Publisher Description

A critical examination of political Zionism, a topic often considered taboo in the West, is long overdue. The discussion of Christian Zionism is usually confined to evangelical and fundamentalist settings. The present volume will break the silence currently reigning in many religious, political, and academic circles and, in so doing, will provoke and inspire a new, challenging conversation on theological and ethical issues arising from various aspects of Zionism - a conversation that is vital to the quest for a just peace in Israel and Palestine. The eleven authors offer a rich diversity of religious faith, academic research, and practical experience, as they represent all three Abrahamic faiths and five different Christian traditions. Among the many themes that run through Zionism and the Quest for Justice in the Holy Land is the contrast between exclusivist narratives, both biblical and political, and the more inclusive narratives of the prophetic Scriptures, which provide the theological foundation and the moral imperative for human liberation. Readers will be drawn into a compelling, readable, and stimulating series of essays that tackle many of the complex issues that still confound clergy, politicians, diplomats, and academic experts.

Author Biography

Donald E. Wagner is the National Program Director of Friends of Sabeel: North America.Walter T. Davis is co-chair of the education committee of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and Professor (emeritus) of the Sociology of Religion at San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsList of ContributorsForeword by Walter BrueggemannIntroduction: A Call for a New Conversation on Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel -Donald E. Wagner and Walter T. DavisIntroduction to Chapters One and Two -Walter T. Davis and Pauline CoffmanChapter One. Political Zionism from Herzl (1890s) to Ben-Gurion (1960s) -Walter T. Davis and Pauline CoffmanChapter Two. From 1967 to the Present - The Triumph of Revisionist Zionism -Walter T. Davis and Pauline CoffmanChapter Three. Rising to the Challenge: A Jewish Theology of Liberation -Brant RosenChapter Four. Eastern Orthodox Perspectives on Zionism and Christian Zionism: Voices from the Ancient Church, from Modern America, and from the Middle East Today -Carole Monica BurnettChapter Five.The Vatican, Zionism, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict -Rosemary and Herman RuetherChapter Six. The Mainline Protestant Churches and the Holy Land -Donald E. WagnerChapter Seven. Evangelicals and Christian Zionism -Gary M. BurgeChapter Eight. Zionism: A Different Memory -Mustafa Abu SwayChapter Nine. A Concluding Theological Postscript -Naim S. AteekAppendix OneKairos Palestine: A Word of Faith, Hope, and Love from the Heart of Palestinian SufferingAppendix TwoRecovering from Zionism: Restoring the Church's Identity -Mark BravermanPermissions

Review

'It is an angry book: horrified at what Israel has been doing, but also infuriated at other Christians' unwillingness to censure it [...] It includes chapters representing a broad swath of theological opinion - including a liberal rabbi, a Palestinian Muslim, and Roman Catholic and Orthodox writers, as well as a succession of American Protestants.'- William Whyte, Church Times, 29th May 2015'Although there is a great diversity of approach, the style is accessible and welcoming even to those who are attempting to understand the conflict for the first time.'- Mary Grey, Modern Believing, 56.3, July 2015'[Christians] have ignored the suffering of the Palestinian people - and this volume is a powerful cry to stop.... The essays are very clearly written and an excellent introduction to the topic.... This book should be required reading for all who are concerned with the Middle East, and especially for those who... start with an instinctive sympathy for Israel. Collectively, the essays present a withering indictment of that State - not only of particular military actions or political decisions taken in its defense, but of its very foundations.'- Peter Waddell, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Volume 24 Issue 4, October 2017

Review Text

'It is an angry book: horrified at what Israel has been doing, but also infuriated at other Christians' unwillingness to censure it [...] It includes chapters representing a broad swath of theological opinion - including a liberal rabbi, a Palestinian Muslim, and Roman Catholic and Orthodox writers, as well as a succession of American Protestants.'- William Whyte, Church Times, 29th May 2015'Although there is a great diversity of approach, the style is accessible and welcoming even to those who are attempting to understand the conflict for the first time.'- Mary Grey, Modern Believing, 56.3, July 2015'[Christians] have ignored the suffering of the Palestinian people - and this volume is a powerful cry to stop.... The essays are very clearly written and an excellent introduction to the topic.... This book should be required reading for all who are concerned with the Middle East, and especially for those who... start with an instinctive sympathy for Israel. Collectively, the essays present a withering indictment of that State - not only of particular military actions or political decisions taken in its defense, but of its very foundations.'- Peter Waddell, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Volume 24 Issue 4, October 2017

Review Quote

It is an angry book: horrified at what Israel has been doing, but also infuriated at other Christians' unwillingness to censure it [...] It includes chapters representing a broad swath of theological opinion - including a liberal rabbi, a Palestinian Muslim, and Roman Catholic and Orthodox writers, as well as a succession of American Protestants.

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