CUFI and Two Vastly Different Theologies

by Jonathan Kuttab

This week, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) held their annual conference in Washington, D.C. and then proceeded to Capitol Hill to lobby congress for more weapons and support for Israel. CUFI claims to represent over 10 million evangelical Christians who fully support the state of Israel and act as a lobby on its behalf.

CUFI was confronted by a broad interfaith coalition of organizations and individuals working together as the Interfaith Action for Palestine. FONSA was incredibly proud to help sponsor this event, by helping raise awareness, contributing financially, and sharing resources with coalition organizers. Numerous FOSNA members were in attendance alongside other partners and friends in the movement. They protested the CUFI Convention and disrupted their activities, even peacefully blocking their busses going to the Capitpl, with a clear message that CUFI theology is toxic, antisemitic, un-Christian, and has resulted in death, destruction, and genocide in Gaza.

I am sure there were some well-meaning Christians among the CUFI attendees, who felt they were doing God’s will—that supporting, giving to, and lobbying for Israel was their Christian duty. Others might argue that these protests will never change the minds and hearts of any CUFI participants; rather than causing them to rethink their theology, it would merely confirm their views and make them feel attacked and oppressed. Yet, there is no doubt in my mind that the theology perpetuated by John Hagee, his Christian Zionism, is heretical and harmful. Attempts to weaponize this theology and turn it into political activism on behalf of Israel is an evil that should be confronted and challenged. Ultimately, the issue is not about whether a theology is pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian, but whether it reflects the values of the Kingdom or not.

At the heart of the problem is the question of what Jesus would have us do concerning current realities in Palestine/Israel, which Christians feel compelled to address. This is important, since many Christians, particularly evangelicals, automatically and uncritically hold views very similar to CUFI, seldom stopping to examine these beliefs. What CUFI does is cynically translate those attitudes into political power wielded in Washington on behalf of Israel, where support for even the most outrageous policies is viewed as a path to receive God’s blessings. It translates its theology into votes, military support, and bombs that kill.

CUFI supporters, as do many Christian Zionists, adhere to a theological system that promotes the idea that the modern state of Israel is somehow an extension of the Israelites read about in the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament. Modern Israelis, the thinking goes, are God’s chosen people and that God giving them the land to rule and have dominion over is part of God’s plan for the End Times. Furthermore, they believe that it is the duty of Christians to support the state of Israel as it seeks full control over the land. They interpret God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22, “I will bless those who bless thee and curse those who curse thee. Through your seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed,” as referring to modern nations that support (or oppose) the current state of Israel. As such, CUFI supports Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, opposes Palestinian human rights, and favors sending more and more weapons to Israel. They also believe that such actions are in line with, and perhaps might even speed up, the second coming of Jesus and the battle of Armageddon. Not only do their theological speculations trump traditional Christian beliefs, responsible exegesis, and morality but also international law, basic humanity, and even logic.

Sabeel, along with many other Christians, oppose CUFI and its destructive theologies, considering such teachings to be heretical, dangerous, and the very opposite of the teachings of Christ. They recognize that the modern-day state of Israel is quite different from the Israel of the Bible and that Christ’’ teachings provide an entirely different interpretation and reading of Old Testament promises, promises already largely fulfilled in Christ. The “seed of Abraham” mentioned above, according to Galatians 3:16, is Jesus Christ himself. God’s blessing of and promises to Abraham belong to the followers of Christ, whose message of salvation is now open to all people. Time and again, the New Testament advances the notion that faith, not ethnic lineage or genetic purity, is the chief determiner who can be called “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29)—and that the whole earth is the province of God’s reign, of his activity and concern. As one banner from this week reads: “All Land Is Holy.”

When it comes to Israel/Palestine, the consequences of these theologies is very clear:

To begin, and in contrast to Christ’s message of love and peace (which Sabeel, the Mennonites, Quakers, and other Christians translate into a commitment to nonviolence and opposition to war), CUFI proudly advances a view that glorifies war and destruction in the name of God. Their eschatology is based on an understanding of Armageddon whereby the vast majority of Jews who are gathered in Israel will be killed, while only a remnant who accept Christ and convert will be spared. To be “anxious for Armageddon,” as one book puts it, is horrific enough as fictitious speculation, but when talking about the real possibility of nuclear war and an excessively militarized Middle East, where people are dying on a daily basis, it is hardly something Christians should cheer for. For that reason alone, followers of Christ should reject and repudiate CUFI and its theology of death.

CUFI’s theology also misappropriates the worst elements from Old Testament passages, while ignoring legal and ethical requirements and prophetic exhortations to justice. It resurrects principles of “divinely chosen people,” territorial sovereignty, and land acquisition, all concepts thoroughly repudiated by Christ himself: who proclaimed his salvation open to all (John 3:16); who said, “My Kingdom is not of this world”; and, who resisted those who tried to see his messianic message as one of earthly power and domination.

As followers of Christ, we should model and reflect God’s love for all humanity and reject theologies which justify particularism, racism, domination, and the worship of power. It is not an accident that those who favor CUFI’s message tend to also support Christian Nationalism and other xenophobic views. They may support the right-wing policies of Israel, but they do not love Jewish people.

In applying their Christian Zionist theology to Israel/Palestine, CUFI has nothing good to say to Palestinians. In fact, they appear gleeful at their suffering and distress. A proper Christian response would show sympathy, empathy, and care for all God’s children. It would even temper its demands of justice for Palestinians with genuine care for Jewish people and their welfare. In fact, those calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for a just peace generally point out that peace, not war, is ultimately in the interest of Israeli Jews as well. 

While people of good will from all religions and none yearn for peace, justice, and coexistence in the Middle East, as well as throughout the world, CUFI welcomes conflict and war as a sign that the End Times and the Second Coming of Christ are approaching.

In my own experience, most Christian Zionists are woefully ignorant both of the political realities in Palestine/Israel and of authentic Christian teachings. They are fed by televangelists, talk radio, and bombastic speakers with a select number of cherry-picked biblical texts, taken out of context, and a fantastical view of the end of the world. They are then used as political agitators for the modern state of Israel. A serious theological and biblical conversation, as well as exposure to the realities of Palestinian life and an encounter with Palestinian Christians can sometimes lead to dramatic changes in their views. CUFI only thrives when its followers remain ignorant of both Christian doctrines and the realities on the ground. 

FOSNA attempts not only to challenge the toxic theologies of CUFI but also to loosen its grip on much of the discussion surrounding Palestine/Israel in Christian churches (often evangelical, but not exclusively so). Working with other partners like the Bethlehem Bible College, Rev. Munther Isaac, Christ at the Checkpoint Conferences, Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East, the forthcoming Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ), and others, we not only offer a challenge and a more authentic theological alternative but also the possibility of transformation for many who have only been exposed to the toxic theology of groups like CUFI.