History of Christian-American Zionism

Foreign Affairs ( July/August 2008 ) has a good article outlining the history of Christian American support for Zionism.

Many of the reasons for the support are religious, of course. One of the religious reasons stems from the “mythic understanding of the United States’ nature and destiny”:

“As the ancient Hebrews did, many Americans today believe that they bear a revelation that is ultimately not just for them but also for the whole world; they have often considered themselves God’s new Israel. One of the many consequences of this presumed kinship is that many Americans think it is both right and proper for one chosen people to support another. They are not disturbed when the United States’ support of Israel, a people and a state often isolated and ostracized, makes the United States unpopular or creates other problems. The United States’ adoption of the role of protector of Israel and friend of the Jews is a way of legitimizing its own status as a country called to a unique destiny by God.”

There are plenty of other explanations given in this well-balanced article, but I found that one interesting, and compelling – amongst others.

I spotted this on John Hobbins’ Ancient Hebrew Poetry.