The Christian Zionist movement mobilizes Christians in the U.S. and abroad to build support for an authoritarian agenda.
BEN LORBER; benjaminlorber@gmail.com
Lorber is a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates (PRA), focusing on white nationalism and antisemitism while monitoring right-wing movements and threats to democracy.
Lorber told the Institute for Public Accuracy: “A lot has changed since October 7, but Christian Zionists have only supercharged their agenda. The Israeli government is worried about losing support around the world, and polling has shown there is dropping support among some constituencies––including evangelicals and conservatives. Christian Zionists have been working overtime to shore up support. They have organized solidarity trips and fundraisers for Israel. They are lobbying on efforts to suppress political speech and freedom. They are lobbying for war with Iran, which is a longstanding policy goal of theirs. And they are lobbying for unfettered U.S. military aid to Israel. This is a continuation of the policies they’ve pushed for a long time––but they’re doubling down.
“The biggest Christian Zionist group is Christians United for Israel,” which has a membership of more than 10 million––“bigger than the American Jewish population. Christian Zionists have networks of organizations in the U.S. and globally, and work through established churches. After October 7, a Christian Zionist [group] organized sign-on letters in major church denominations, including in the Latinx community, that claimed to represent thousands of churches… They work through these established networks of the Christian right.
“Christian Zionism has been on our radar for years. [PRA] has a longstanding focus on the Christian right and Christian nationalism, and Christian Zionism is part of that. It represents a global threat to democracy and is one of the strongest forces propping up U.S. support for Israel, as well as global support for Israel among hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide. [PRA] seeks to urge progressives to counter Christian Zionism and to connect the movement to the Christian right’s attacks on reproductive choice, LGBTQ rights, religious freedom, and democracy.
“It’s important to highlight that [Christian Zionists] are not friends of the Jews. Christian Zionism professes a deep love for Israel grounded in their understanding of the Bible and Christianity. But many of their leaders and followers think of this in apocalyptic terms: supporting the far right government of Israel and its maximalist agenda is a prerequisite for bringing about the End Times… It’s an instrumentalization of Jews in support of Israel.”
PRA researches the Christian Zionist movement’s main actors and policy agendas, including the way they organize, build connections, and are heavily networked across the MAGA movement. PRA also works with partners on the ground, including with the newly founded initiative Christians for a Free Palestine, which has emerged as a grassroots Christian voice advocating for peace and demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Christians for a Free Palestine was present protesting the Christians United For Israel summit this past June and July. Other groups involved in the effort included If Not Now, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Mennonite Action.