In today’s religious and political climate, Christian support for Israel is often oversimplified or outright maligned by both secular critics and some within the Christian community, particularly those outside the United States, who associate it exclusively with fringe eschatological views.
By Dr. Tim Orr
In today’s religious and political climate, Christian support for Israel is often oversimplified or outright maligned by both secular critics and some within the Christian community, particularly those outside the United States, who associate it exclusively with fringe eschatological views. It’s painted as the byproduct of sensationalist end-times speculation, rooted in rapture charts and fueled by geopolitical naivety. But Christian Zionism has a richer, more profound theological heritage than its critics often acknowledge. Far from being a fringe movement, it has deep roots in Protestant thought and emerges from a commitment to take God’s Word seriously, especially His enduring promises to the people of Israel.
Rev. Dr. Mark Durie challenges the common stereotype that Christian Zionism is little more than a dispensational plot. In his lecture Israel and the Church, Durie explains that this view is historically inaccurate and theologically reductive (Durie, 2023). While dispensational theology has certainly influenced modern evangelical attitudes toward Israel, Durie points to an older, more biblically grounded tradition—a tradition exemplified by figures such as Charles Simeon, Horatius Bonar, and J.C. Ryle— a form of Christian Zionism that arose long before Darby’s timelines and Scofield’s annotations.
This older tradition wasn’t obsessed with signs of the times or timelines for Armageddon. It was born from reverence for the covenantal structure of Scripture, particularly the Abrahamic covenant that promised land, descendants, and blessing (Genesis 12:1–3). Christians who embraced this vision did so not to manipulate prophetic events but to honor God’s faithfulness. In the Jewish return to the land, they saw a confirmation of divine integrity, not a trigger for the rapture. Durie’s invitation is simple yet profound: recover a vision of Israel grounded in biblical theology, not just future events, but God’s covenantal character.
The idea that God’s covenant with Israel is still in effect is not a novelty of 20th-century American fundamentalism. It has deep roots in the Protestant tradition, especially among English evangelicals of the 19th century. These believers, shaped by the Reformation’s return to Scripture, saw the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as still active and irrevocable. Unlike some of their predecessors, they began to interpret prophecy not merely allegorically but literally, taking seriously the land promises and national identity of Israel.
Durie points to the historical work of Anita Shapira, a prominent Jewish historian whose perspective is particularly noteworthy because it highlights how early support for Jewish restoration came from Christian circles rather than Jewish ones, who observes that the idea of Jewish national restoration first emerged not in Jewish circles but among Evangelical Protestants in England during the 1840s (Durie, 2023, 1:00–1:10). These Christians weren’t motivated by eschatological speculation but by a deep commitment to the biblical covenants. They believed God’s promises were trustworthy, and if He had covenanted with Abraham that his descendants would return to the land, then that promise still held weight. For them, supporting Jewish restoration wasn’t about forecasting the apocalypse—it was about affirming the reliability of God’s Word.
This view aligns with Paul’s teaching in Romans 11:28–29, where he writes, "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” The Protestant commitment to sola scriptura made such passages impossible to ignore. When read in light of the entire biblical narrative, these Christians came to believe that Israel's restoration was not just a political issue but a theological one. The land mattered because the God who made the promise had not changed, and His purposes for Israel had not been nullified. Today, this covenantal view challenges both political Zionism devoid of faith and theological systems that erase Israel altogether.
In contrast to the headline-driven hysteria that often plagues modern evangelical eschatology, Durie advocates for “humble watchfulness.” He encourages believers to be attentive to the signs of the times, but without arrogantly trying to decode every global event as a fulfillment of prophecy. For Durie, eschatological realism is marked by readiness and reverence, not rigidity or spectacle (Durie, 2023, 4:00–4:30).
This perspective reflects the biblical tension between imminence and mystery. Jesus taught His disciples to live in anticipation of His return and warned against presumptuously predicting the day or hour (Matthew 24:36). Christian history is littered with failed prophecies and date-setting schemes, many of which have discredited faithful witness. Durie’s call to watchfulness avoids these errors by reminding us that our hope is not in timelines but in a Person—Christ Himself.
Moreover, this posture cultivates a spirit of love and discernment toward the Jewish people and the modern state of Israel. Supporting Israel does not require uncritical nationalism or eschatological rigidity. It requires recognizing that something significant is unfolding in history that echoes the prophetic contours of Scripture. In other words, we can love Israel and await Christ’s return without forcing the hand of prophecy. This is a balanced, theologically mature path forward.
To embrace covenantal Christian Zionism is to confront the long and tragic legacy of replacement theology, also known as supersessionism. This doctrine asserts that the Church has replaced Israel as the true people of God and that the promises made to the Jewish people in the Old Testament have now been transferred—exclusively and permanently—to the Church. Durie identifies this as a root error that continues to distort Christian thinking about Israel (Durie, 2023, 16:10–16:40).
Replacement theology not only reinterprets the promises of God but also calls into question His very character. If God can revoke His covenant with Israel, what assurance do believers have that He won’t also revoke His promises to the Church? Supersessionism, despite being framed within covenant theology, ultimately undermines the faithfulness it claims to defend. While some theologians have attempted to reform supersessionist models—emphasizing continuity with Israel or advocating for a more inclusive ecclesiology—Mark Durie argues that such efforts often fail to recognize the enduring theological significance of ethnic Israel. Moreover, supersessionism erases the Jewish identity of Jesus, the apostles, and the early Church, severing Christianity from its biblical roots. The spiritual consequences have been profound, contributing to centuries of antisemitism, including pogroms and, most tragically, widespread Christian silence during the Holocaust.
The apostle Paul vehemently rejects this idea in Romans 11: “Did God reject his people? By no means!” (v. 1). Instead, he presents a vision of grafting, where Gentile believers are incorporated into Israel’s story, not as replacements, but as partners in the promise. The olive tree analogy (Romans 11:17–24) underscores the continuity of God's redemptive plan. The Church doesn’t cancel Israel—it joins Israel in receiving the Messiah. Properly understanding of this relationship restores humility, deepens gratitude, and resists the arrogant triumphalism that replacement theology fosters.
These theological conversations are not academic luxuries—they have real-world consequences. In an age of resurgent antisemitism and increasing division within the global Church, how Christians think about Israel affects how they engage with Jews, Muslims, secular culture, and even their theology. A covenantal approach to Israel provides a framework for truthful witness and principled love, without compromising.
Durie’s insights are especially relevant for younger Christians grappling with concerns about justice, human rights, and the lingering impact of colonialism—issues often raised in discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Younger believers can navigate these questions by engaging with a covenantal framework without abandoning Scripture's theological witness to God's ongoing purposes for Israel. Wrestling with questions about justice, nationalism, and the legacy of colonialism. Many have been taught that to support Israel is to align with oppression. But when we strip away the geopolitical rhetoric and return to Scripture, we find a far more complex and beautiful story. We find a God who keeps His promises across generations—even when His people are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). To affirm that Israel still matters in God’s redemptive plan is to proclaim that God is not finished with the world.
Supporting Israel does not mean idolizing the nation or ignoring Palestinian suffering. It means recognizing that God's plan for Israel remains active—that His covenant is not obsolete, but unfolding. As Durie explains, “The return of the Jews to their land is not a blank check—but it is also not something we can theologically ignore” (Durie, 2023, 11:20–11:40). Christians, then, are called to walk in tension: to love both Jews and Arabs, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and to bear witness to the God who is faithful to every promise He makes.
Mark Durie’s lecture is not merely a theological corrective—it’s a prophetic call to recover the integrity of Christian witness. In a time when Christians are often tempted to choose between truth and love, Durie reminds us that biblical love depends on biblical truth. We cannot love the Jewish people if we erase their story from God’s purposes. Nor can we bear witness to the gospel if we ignore the very people through whom the gospel came.
Christian Zionism, when grounded in covenant rather than crisis, becomes a powerful expression of God’s character. It affirms that history is not random, that promises matter, and that God’s love spans millennia. It calls us to humility, vigilance, and compassion—not only for Israel, but for all nations. And it points us forward—to the day when the Messiah returns, and Jew and Gentile together rejoice in fulfilling every promise made.
Let us be the kind of Christians who love Israel not out of fear, fantasy, or politics, but out of reverence for the God who keeps His Word. Let us be people of covenant, hope, and gospel clarity in an age of confusion.
Durie, M. (2023). Israel and the Church [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wvCrK9szzE&t=1294s
Shapira, A. (1992). Land and Power: The Zionist Resort to Force, 1881–1948. Oxford University Press.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2001). Crossway Bibles. (Genesis 12:1–3; Romans 11:1, 17–29; Matthew 24:36; 2 Timothy 2:13)
Soulen, R. K. (1996). The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Fortress Press.
Wright, N. T. (2013). Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Fortress Press
Tim serves full-time with Crescent Project as the assistant director of the internship program and area coordinator, where he is also deeply involved in outreach across the UK. A scholar of Islam, Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant, Tim brings over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six academic degrees, including a Doctor of Ministry from Liberty University and a Master’s in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College in London.
In addition to his ministry work, Tim is a research associate with the Congregations and Polarization Project at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. His research interests include Islamic antisemitism, American Evangelicalism, and Islamic feminism. He has spoken at leading universities and mosques throughout the UK—including Oxford University, Imperial College London, and the University of Tehran—and has published widely in peer-reviewed Islamic academic journals. Tim is also the author of four books.