Deal Hudson has been writing a series of posts on InsideCatholic about Israel, and they are quite good. They present many of the factors involving the Holy Land which have often been neglected by Americans. In his most recent post, based upon a talk he had with Rev. Stephen Sizer, he points out how American policy has been affected in part by a poor theological position, dispensationalism, held by some (but not all) evangelicals. In it, he explains:
Dispensationalism comes in various forms, but the common thread is a division of biblical history into discreet “dispensations,” culminating in a final dispensation through which God will deal directly with the Jews when Israel has been reestablished. The Church, in other words, is distinguished from Israel, which is responding to a distinctive set of God’s promises. Reverend Sizer summarized it this way: “God has a separate plan for the Jews — there are two covenants, two people, and two faiths.”Since Christ will not come to earth to establish His kingdom, and the Jews cannot be saved, Israel must be allowed to settle on the land given to the Jews by God. According to Reverend Sizer, this is the reason Evangelicals not only support the settlements on the West Bank but also help to finance them. Reverend Sizer thinks part of the reason President Carter lost the support of Evangelicals was because he began to vacillate on the settlements.
He is right, and the sooner Catholics realize this, the sooner we can all work together to change the horrible situation found within the Holy Land.
His posts are:
Benedict XVI and the Future of the Holy Land
Palestinian Christians Look Toward the Papal Visit
The Pope Should Go to Gaza
Ten Hard Facts Confronting Benedict XVI in the Holy Land
Christian Zionism, Evangelicals, and Israel
VIDEO: Unarmed Palestinian protestor killed in non-violent demonstration.
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