christian zionist views are like a spider’s web

Well, there is a paper before me that I currently do not want to write, so here I am! Why do I not want to write papers, you ask? It generally comes down to one of three things: a) I think the topic is stupid and fluffy, so fluffy that I cannot possibly manufacture anything to say about it. b) I think the topic is quite important, and that I cannot possibly write anything that will do it justice, so why bother? c) I’m lazy, or maybe just tired of working. Tonight it’s somewhere between (b) and (c). This picture, in a more enlarged state, will perhaps illustrate why I feel that I cannot do it justice.

A person could claim that:

- the Abrahamic covenant is still valid and so the land belongs to Israel

- but then turn to Deuteronomy and say that the Jews aren’t actually exercising their God-given right to the land, because they are currently in disobedience

- but then acknowledge that 1948 was a partial fulfillment of prophecy anyway

- but since Israel doesn’t have its biblical borders yet, there’s no reason they can’t give up land

- and then make some scary claims about what the Palestinians actually want to do to Israel

- but then assert that Israel has a moral obligation to seek peace even with people who probably want to destroy them

- but then turn around and denounce Obama’s current policy because America is pressuring Israel to do something it doesn’t really want to do, and we shouldn’t do that.

And this hypothetical person is actually not contradicting himself. Nor does his logic address all the possible considerations that Christian Zionists can take into account. It’s all just very complex, kind of like a spider’s web (minus the spider) that has about a thousand possible paths to the middle. And my job in this paper is to explain the web. It’s a little daunting.

[Also, if the web analogy was lost on you, don't feel bad. My professor didn't really go for it either. Just know that Christian Zionism is way more complex than people give it credit for, and I don't want to write about it right now.]

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~ by Jess on August 6, 2011.