Should Christians Support Israel? Seeking a Biblical Worldview in an Impossible Situation

by Jeff Myers

Should Christians Support Israel? is more than a title; it’s a serious question that can only be answered through the lens of history, the Bible, and a worldview framework. Through firsthand accounts and rigorous analysis, this book offers a unique perspective on the current Israel-Palestine conflict. Whether you’re seeking answers for yourself or looking to discuss the issue with others, this book provides essential insights.

In October 2023, an attack on Israel shook the world, leaving scores dead and hundreds held captive in Hamas’s tunnels. Even as the attack unleashed terror on unsuspecting Israeli communities, Hamas’s public relations arm spread propaganda that captivated the consciences of thoughtful, caring people all over the world.

To a shocking degree, Hamas publicity succeeded, especially with Gen Z. A majority of young adults seamlessly transitioned from concern for the Palestinians’ plight to an open embrace of Hamas’s plainly-stated genocidal aims.

In search of the truth, Dr. Jeff Myers joined leaders who visited Israel 103 days after the attack where Myers met Jews and Arabs, peace activists and soldiers. His insights, shared in this book, reveal the conflict’s complexity beyond just land disputes. At its heart, it is a battle of ideologies. It is a clash between worldviews involving issues of God, justice, oppression, religion, and truth itself.

Despite the darkness, hope lies in a biblical worldview that can promote blessing and flourishing, even in impossible situations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology, Christian, Politics, History, Cultural, Religion

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

Over the last 20 years Dr. Jeff Myers has become one of America’s most respected authorities on youth leadership development and has equipped thousands of people to champion the Christian worldview.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

A more accurate title of this book is honestly "Should Christians Support Hamas?" Myers spends a significant amount discussing the evils of Hamas and its propaganda machine. Unfortunately, due to his focus on Hamas, real Palestinians who are the victims of the war are almost entirely forgotten.

I just don't think Myers was qualified to write this book. For one, it's far too short; the body is only 126 pages long. He is also lacking in historical context. Not a single mention of the history of the Zionist movement and the earliest settlers, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the Balfour Declaration, the Palestinian perspective of the 1948 war as the Nakbah, or really anything that is needed to understand the history of the region. Judging by the endnotes, Myers relied disproportionately on Western sources, many of which could be classified as "pro-Israel". The one Arab source he consistently relies upon—Khaled Abu Toameh—is definitely on the pro-Israel side. And he also certainly does not read Arabic, meaning those sources are closed to him. I did not sense great familiarity with the complexities that exist.

I wish he would have taken his own advice get to know those who disagree with you (p. 120) as it came to his sources. He doesn't engage much with any Palestinians, for example, or anyone who legitimately supports Palestine and is opposed to Israel's excesses. The one major historian who has raised serious doubts about the veracity of some of Israel's official history, Ilan Papé, he dismisses completely out of hand (p. 100).

A book called "Should Christians Support Israel?" really needs to wrestle with historic Palestinian suffering, the effects of the barrier wall on Palestinians, the Israeli settlements, among other things. It is far too short to have the nuance it needs and brushes over legitimate concerns over Israel's policies and actions, instead giving the tacit impression that these concerns are all the result of the pro-Hamas propaganda. I don't see this book prompting any wrestling with real ethical and moral difficulties that arise from Israel, just contributing to the status quo of uncritical support of Israel by American Evangelical Christians.

For books to give more historical perspective, see Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn, which has a generally more pro-Israel perspective. For something that will give more of a pro-Palestinian perspective, see The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine: From Zionism to Intifadas and the Struggle for Peace. Lastly, on a more personal level from a Palestinian brother in Christ, see The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope.

[Ben Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful little book. Myers cites his sources plentifully and includes an extensive endnotes for follow up if desired. Regardless of the differing theological approaches to Israel among evangelical Christians, the harsh realities of antisemitism and propaganda regarding the terrorist group Hamas and the Palestinian people under their thumb within the entire conflict are sobering to consider. Myers builds on historic "Just War Theory" and Biblical Christian morality to build a case for supporting justice and peace.

[Lauren Terwilliger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping that this book would give a biblical framework that Christians could use to understand the nuances of the geopolitical conversation about Israel (Israel as a nation versus Israel as a people group), how to view the Jewish people (secular Jews, Orthodox Jews, and Messianic Jews), and how these views relate to differences in eschatological beliefs. While the book did mention a brief history of Israel as a nation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it was more focused on the atrocities of Hamas from an experiential standpoint and changing the sentiment away from supporting a terrorist organization. I can see how this book would be relevant as a tool to speak with college aged students who are predominantly processing things through an “empathetic”/“lived experience” lens, but this wasn’t as deep or holistic as I was looking for on this topic.

[Ez-Boi23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was only one part that was a little iffy, but other than that a great book. I think it is important to support this book because it reveals the threat that Hamas is. Many people try to label Hamas as “freedom fighters” which is simply not a reality. Hence my support for this book.

[Ian Minielly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was what I feared it was going to be. Contrary to the sub-title it is not a biblical worldview in the slightest. This book is a huge piece of propaganda hiding behind bad theology to advance a pagan nation at war with its Creator.

The author constantly conflates modern Israel with Biblical Israel when they have nothing in common. The author really really really wants the reader to think the modern European (and other) Jew(s) is the same as ancient Israel consisting of twelve tribes who had a very conditional land promise while ignoring they broke the condition and therefore lost the land. The modern Jew has zero land claim on what is now modern Israel or the surrounding areas.

The author also makes the endless effort to pretend the modern Jew and the biblical Israel or sons of Jacob are the same and the promises of God to the Patriarchs are still in effect for the modern Jew. This is pure misreading of Scripture and the outright ignoring of all the "IF/Then" conditional promises of God.

While doing this the author calls the actual proper inhabitants of the area criminal animals who deserve death and everything happening to them. This is a horrible book and my biggest issue is not with the book itself, which is clearly a large propaganda piece to whitewash Israeli war crimes and genocide. My biggest issue is the number of Americans who believe this garbage and the number of churches who promote it and advance the clearly bogus claims of modern secular pagan Israel and wholly support the construction of a third temple, despite the fact this is yet another rejection of the Messiah and the single means of restoration with God.

[Michael Philliber · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author completely misses Paul's point in Galatians 3:16 and 3:26-29 with regard to God's promise to Abraham. This work runs along with the Dispensational misreading of Scripture as it looks at modern-day Israel.

And, to pull the reader in, it tugs on the reader's emotions as it tells heart-wrenching stories about the way Jews in Palestine have been violated over the years. Though bad things have happened and been happening there, that doesn't build the biblical case. That simply becomes an emotionally-charged opinion piece, making an end-run around good argument and reason.

I did appreciate Myers brief explanation of what makes for a just war. I also was grateful that the book acknowledged that one can be both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian.

Biblically, I disagree with the author that we *must* support the modern Zionist state of Israel to be pleasing to God. But I do think one can back up Israel for political and moral reasons.

Nevertheless, God's world rescue operation promised to and through Abraham climaxes in Abraham's offspring, Jesus the Messiah, and all (Jew and Gentile) who are united and identified with him.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myers wrote this helpful little book after going to Israel post-October 7. He came back and wrote based on interviews, eyewitness trips to kibbutzim, and reflection on what happened and why. He writes with clarity and grace, and he presents plenty of evidence for his claims. While siding with Israel, he is sympathetic to the vast numbers of suffering Palestinians (Muslims and Christians) who would love a future without Hamas. Pick up and read!

[Damon Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began reading this book, I thought my bias would be sympathetic to the authors viewpoint, so I purposefully tried to read it from the mindset of an opposing perspective. As I began to read, I felt there were some statements that were not supported although there were several citations. (203 in a 126-page book). However, by the end of the book, I felt the author had adequately considered both aspects of this argument and was genuinely focused on thinking through the matter objectively.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good news is that Should Christians Support Israel Seeking a Biblical Worldview in an Impossible Situation doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. Even better, I was afraid that this was going to be one of those fundamentalist Christian volumes that goes off the deep end on “end times” theology (usually overtly premillenial), but it isn’t that either. The answer [which shouldn’t be a spoiler to anyone] is ultimately that Christians should support Israel. However, it isn’t a simple “Yes,” and it is qualified, qualified by scripture and by logic.

The bad news is that I find it ironic that a book which spells out the methodologies of a cult in terms of using propaganda should use so many questionable sources itself (The blatantly fascist New York Post, The Gatestone Foundation (completely sold out to a MAGA agenda), and Foundation for the Defense of Democracies). Fortunately, there are some solid sources in there as well (Foreign Affairs journal, New York Times, and The Economist). I was also disappointed that though author Jeff Myers, Ph.D. identifies his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Denver, he doesn’t inform the readers in the bio on the cover or on his website as to what his major was. He claims not to be a theologian at one point in the book, so was his degree in Philosophy itself, Sociology, Leadership, or what?

One positive of the volume is that it breaks the reader out of the largely mainstream Palestinian narrative. It points out how the narrative of Israeli genocide was already in place before Israel actually started its offensive to remove Hamas [specifically the PR releases from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) which were released before Israel acted] (pp. 101-102). It recounts the historical facts of Palestinians rejecting a two-state solution on four occasions [1947 (p. 30), 1967, 2000, and 2008 (p. 64)]. It shows how Gaza is a victim of Hamas in that no elections have taken place in Gaza since the Hamas coup in 2007 (p. 65).

A major negative in the book is that the author (because of the war) was only able to spend time with Arab Jews and Israeli Jews. Since it was in the middle of a “hot war,” one can grant something of a pass on this. However, what one cannot forgive in this volume is its unwillingness to criticize both sides of the cultural-political divide in the U.S. since an immoral individual came to power in 2017 and turned the world upside-down (and not in a good way). For example, Myers rightly calls out the Islamo-fascists on the left, but he ignores the right-wing media echo chamber which continually praises fascists and dictators in their speeches and social media.

I liked Myers’ citation of Stephen Hassan’s initialism for the methodology for cults controlling their victims, B.I.T.E. (p. 104). That control is handled through B for behavior (controlling one’s physical reality), I for information control (controlling access to information through echo chambers), T for thought control (forcing unity through the cult’s newspeak or language designed for emotional conformity), and E for emotional control (an extension of thought control where one is manipulated through a desensitizing we-they mentality) (p. 104).

Should Christians Support Israel Seeking a Biblical Worldview in an Impossible Situation is worth reading. It is generally fair in its assessments, though prospective readers should be advised to pay attention to the very biased sources on which Myers occasionally draws. I recommend it with caveats.

[Jake Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

As a Jewish IDF veteran and ardent supporter of Israel, I found the book to be very compassionately and thoughtfully written.

I would recommend it to any Christian that wants to get a handle on the current situation in the Middle East, or to understand what is overtaking college kids today, to lead them to support Hamas, despite its genocidal goals and actions.

The book is very well-written, abundantly sourced with references, and covers both the big picture and the important details in a concise and approachable way. The anecdotes the author shares of his conversations with Israelis and experiences touring Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 invasion are moving and insightful.

The author also describes his extensive work with college students, many of whom are anti-Israel activists. He breaks down their rationales and worldviews into 5 categories, and then goes on to analyze where these schools of thought go wrong, and how well-intentioned people end up on some very dark paths.

p.s. - I looked up the publisher's website to get more background on the author and found the following description of the book that some prospective readers might find of interest:

https://www.summit.org/promotions/sho...

This isn’t just a geopolitical issue. It is theopolitical.

Even before Hamas’ October 7th attack, Israel has been the center of conflict. But this isn’t just a geopolitical issue. It is theopolitical.

In search of the truth, Dr. Jeff Myers joined a small group of leaders on a wartime visit to Israel 103 days after October 7th. There, they met journalists, educators, military officials, an intelligence officer, survivors and hostage families. They met with Jews and Arabs, with people on the left and the right, and with peace activists and soldiers. What Dr. Myers learned is not at all what he expected.

In Should Christians Support Israel? Seeking a Biblical Worldview in an Impossible Situation, Dr. Myers helps us understand

the indoctrination that is taking place,
the war between competing worldviews,
the history of Israel and Palestine and the worldviews behind them,
the tactics of the apocalyptic rape and death cult called Hamas,
the nature of just war and genocide,
how the world might move forward based on a biblical worldview, and
lessons in resilience and hope for our time.
The Israel/Palestine conflict is not just geographical battles over competing land claims. It is about everything, everywhere, a pitched battle between worldviews involving issues of God, justice, force, genocide, oppression, corruption, religion, and the nature of truth itself.

A biblical worldview has the power to explain reality and promote blessing and flourishing, even in impossible situations.

[Kenneth Tubman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several books regarding the Jews of modern Isreal. They simply moved into a real bad neighborhood in 1948. They are surrrounded 360 degress by nations that want them all exterminated.

This book explains to me why they took the military option on Hamas and Hezbollah. It is either that or be wiped out into oblivion.

There are those that believe they are barbarous with their bombings in Gaza and Lebanon, but to try and grind out a war of attrition would be a fool's game given their small population.
Targeted bombing and assassinations is the only way Isreal can survive.

As far as the great numbers of innocent lives lost on the mass bombings, let's not forget the savage bombing on innocents in Dresdon, Berlin and Japan at the endings of WW2. Millions were extinquished by the United States and it's allies. Even further back in history, the Catholic church via the Inquisition slaughtered many Jews at the stakes and guillotine. Mao Zedong starved and killed million of his own people with the "Great Leap Forward. Stalin starved millions and sent them to his Gulag to suffer miserable ends.

The Jews have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Their Hollocaust did not end with Hitler's demise,

[Peter Spung · Rating 4 out of 5]

I freely admit that I'm not well versed in the current or past wars involving Israel, Hamas, the Palestinians, and the other players in the Middle East. Thus the appeal of this book. I appreciated its brevity and clarity. Yet, the deeper insights due to my surface level knowledge. My favorite chapters were 3/The Israel You Haven't Heard About, 4/The Israel of you Bible, 6/Warring Worldviews, and 11/The Propaganda War.

Three big takeaways for me were
1) the fallacy of a two-state solution since Palestine has turned it down multiple times--whenever offered previously;
2) the observation that if Hamas laid down their arms and genocidal aims, fighting would stop immediately. Yet if Israel did so, they would be slaughtered by Hamas. And
3) the propaganda war involves a lot of spinning, opining, framing and magnifying other reports and extremely little ground truth or facts since so few journalists are in Gaza due to the danger.
I also appreciated the personal accounts and stories of those involved which conveyed the pain and anguish, and evil.

I will continue to pray for peace, and gratitude that people like the author Jeff Myers are trying to forge a way forward through a biblical worldview in an exceedingly difficult situation.

[Luke Sheehan · Rating 1 out of 5]

While Jeff Myers tries to warn the reader about the dangers of propaganda, he spews pro-Israel propaganda throughout the whole book.
For a book that is supposed to be helping -Christians- decide what to believe in this incredibly nuanced situation, there doesn't seem to be much of -Christ- involved in this book. Many bible passages are thrown in to the text to "support" his claims, but they are just randomly pulled Old Testament verses that have a few similar words to what he was espousing.
Jeff Myers felt very underqualified to be talking about many such subjects he tried to explain in his book such as Islam, Marxism, and I would even go as far as Christianity. It didn't feel like he knew any of the things he was trying to assert, but rather was told what to think and is trying to do the same for the reader.
His demonization of higher education is astounding and laughable. His use of the phrase mind virus throughout the book tells me all I need to know about how views the world.

[Jodel Garcon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was so timely, given the current situation we find ourselves in with Israel and Hamas still at war. I just find it refreshing because I believe I finally am starting to understand why this war is so egregious, especially given the biblical precedent for it. I found it interesting finding out how propaganda was used throughout this whole conflict; in fact, I wasn’t even super familiar with who Hamas was before reading this book. I especially loved how Jeff Myers was able to connect these current realities with the story that plays out in the Bible. It is definitely a great read for anyone who is truly interested in the truth of what’s going on in the Middle East right now.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read 2 books by Jeff Myers. It seems to me he pumps out books for a quick buck. The research for this book is about an inch deep. While I agree with most of his conclusions I found the book to be morning new. The most disappointing part was I don't feel he ever answered the question.

[Liberty McArtor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readable yet comprehensive argument for why Christians should support Israel. Also contains helpful explanations of why this is such a controversial issue for young people, including many Christians. A helpful read if you want to understand the argument.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good read on why America should support Israel, but not convincing for why Christians should.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given enough to by a Notre Dame Nun at our parish. At first I didn't know if I would like it. But it really engrossed me . plus it was only 126 pages. Give it a try

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked to read this as part of a group and it’s really well done. A great resource to share with progressive family members or friends.

[Al Halpain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives a little more perspective of the Israel/Hamas war.

[Mark Roossinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myers gives solid answers to the question! He’s experienced first hand what’s happening in the Middle East! Up to date, and very relevant!

[Annette M.]

Well thought out.

[Bill Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timely, well-written book that presents a strong case for supporting Israel. Pretty thorough for being less than 150 pages long.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the situation with Israel. Myers gives some helpful historical background on the establishment of the state of Israel and the response of the Arab nations to that. Some of the Scriptural analysis is surface level, but, nevertheless, the author brings up some important biblical considerations for Christians. The end of the book has some of the better sections where challenges and questions are given to those who deny the legitimacy of the state of Israel, especially to those who have clear double standards for the Palestinian Arabs compared to Israel. I would recommend this as a good primer for someone wondering what the general case for supporting Israel is.