A Short History of Christian Zionism: From the Reformation to the Twenty-First Century

by Donald M. Lewis

Overview

Top World Guild Award Winner

This book is about an idea—namely, that Scripture mandates a Jewish return to the historical region of Palestine—which in turn morphed into a political movement, rallied around a popular slogan ("A country without a nation for a nation without a country"), and eventually contributed to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Christian Zionism continues to influence global politics, especially U.S. foreign policy, and has deeply affected Jewish–Christian and Muslim–Christian relations.

Donald M. Lewis seeks to provide a fair-minded, longitudinal study of this dynamic yet controversial movement as he traces its lineage from biblical sources through the Reformation to various movements of today. He explores Christian Zionism's interaction with other movements, forces, and discourses, especially in eschatological and political thought, and why it is now flourishing beyond the English-speaking world. Throughout he demonstrates how it has helped British and American Protestants frame and shape their identity.

A Short History of Christian Zionism seeks to bring clarity and context to often-heated discussions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830846979
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	08/31/2021
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Donald M. Lewis is professor of church history at Regent College, Vancouver, Canada. His published works include the two-volume Blackwell Dictionary of Evangelical Biography, 1730-1860, which he edited, and The Origins of Christian Zionism. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 From the Early Church to the Reformation 17

2 Geneva and the Jews: Tectonic Shifts in the Landscape of Jewish-Christian Relations 44

3 English Puritanism and the Jews 57

4 The German Pietists and the Jews: Philo-Semitism and the New Evangelistic Imperative 78

5 Restorationism in America: From the Early American Puritans to the American Revolution 86

6 The Jews and Nineteenth-Century British Evangelicalism: Restorationism Morphs into Christian Zionism 92

7 Preparing the Ground for the Balfour Declaration 118

8 Restorationism and Christian Zionism in America from the Revolution to 1914 132

9 The Balfour Declaration of 1917 164

10 American Christian Zionism from 1914 to 1948: World War I and the Vindication of Premillennialism 186

11 Christian Zionism and Developments in Palestine: From the Balfour Declaration to Israeli Independence 216

12 American Christian Zionism Since 1948 243

13 American Christian Zionist Activities and Organizations 289

14 Christian Zionism in Renewalist and Global Movements 316

15 Christian Zionism Today: A "New" Christian Zionism 344

General Index 363

Scripture Index 373

What People are Saying About This

Yaakov Ariel

"Donald M. Lewis has done a heroic work in exploring the history of Christian Zionism from its inception in the Reformation era until our times. The book is, to date, the most comprehensive and thorough study of the topic and offers an excellent overview of a highly important religious and political movement. The book is a must-read for anyone taking interest in Christian messianic beliefs and their impact on mission, diplomacy, and interfaith relations."

Bruce Waltke

"In this short history of Christian Zionism, Professor Lewis has given to the church a rich treasure. The history of the belief that 'the Jewish people have a biblically mandated claim to their ancient homeland in the Middle East' is complicated, convoluted, and controversial. Nevertheless, in this well-researched (i.e., thorough), well-reasoned (i.e., unbiased), and well-written book (i.e., with clarity) Lewis successfully traces the many threads that make up the tapestry of this evolving, theologically driven, political movement. It should be a must-read. This is so because Christian Zionism shapes the identity of the church and its mission, impacts international politics, and gives to many their meaning in history."

Daniel G. Hummel

"This comprehensive history of Christian Zionism will help every reader get a handle on its complex theological and historical dimensions. Donald Lewis's scope is impressive, as is the care he uses to address highly contentious debates, many of which have spanned centuries."

Paul Freston

"Donald Lewis's A Short History of Christian Zionism is in fact a wide-ranging account of this important phenomenon. While the topic is highly controversial, Lewis's tone is academic and irenic, seeking to understand and analyze, not polemicize. The importance of understanding evolving Christian attitudes toward Israel and Palestine could hardly be greater; the contemporary conflict has large geopolitical implications, is one of the chief factors in global instability, and represents an ongoing, unresolved dilemma of the Christian tradition."

David Bebbington

"Christian Zionism is the conviction that the Jewish people have a biblically sanctioned claim to a homeland in Palestine. Donald M. Lewis traces the convoluted history of this belief, pointing out its antecedents in post-Reformation thought, its development by nineteenth-century evangelicals with Lord Shaftesbury at their head, and its subsequent flowering in modified dispensationalist teaching. Lewis insists that while Christian Zionism has become a powerful bulwark of the state of Israel, its theological basis is still shifting under the influence of global charismatic renewal. He is a fair-minded and sure-footed guide through the intricacies of prophetic belief and international politics."

Editorial Reviews

07/26/2021

Lewis (The Origins of Christian Zionism), professor of church history at Regent College in Vancouver, provides a useful summary of the history of “a Christian movement which holds to the belief that the Jewish people have a biblically mandated claim to their ancient homeland in the Middle East.” He traces its origins to developments in Christianity that preceded the beginnings of the Zionist movement in the late 19th century. In doing so, Lewis more than meets his stated goal of enabling lay readers to “understand the movement’s lineage, and how and why it has developed as it has.” In 16th-century Europe, restorationism—the belief that the Jews would be physically restored to their homeland after they converted en mass to Christianity—emerged, becoming prominent enough that it “began to shape English national identity.” Restorationism spread to colonial America, and Lewis walks readers through the ways that Christian Zionism developed in North America over the last four centuries. Unfortunately, Lewis never satisfactorily addresses American Jewish concerns that evangelical support for Israel could be motivated by restorationist beliefs that all Jews covert to Christianity. Despite this, Lewis usefully teases out the origins of Christian Zionism for anyone looking to understand the highly influential movement. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Donald Lewis's A Short History of Christian Zionism is in fact a wide-ranging account of this important phenomenon. While the topic is highly controversial, Lewis's tone is academic and irenic, seeking to understand and analyze, not polemicize. The importance of understanding evolving Christian attitudes toward Israel and Palestine could hardly be greater; the contemporary conflict has large geopolitical implications, is one of the chief factors in global instability, and represents an ongoing, unresolved dilemma of the Christian tradition."

Paul Freston

"Donald M. Lewis has done a heroic work in exploring the history of Christian Zionism from its inception in the Reformation era until our times. The book is, to date, the most comprehensive and thorough study of the topic and offers an excellent overview of a highly important religious and political movement. The book is a must-read for anyone taking interest in Christian messianic beliefs and their impact on mission, diplomacy, and interfaith relations."

Yaakov Ariel

"In this short history of Christian Zionism, Professor Lewis has given to the church a rich treasure. The history of the belief that 'the Jewish people have a biblically mandated claim to their ancient homeland in the Middle East' is complicated, convoluted, and controversial. Nevertheless, in this well-researched (i.e., thorough), well-reasoned (i.e., unbiased), and well-written book (i.e., with clarity) Lewis successfully traces the many threads that make up the tapestry of this evolving, theologically driven, political movement. It should be a must-read. This is so because Christian Zionism shapes the identity of the church and its mission, impacts international politics, and gives to many their meaning in history."

Bruce Waltke

"This comprehensive history of Christian Zionism will help every reader get a handle on its complex theological and historical dimensions. Donald Lewis's scope is impressive, as is the care he uses to address highly contentious debates, many of which have spanned centuries."

Daniel G. Hummel

"Christian Zionism is the conviction that the Jewish people have a biblically sanctioned claim to a homeland in Palestine. Donald M. Lewis traces the convoluted history of this belief, pointing out its antecedents in post-Reformation thought, its development by nineteenth-century evangelicals with Lord Shaftesbury at their head, and its subsequent flowering in modified dispensationalist teaching. Lewis insists that while Christian Zionism has become a powerful bulwark of the state of Israel, its theological basis is still shifting under the influence of global charismatic renewal. He is a fair-minded and sure-footed guide through the intricacies of prophetic belief and international politics."

David Bebbington

"Donald Lewis's A Short History of Christian Zionism is in fact a wide-ranging account of this important phenomenon. While the topic is highly controversial, Lewis's tone is academic and irenic, seeking to understand and analyze, not polemicize. The importance of understanding evolving Christian attitudes toward Israel and Palestine could hardly be greater; the contemporary conflict has large geopolitical implications, is one of the chief factors in global instability, and represents an ongoing, unresolved dilemma of the Christian tradition."

--Paul Freston, professor of religion and politics in global context at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada

From the Publisher