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Zion's Christian Soldiers?: The Bible, Israel and the Church
Many Bible-believing Christians are convinced that God blesses those nations that stand with Israel and curses those that don't. This belief has had a significant influence on attitudes toward the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. Claims made in books like The Scofield Reference Bible and Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth have fed into contemporary Christian Zionism, with radical implications for how we view our faith and the world in which we life. Stephen Sizer contends that this view is based on misinterpretation of the Bible. He provides an introduction to Christian Zionism and a clear response and positive alternative based on a careful study of relevant biblical texts. This clear, straightforward volume includes tables and diagrams, questions for Bible study and further reflection, and a glossary of terms. It concludes with a previously unpublished sermon by John Stott titled "The Place of Israel." Here Sizer offers encouragement for readers to dialogue on the relationship between Israel and the Christian church and a more constructive view of the future and our role in it.
199 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 22, 2016
As with Stephen Sizer's other work, there is some value in his critique of mainly American dispensationalist Christians and their theological and political views. Unfortunately, however, the book is seriously marred by the author's very obvious anti-Israel agenda.
A clear example of this is his statement on pp. 69-70: "The 'dividing wall of hostility', typified by the barrier that separated Jews and Gentiles in the temple, has been broken down by Jesus Christ. It is ironic, if tragic, that despite his willingness to comply with all the petty temple regulations concerning ritual purity, Paul would eventually be arrested for allegedly bringing Greeks into the temple and defiling God's house (Acts 21:28-29). Today, their successors in the government of Israel are seeking to erect a much higher and longer 'separation barrier' to preserve their racial identity and exclusive claim to the land of Palestine." The phrase, "Today, their successors..." seems to imply that Jews, or at least Jewish leaders, are incorrigibly racist. Since there are both Jews and Arabs both to the East and to the West of Israel's security barrier, Sizer's claim is demonstrably false. Rather, the security fence was built to stop Israelis being killed, and has been demonstrably successful: 431 Israelis were killed in 137 suicide bombings between September 2000 and the completion of the northern and most of the Jerusalem sections of the wall, 100 in March 2000 alone. After the completion of the wall in the north, there was not a single terrorist attack across that section. By December 2004, the number of suicide attacks launched from the West Bank had fallen by 84% in less than two years. (Figures from Sir Martin Gilbert's updated Israel, A History, p. 631.) Since Sizer neither mourns these Israeli dead nor condemns (or even acknowledges) their killers, and instead denounces the structure designed to protect Israelis as a symbol of racist imperialism, it is hard not to conclude that he has no objection to Israelis being killed. (This is not to deny that the wall undoubtedly causes serious hardship and suffering to the Palestinians; nor that the wall cuts into land beyond the Green Line, which could otherwise have been allocated to a future Palestinian state.)
Sadly, this is not an isolated instance in Sizer's book. At page 8, the Union of Jewish Students (i.e. your friendly local J-Soc) is cast as an opponent of intellectual freedom. On the same page, Sizer refers approvingly to Jewish Voices for Peace, a left-wing hate group which equates Israeli policies with the Holocaust and cooperates with extreme left-wing organisations the Socialist Workers' Party and Revolutionary Communist League. On page 10, Sizer asks, "Why is Israel allowed to retain nuclear weapons, while Iran is threatened with a pre-emptive attack for aspiring to obtain nuclear technology?", yet inexcusably fails to mention that Iran's president has denied the first Holocaust and has threatened to perpetrate a second. At footnote 12 on page 6, Sizer draws on the conspiracy theories of Mearsheimer and Walt. In a footnote on page 15, he refers approvingly to the flawed and highly partisan works of Jimmy Carter and Ilan Pappe, and also to Uri Davis, a PLO observer member who helped to promote the antisemitic play "Perdition" in the 1980s, which alleged that Zionist leaders collaborated with the Nazis in perpetrating the Holocaust. Sadly, this in keeping with an author who demonises supporters of Israel as "people in the shadows" and for whom Uri Davis, neo-Nazi favourite Israel Shahak and Holocaust-denier-defender and intellectual crook Noam Chomsky are "leading Jewish academics". For all that Sizer says that "Anti-Semitism must be repudiated unequivocally" (p. 15), some of his terminology and sources seem to point in the other direction. It is surely not a coincidence that, in 2015, Stephen Sizer was censured by Andrew Watson, the Bishop of Guilford, for posting "clearly anti-Semitic material" on social media.
Saddest of all, though, is the fact that, Zion's Christian Soldiers? has, like Sizer's previous book, been published by Inter-Varsity Press, a reputable Christian publishing house, and has been endorsed by various prominent Christian leaders, including Dick Lucas and Rico Tice. One might not expect reviewers to check every source and factual assertion (though we might hope that a responsible publisher would), but frankly this is of little comfort to those of us who are Jewish, who recognise antisemitism when we see it, and who are all too aware of what antisemitism has led to through the centuries. The writings of Steve Motyer and Peter Walker are recommended as less extreme, more measured responses to the theological tenets of Christian Zionism.
A clear example of this is his statement on pp. 69-70: "The 'dividing wall of hostility', typified by the barrier that separated Jews and Gentiles in the temple, has been broken down by Jesus Christ. It is ironic, if tragic, that despite his willingness to comply with all the petty temple regulations concerning ritual purity, Paul would eventually be arrested for allegedly bringing Greeks into the temple and defiling God's house (Acts 21:28-29). Today, their successors in the government of Israel are seeking to erect a much higher and longer 'separation barrier' to preserve their racial identity and exclusive claim to the land of Palestine." The phrase, "Today, their successors..." seems to imply that Jews, or at least Jewish leaders, are incorrigibly racist. Since there are both Jews and Arabs both to the East and to the West of Israel's security barrier, Sizer's claim is demonstrably false. Rather, the security fence was built to stop Israelis being killed, and has been demonstrably successful: 431 Israelis were killed in 137 suicide bombings between September 2000 and the completion of the northern and most of the Jerusalem sections of the wall, 100 in March 2000 alone. After the completion of the wall in the north, there was not a single terrorist attack across that section. By December 2004, the number of suicide attacks launched from the West Bank had fallen by 84% in less than two years. (Figures from Sir Martin Gilbert's updated Israel, A History, p. 631.) Since Sizer neither mourns these Israeli dead nor condemns (or even acknowledges) their killers, and instead denounces the structure designed to protect Israelis as a symbol of racist imperialism, it is hard not to conclude that he has no objection to Israelis being killed. (This is not to deny that the wall undoubtedly causes serious hardship and suffering to the Palestinians; nor that the wall cuts into land beyond the Green Line, which could otherwise have been allocated to a future Palestinian state.)
Sadly, this is not an isolated instance in Sizer's book. At page 8, the Union of Jewish Students (i.e. your friendly local J-Soc) is cast as an opponent of intellectual freedom. On the same page, Sizer refers approvingly to Jewish Voices for Peace, a left-wing hate group which equates Israeli policies with the Holocaust and cooperates with extreme left-wing organisations the Socialist Workers' Party and Revolutionary Communist League. On page 10, Sizer asks, "Why is Israel allowed to retain nuclear weapons, while Iran is threatened with a pre-emptive attack for aspiring to obtain nuclear technology?", yet inexcusably fails to mention that Iran's president has denied the first Holocaust and has threatened to perpetrate a second. At footnote 12 on page 6, Sizer draws on the conspiracy theories of Mearsheimer and Walt. In a footnote on page 15, he refers approvingly to the flawed and highly partisan works of Jimmy Carter and Ilan Pappe, and also to Uri Davis, a PLO observer member who helped to promote the antisemitic play "Perdition" in the 1980s, which alleged that Zionist leaders collaborated with the Nazis in perpetrating the Holocaust. Sadly, this in keeping with an author who demonises supporters of Israel as "people in the shadows" and for whom Uri Davis, neo-Nazi favourite Israel Shahak and Holocaust-denier-defender and intellectual crook Noam Chomsky are "leading Jewish academics". For all that Sizer says that "Anti-Semitism must be repudiated unequivocally" (p. 15), some of his terminology and sources seem to point in the other direction. It is surely not a coincidence that, in 2015, Stephen Sizer was censured by Andrew Watson, the Bishop of Guilford, for posting "clearly anti-Semitic material" on social media.
Saddest of all, though, is the fact that, Zion's Christian Soldiers? has, like Sizer's previous book, been published by Inter-Varsity Press, a reputable Christian publishing house, and has been endorsed by various prominent Christian leaders, including Dick Lucas and Rico Tice. One might not expect reviewers to check every source and factual assertion (though we might hope that a responsible publisher would), but frankly this is of little comfort to those of us who are Jewish, who recognise antisemitism when we see it, and who are all too aware of what antisemitism has led to through the centuries. The writings of Steve Motyer and Peter Walker are recommended as less extreme, more measured responses to the theological tenets of Christian Zionism.
May 29, 2021
I recommend this book too people interested in the Israel Palestine conflict and how some types of Christianity is woven into it. It is a Short book, the book covers alot of ground expect a fairly brisk pace if you are not familiar with the topic beforehand.
I can also recommend this for Students in Comparative religious studies. since this book covers 3 but mostly 2 religions, politics and entertainment its a treasure trove for a assignment of some sort.
I can also recommend this for Students in Comparative religious studies. since this book covers 3 but mostly 2 religions, politics and entertainment its a treasure trove for a assignment of some sort.
March 6, 2019
Sizer has many good points but the book is too polemical to convince any hardened dispensationalists. Nor will it do much good in helping other Christians to help dispensationalists. While I appreciate his concerns and the problem of some versions of dispensationalism, I didn't find the book particularly helpful.
March 6, 2025
I heard Stephen on a podcast and loved how he spoke. This book for me was a bit too cerebral for my non biblically scholared brain. Every time I felt like I understood where he was going, I felt like he contradicted himself. But some great tidbits to further discuss theology with Christian Zionists on the harm they are doing.
March 19, 2022
Best book I ever read. (I read it again & again, since discovering it about 10 years ago.) - So clearly explained. Shows how the whole bible fits together. If I were to recommend ONE book to explain the big piture of the whole bible, it would be this one! Fantastic!
December 13, 2017
This book examines whether Christians' support of Israel is justified according to the scripture. I find it enlightening.
October 3, 2008
I have frequently shied away from the topic of Israel for a variety of reasons.
1) Its highly controversial among Christians, particularly in the US
2) I’m embarrassed by The Left Behind books
3) I’m not a theologian or eschatologist and the issues seem highly complex
However, as I continue to ponder the implications of the unquestioned support of Israel as a means of justifying war in the Middle East, I grow disturbed at the implications for global Christians. Enter: Zion’s Christian Soldiers by Stephen Sizer. In his book, Sizer addresses the claims of Christian Zionism and its ties to the conservative religious right. He claims,
"It is time to speak out because Christian Zionism has become a formidable and dangerous movement. By portraying the modern state of Israel as God’s chosen people on earth, the role of the church has been reduced in the eyes of many to providing moral and biblical justification for Israel’s colonization of Palestine. Those who oppose her are demonized. While not all Christian Zionists endorse the apocalyptic views of Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye, the movement as a whole is nevertheless leading the West, and the church with it, into a confrontation with Islam. Using biblical terminology to justify a pre-emptive global war against the ‘axis of evil’ merely reinforces stereotypes, fuels extremism, incites fundamentalism and increases the likelihood of nuclear war."
Sizer then spends the next six chapters delving into the details of what the Bible says about literalism, Israel, the Promised Land, Jerusalem, the temple, and Armageddon. At times, I found his arguments a bit difficult to follow (more likely due to issues in my brain, not his), and the charts slightly difficult to understand given my lack of theological training and the complexity of the topic. In spite of my own inability to understand, for those interested in examining an alternative perspective to Christian Zionism, his work is well researched, supported and organized.
As a global Christian, the issues brought up in Sizer’s book stir significant concern within. He asks difficult questions regarding US foreign policy:
• Is the way we view Israel and the church assisting or hindering God’s plan?
• Are we ‘doing justice and loving mercy’ in the Middle East, or are we exacerbating tensions?
• Are we walking in the way of peace or are we hindering reconciliation between Arabs and Israelis?
He ultimately claims that Christian Zionism is:
"an exclusive theology driving a political agenda which elevates one nation over others, rather than an inclusive theology centered on Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. In its worst forms, Christian Zionism uses the Bible to justify racial superiority, land expropriation, home demolitions, population transfer, colonial settlements, the denial of international law, and the dehumanization of Arabs. It fuels not only Islamophobia but also anti-Semitism and Islamist retaliation against Christians."
Strong statements to be sure. I’m a bit of a newbie to this discussion, so I’d love some comments on this. Sizer’s claims resonate strongly with me and strike chords of deep discomfort I’ve had all along watching US foreign policy in the Middle East. It was a relief to read a perspective which stands against to the prevailing American Christian views.
1) Its highly controversial among Christians, particularly in the US
2) I’m embarrassed by The Left Behind books
3) I’m not a theologian or eschatologist and the issues seem highly complex
However, as I continue to ponder the implications of the unquestioned support of Israel as a means of justifying war in the Middle East, I grow disturbed at the implications for global Christians. Enter: Zion’s Christian Soldiers by Stephen Sizer. In his book, Sizer addresses the claims of Christian Zionism and its ties to the conservative religious right. He claims,
"It is time to speak out because Christian Zionism has become a formidable and dangerous movement. By portraying the modern state of Israel as God’s chosen people on earth, the role of the church has been reduced in the eyes of many to providing moral and biblical justification for Israel’s colonization of Palestine. Those who oppose her are demonized. While not all Christian Zionists endorse the apocalyptic views of Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye, the movement as a whole is nevertheless leading the West, and the church with it, into a confrontation with Islam. Using biblical terminology to justify a pre-emptive global war against the ‘axis of evil’ merely reinforces stereotypes, fuels extremism, incites fundamentalism and increases the likelihood of nuclear war."
Sizer then spends the next six chapters delving into the details of what the Bible says about literalism, Israel, the Promised Land, Jerusalem, the temple, and Armageddon. At times, I found his arguments a bit difficult to follow (more likely due to issues in my brain, not his), and the charts slightly difficult to understand given my lack of theological training and the complexity of the topic. In spite of my own inability to understand, for those interested in examining an alternative perspective to Christian Zionism, his work is well researched, supported and organized.
As a global Christian, the issues brought up in Sizer’s book stir significant concern within. He asks difficult questions regarding US foreign policy:
• Is the way we view Israel and the church assisting or hindering God’s plan?
• Are we ‘doing justice and loving mercy’ in the Middle East, or are we exacerbating tensions?
• Are we walking in the way of peace or are we hindering reconciliation between Arabs and Israelis?
He ultimately claims that Christian Zionism is:
"an exclusive theology driving a political agenda which elevates one nation over others, rather than an inclusive theology centered on Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. In its worst forms, Christian Zionism uses the Bible to justify racial superiority, land expropriation, home demolitions, population transfer, colonial settlements, the denial of international law, and the dehumanization of Arabs. It fuels not only Islamophobia but also anti-Semitism and Islamist retaliation against Christians."
Strong statements to be sure. I’m a bit of a newbie to this discussion, so I’d love some comments on this. Sizer’s claims resonate strongly with me and strike chords of deep discomfort I’ve had all along watching US foreign policy in the Middle East. It was a relief to read a perspective which stands against to the prevailing American Christian views.
May 15, 2012
This is an excellent book on the all too prevalent “Christian Zionism”. This is book that bases its arguments and discussions on the bible, using the context of both the individual passage as well as the bible as a whole. Thanks to the book, I finally understand how key a belief in dispensationalism is to buy into the “Christian Zionist” position (at least if one was to accept the position based on intellectual rather than merely rhetorical arguments). I am especially happy for the book, as it provides solid biblical questions that can be used (hopefully gently) to question those who have unthinkingly bought into the “Christian Zionist” position. I fully expect that this book will not be appreciated by the Zionist lobby, and as a result will almost certainly have some bad reviews. After reading the book, I will be interested to see if those bad reviews are based on anything scriptural, or if they end up being simple character assassination.
October 24, 2016
This is one of the few much-maligned, but much-needed critiques of 'Christian Zionism' (sic). The book is very accessible, non-technical and in addition to its critique, it provides an excellent model for how to read the Scriptures.
This book clearly shows what should be so obvious - that the Scriptures, that is, the Old and New Testaments are not Zionist texts (in the modern sense of that word). Simple really! How anyone can read the New Testament, witnessing the New Testament's use of the Old Testament and think that Christian Zionism is anything but heterodox doctrine is baffling. I will go on and read Sizer's more technical work on the same subject.
This book clearly shows what should be so obvious - that the Scriptures, that is, the Old and New Testaments are not Zionist texts (in the modern sense of that word). Simple really! How anyone can read the New Testament, witnessing the New Testament's use of the Old Testament and think that Christian Zionism is anything but heterodox doctrine is baffling. I will go on and read Sizer's more technical work on the same subject.
September 18, 2012
Sizer makes the case for why he believes dispensationalists are wrong in their understanding of the Bible and covenant. As a Muslim, much of what he had to say regarding intrepretation of scripture resonated with me. His criticism of Tim LaHaye and others' reading of contemporary events into Biblical passages showed how easy it is for anyone to make scripture read one way or other when the contextual and historical context of the passage is ignored.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews