Christian Zionism In The News
Some Evangelical Christians Equate Ancient Israel with the Israel of Today, While Others Reject This View
July 1, 2021
Modern Jerusalem looks very different from Biblical Jerusalem. Photo: Royce Glance
Some evangelical Christians, as well as Jews, apply literal interpretation of Old Testament texts to the modern state of Israel. They utilize their Biblical literalism in order to support a claim that Jerusalem is the "eternal capital" of modern Israel. By contrast, other evangelical Christians, including a highly respected scholar, refuse to equate the ancient Israel of the Bible with the Israel of today, thus invalidating the Christian Zionist rationale for President Trump's relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
An article citing these opposing views, written by Tom Gjelten, was published on the National Public Radio (NPR) website. Gjelten, a journalist employed by National Public Radio for 38 years, retired in April 2021. He had been NPR's Religion correspondent for six years. In an interview published on the NPR website, he remarked that in reporting on religion, an important goal of his has been to "become more attentive to people of faith, more respectful of all those people who take their faith and believe seriously."
To view Gjelten’s article (click here): Evangelical Christians hold opposing views on Jerusalem.