Christian Zionism: Road-Map to Armageddon?

"I wanted to congratulate you on your book ... Like yourself in one regard, I have a long history of what I call "prediction addiction" -- and its obvious flaws and failures. Your book seems to be a careful and much needed analysis of the destructive wake left by pre-millennial dispensationalism. Thank you! My particular version of dispensationalism was informed by a potent and lethal mixture of sabbatarianism and British Israelism as championed by Herbert W. Armstrong... God rescued me (and many others, thank God) from these heretical notions... What Dr. Sizer addresses is absolutely critical for Christians in North America to understand. Greg Albrecht, President of Plain Truth Ministries, and Editor-in-Chief, The Plain Truth magazine (author of Revelation Revolution & Bad News Religion). "Nearly a thousand years ago, European Crusaders tried to colonise Palestine, fuelling religious hatred and bringing the indigenous Christian community close to extinction. It is tragic, if ironic, that misguided Western Christian Zionists, by their one-sided political support for Israel, are today succeeding where the Crusaders failed. Stephen Sizer's ground-breaking new book on Christian Zionism exposes how this heretical theology is having devastating political consequences in the Middle East. It is heartbreaking to see misguided Christians identifying more with Ahaband Jezebel than with Naboth. On a daily basis we are seeing our land confiscated, our vineyards destroyed, our homes demolished, our children traumatised and our future negated for the sake of an earthly kingdom which the Lord Jesus has plainly repudiated. I commend Stephen's important and prophetic book in calling Evangelical Christians, in particular, to break the spiral of violence and hatred. Instead we must obey the teachings of the Prince of Peace who has called us to a ministry of reconciliation rather than listen to the false prophets of Armageddon whose apocalyptic message is in danger of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy." The Right Revd Riah Abu El Assal, Retired Episcopal Bishop of Jerusalem (author of Caught in Between). "I believe Stephen Sizer is one of the most authoritative scholars in the world on the vital issue of Christian Zionism. He is a very important voice speaking out against this destructive movement that is killing us [Palestinians] through its theology." Canon Naim Ateek, Founder & Director of Sabeel, Jerusalem (author of Justice and Only Justice). "I hope it will spread widely in evangelical circles and I am particularly glad that IVP have published it, thereby endorsing our judgment. [Christian Zionism] is an ultimately totally unbiblical menace." Right Revd Simon Barrington-Ward, retired Bishop of Coventry and former Principal of Crowther Hall, Selly Oak Colleges and General Secretary of the Church Mission Society. Presently Chaplain to the staff of Ridley Hall, Cambridge. (author of Love Will Out, Why God?, The Jesus Prayer and co-author of Praying the J

Timely, the best information I have read about the topic, and an excellent presentation of content!

Sizer has written a thorough and very readable overview of the Christian Zionist movement. After an introduction which defines both Zionism and Christian Zionism, the book is broken into three sections: The first explores the historical roots of Christian Zionism beginning with the "proto-Zionism" of the 1700's. I was particularly fascinated to learn about the role that the Napoleonic Wars played in the seeds of Christian Zionism. Sizer goes on to delineate the birth and development of Dispensationalism; which was initially viewed as a novel and peculiar form of eschatology but has become widespread in the U.S. over the last 200 years and has served as the springboard for the Christian Zionist movement. Sizer methodically traces the trajectory of Dispensationalism from Irving to Darby to Scofield to Lindsay (and points in-between) and does an excellent job of explaining the relationships between the various forms of Dispensationalism and Zionism. The second section of the book explores the theology behind Christian Zionism. Sizer begins by explaining the "literal futurist hermeneutic" (in other words, method of study) which is the fountainhead from which Dispensationalism/Zionism springs. I thoroughly enjoyed this section of the book as Sizer examined Zionist theological views about the relationship between the Jewish people and the Christian church, the return of Jews to Israel, the status of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the temple, etc. The third section looks at the political implications of Christian Zionism. This was the most sobering and chilling part of the book. The book ends by setting forth a series of conclusions based on the material covered in the preceding sections. Sizer's writing style is no-nonsense and free of hype. Although he is obviously a scholar and provides copious footnotes, the book is very accessable and at under 300 pages is a quick read. I am a Christian who is actively involved in ministry and have gradually come to reject the "Left Behind" Dispensational theology that trickled down to me through the 700 Club, TBN, Calvary Chapel, etc. There are so many people that I wish I could get this book into the hands of and convince them to read it with an open mind and heart. I have a fairly extensive library of Christian/theological books and this one will be located in a place where I can easily access it because I expect to be referencing it over and over again.

It was very refreshing to see that others are finally picking up on something that I have been trying to explain to people about for years. Sizer puts it in easy to understand terms and presents it very well. I will refer friends to Sizer's book now rather than try to explain these ideas to people from now on. It is so hard to get people to open their minds to these truths after they have been bombarded for so many years by the sadly unscriptural beliefs of authors like Tim Lahaye and Hal Lindsey. I thank you Stephen Sizer!

As I am writing this (1-5-06), the Rev. Pat Robertson has linked the grave disease of PM A. Sharon to the fact that Sharon tried to "divide" the Holy Land given, in Robertson's view, to the modern people of Israel exclusively. Robertson is notorious for his Christian Zionist position that believes that the Old Testament promises of land to Israel still hold today. He is a "restorationist" who believes that the year 1948, when the modern nation of Israel was established in Palestine, is a rather important date in world history. Already when Y. Rabin was assassinated, Robertson saw "God's hand" involved there too. Sizer, a student of Palestine and minister of the Church of England, does an excellent job in tracing the theological, historical, institutional, and political backgrounds of the likes of Robertson and J. Falwell. He also offers some helpful theological critique of the underlying theological views. Astonishingly, "Christian Zionists" in Britain and especially America abound, ever since its tenets were popularized by the infamous Scofield Reference Bible. This is true not just for many an Evangelical congregation; various leading 20th-century British and American politicians have been sympathetic to this type of "philo-Judaism". In fact, as Sizer shows, the existence of the state of Israel today would be unthinkable without the inspiration and support of Christian Zionists in Britain and America. All in all, Sizer's book is an important contribution to understanding the ongoing Near East conflict, as it sheds light on a area that usually does not make headline-news. Five stars are fully warranted.