian Zionism; the final in the series, titled “Discipleship, Christian Nationalism, and Settler Colonialism: Faithful Preparation for the U.S. Election,” will focus on how the Christian Zionism theology manifests itself in today’s highly politicized faith practices. To participate in the Zoom webinar, which is scheduled for noon Eastern Time on Thursday, Sep. 19, register here. Webinar participation is limited to 500.

Moderating this webinar, as in the previous two, is the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Holder Rich. Rich is the pastor at Corinth Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio, and part-time faculty member at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Rich is also the editor of “Christian Zionism in Africa,” published in 2021. Her interest in Christian Zionism was sparked by her work in Tanzania, a country with a very small Jewish community.

“I was struck by seeing Stars of David and the words ‘Mungu ibariki Israel’ (“God bless Israel” in Kiswahili) in cafes, grocery stores, bus windows and even notebooks carried into class by my university students,” said Rich.

She calls moderating the webinar series an “honor and learning experience,” but preferred to praise all the webinar’s speakers and presenters.

“Each one has brought particular expertise and perspective; the Palestinian Christian speakers have brought firsthand experience of living with the damage done by more than seven decades of occupation, punctuated by outbreaks of serious conflict — all of which has been driven and energized by Christian Zionist thought and policies.”

Scheduled speakers for the upcoming webinar include the Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the PC(USA)’s Center for the Repair of Historic Harms; the Rev. Dr. Laurie Lyter Bright, executive director of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship; and the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, founder and president of the Dar Al-Kalima University in Bethlehem and a Lutheran pastor.

The first two webinars were so popular that the working group had to limit attendance to 500 people. With so much interest on the topic, Rich offered suggestions for individuals who want to move forward and advocate against Christian Zionism on a personal or congregational level. According to Rich, studying, listening, confession and repentance lead to opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work within people and move them to concrete action.

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Holder Rich

“Study is needed, as many Presbyterians do not know the term Christian Zionism, much less the meaning and implications of the belief system and its implications,” Rich said. “Whether they have heard the term or not, many Christians in the U.S. and in other parts of the world are nonetheless Christian Zionist in their beliefs, which is to say they accept that the Israel of the Bible and the modern state of Israel are one and the same, that the residents of Israel are the chosen people, and therefore, Christians must support Israel, no matter what.”

“Christian Zionist thought, teaching, and preaching have moved many Christians to conclude that denying support from Israel is almost always antisemitic. This can lead to people being blinded to decades of terrible suffering and all the outcomes of brutal occupation that the Palestinian people have endured. Presbyterians in many places have learned to assume uncritical support of Israel is required as part of faith in Jesus. Christian Zionist understandings are so deeply woven into people’s understandings that questioning them, no matter how many thousands of innocent people are killed, feels wrong.”

“A second step is listening to our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters. These Christian siblings have suffered occupation, degradation, and dehumanization for decades. Presbyterians will benefit from listening to their witness and opening our hearts and minds to the transformative power of the truth they bring.”

“Finally, while thoughtful critique of Israel is not antisemitic, there is no doubt that antisemitism and Islamophobia persist, even, to our shame, among we who follow Jesus. Speakers in the upcoming webinar should help us think together about these pernicious evils that continue to mar our witness, that we might confess, repent, and move forward in a more faithful posture toward our interfaith neighbors.”

For study, Rich pointed to the resources approved by the 226^th General Assembly (2024) in Salt Lake City in INT-06.

They include:

• “Why Palestine Matters: The Struggle to End Colonialism,” published by the PC(USA)’s Israel-Palestine Mission Network
• “Focus: Palestine,” published by the World Communion of Reformed Churches

Also recommended for study is “Zionism Unsettled: A Congregational Study Guide,” released in 2014 by IPMN.

The entire “Confronting Christian Zionism” series is co-sponsored by World Mission’s Middle East and Europe office, the Office of Public Witness, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and members of the IPMN.

The PC(USA) Israel-Palestine Resource landing page offers a multitude of multimedia resources, including recordings of the previous Confronting Christian Zionism webinars, available here.

For more information about Christian Zionism, including FAQs on its biblical, theological and political implications, click here.