The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism

New Book on Supercessionism:

King’s Evangelical Divinity School Principal Calvin L. Smith has edited a new book entitled The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism: Resources for Christians, which is due out imminently. Additional contributions include Andy Cheung, Tony Pearce, Jacob Prasch, Howard Taylor, Stephen Vantassel and Paul Wilkinson. There is also a foreword by Mitch Glaser (formerly Jews for Jesus and now President, Chosen People Ministries, New York) and a preface by Mark S. Sweetnam, Research Fellow at Trinity College, Dublin. The book has been endorsed by leading Evangelical scholars such as Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Darrell Bock, Robert L. Thomas and Amos Yong, among others. King’s Talks With Scholars has an interview with Calvin on the main college site, where you can find out further information about the new book. There is also a new website for the book, which is www.thechurchandisrael.com


Book Introduction

By Calvin L. Smith

There are, of course, many Christians who regard Israel as a peripheral issue, even an irritating distraction, not least because getting to theological grips with this complex topic is costly both in time and the effort needed to reach a well-informed and biblically sustainable conclusion. I would agree Israel is not a test of orthodoxy; after all, we are saved through faith in Christ, not because we believe the Jews are God’s chosen people. But as the above Scriptures indicate, neither is Israel a peripheral issue. It already divides the church along hermeneutical (biblical interpretation), systematic theology and practical theology lines. Moreover, as the current debate, which is beginning to trickle down to the church level, becomes increasingly polarised and bitter, inevitably this will push Israel up the theological ladder. For example, recently I came across anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian pamphlets being widely disseminated across a well-known, historic and traditionally conservative denomination.

Much more significant (and ominous) is how the issue of Israel has become a touch paper – how it is symptomatic – of a wider ideological conflict which appears to be brewing within Evangelicalism, certainly here in the United Kingdom but elsewhere too. It mirrors the debate currently being played out in British society concerning how to respond to Islam. Arguably, several of the more vocal and polemical supercessionists have crossed that line which separates legitimate criticism of Israel from an irrational, pathological hatred of the country. Such demonisation of the Jewish state, which comes perilously close to anti-Semitism, goes hand in hand with efforts by such to engage not only in Muslim-Christian dialogue, but also to promote a less confrontational and more sympathetic approach to Islam. In some cases, such an approach includes visits to Islamic centres, attending and speaking at meetings organised by Palestinian solidarity groups, and even visits to rogue Islamic states such as Iran, where these platforms are used to criticise Christians who support Israel and believe the Jews remain God’s chosen people. Even Christians who do not openly support Israel but are nonetheless critical of Islam and what they perceive as an Islamist threat to Britain and the West are being singled out for criticism. A case in point is the recent situation involving Patrick Sookhdeo, a former Muslim convert to Christianity who leads the Barnabas Fund, a charity which speaks out on behalf of persecuted Christians worldwide, including those in Muslim lands. It appears he was recently criticised by some Christians who advocate a gentler, less confrontational approach to Islam, the result of which drew Sookhdeo to the attention of extremist Islamist bloggers. The issue has since been widely reported in the press, several blogs, and on the Barnabas Fund website.(1) Significantly, at least one of the Christians present at the meeting which allegedly criticised Sookhdeo’s frank assessment of Islam is a well-known supercessionist who is highly critical of Israel and Christian Zionism. Thus we see how the Israel issue is increasingly symptomatic of a wider ideological struggle within British Evangelicalism. As such, it cannot be relegated to the periphery as an insignificant theological topic...Continue reading


Another great resource is Dr Renald Showers' The Coming Apocalypse: A study of Replacement Theology vs. God's Faithfulness in the End-Times

Here's a review by Gary Gilley:

In the Western world at least, in which racism is one of the few forbidden sins, the recent rise in anti-Semitism is perplexing. How can civilized, educated, tolerant and pluralistic people despise a race of people solely because of their ethical lineage? But for those who understand the biblical teaching concerning Israel there is no surprise. Unfortunately due to myriad of reasons from biblical illiteracy, to the popularity of Replacement Theology, to lack of interest in prophetic teaching, to an unwillingness to wade through massive tomes on the subject, the average Christian has little understanding of Israel’s past, present or future...Continue Reading


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The Pathology of Jewish Anti-Semitism

From FrontPageMag:

Jewish anti-Semitism. It sounds like a contradiction in terms, an oxymoron or a Jackie Mason joke. If only this were the case.

Jewish anti-Semitism is all around us, part of the political air we breathe, a modern disease. In the twenty-first century the world is experiencing an explosion of it, a virtual plague. Among the most malicious and venomous of all bigots, the Jewish anti-Semites are at the forefront of every smear campaign against Israel and every attempt to cow Jews of America and the West into guilty support for those in the Middle East who would like to annihilate them. Jews today are leaders in the campaigns to boycott and “divest from” Israel, and in the leadership of the “Solidarity with Terrorists” groups. They make pilgrimage to the camps of Hamas and the Hezb’Allah, cheering on terrorists and their atrocities against Jews. They pioneered the smear campaigns to paint Israel as an apartheid regime and to stigmatize it as the moral equivalent to Nazi Germany.

Western campuses are crawling with Jewish anti-Semites. Some even hold leadership positions in Hillel houses. Many others are tenured professors. An anti-Semitic Jewish judge (Richard Goldstone) chaired a UN commission demonizing Israel. A Jewish member of Britain’s Parliament (Gerald Kaufman) compared Hamas terrorists to Jewish fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto and denounced Israel as a Nazi entity. Nor is this only an American phenomenon: a shockingly large number of Jewish anti-Semites are Israelis or ex-Israelis...continue reading

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As I’ve often stated, the phenomenon of Jews attacking their own nation baffles me. Unfortunately, when this occurs it tends to legitimize anti-Semitic sentiment and inherent prejudice. In other words, if a Jew speaks out against Israel then there must be a good reason for it. But the worldwide condemnation of Israel by churches, organizations such as the UN and individuals is patently bizarre when you examine the facts and try to rationalize the behavior. As far as churches are concerned, I lay the blame squarely at the feet of a doctrine called Replacement Theology. But sometimes, eschatology can be the culprit.

Just recently I’ve been reading materials by Steve Wohlberg who is a prolific writer and front man for the Seventh Day Adventist church and who has written a book called “Exploding The Israel Deception”. In his case, the motivation for replacing Israel with the church runs much deeper than RT because his eschatology owes much to the teachings of SDA prophetess Ellen G White.

I’ve read some of Wohlberg’s articles on his WEBSITE – he’s articulate and clever but he’s no exegete. He cherry picks verses that he feels support his presuppositions. He has been called courageous by his readers for speaking out against Zionism and Dispensational errors regarding Israel. But far from being brave; he’s joined the biggest club in the world.

His understanding of Dispensationalism appears to be incomplete. There seems to be some confusion as to what Dispensationalism teaches about salvation and Israel. There is only One Way to salvation - for Israel and Gentiles. I am a Christian and belong to the body of the Church but I will never be an Israelite. My ethnic background is Gentile. A Jew can be saved, become a member of the Church and still be an Israelite inheriting all the promises extended to that nation that have NOT been abrogated. However, I realize this is a complex issue that covers much more ground than that.

Also, contrary to popular opinion, Dispensationalists do not think Israel can do no wrong. The purpose in God’s divine plan is to bring the nation back to Himself despite her failings. That will occur when she acknowledges the true Messiah. This is one of the purposes of the Great Tribulation. But judging by what I’ve been reading, I rather think that some people are seeking to find innovative ways to denigrate Israel and hold her up to a standard not applied to any other nation in the world.

One last thing, Wohlberg’s Jewish heritage has been touted as some sort of credibility factor to support the contentions found in “Exploding The Israel Deception”.

My counter to Wohlberg’s 128 page book is to recommend Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s 1000 + page “Israelology” which was his doctrinal thesis. Dr Frucht’s bio.

Jer 31:34-37 "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever." Thus says the LORD, "If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done," declares the LORD.

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Supersessionism

What is Supersessionism?

Theopedia chimes in:

Supersessionism is the traditional Christian belief that Christianity is the fulfillment of Biblical Judaism, and therefore that Jews who deny that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah fall short of their calling as God's Chosen people.

Supersessionism, in its more radical form, maintains that the Jews are no longer considered to be God's Chosen people in any sense. This understanding is generally termed "replacement theology."

The traditional form of supersessionism does not theorize a replacement; instead it argues that Israel has been superseded only in the sense that the Church has been entrusted with the fulfillment of the promises of which Jewish Israel is the trustee. This belief has served not only as the explanation for why believers in Christ should not become Jews, but is also the reason that Jews are not exempted by the Christian churches, from the call of the Gospel to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin and from the penalties due to sin.

In recent times, the doctrine of supersessionism has been blamed for mistreatment of the Jews in the past. Some liberal Protestant groups have therefore formally renounced supersessionism, affirming that Jews and other non-Christians have a valid way to find God within their own faith, which breaks from historic Protestant teaching. Dispensationalism affirms that salvation is only through faith in Christ, and that Jews fall short of obtaining the kingdom of the promised Messiah, unless they are converted to Christianity. However, in their view, a future mass conversion will result in the restoration of the nation Israel prior to the Millennium, apart from the church dispensation. This anticipation of a future role for the ethnic and geo-political nation of Israel in the plan of God, apart from the Church, is what is meant by some dispensationalists who style themselves as rejectors of "supersessionism" or "replacement theology", and thus they are using the terms in a way that is distinctive to their expectation of future events.


Again, from gotQuestions.org:

What is replacement theology / supersessionism?


TheologicalStudies.org has a list of articles on this subject:

Defining Supersessionism

Three Categories of Supersessionism

The Importance of Supersessionism to Theology

12 Reasons Supersessionism/Replacement Theology is Not a Biblical Doctrine

The Arguments for and against Supersessionism

Famous Theologians Who Affirm a Future for Israel

Does Acts 1:6-7 Teach the Restoration of the Nation Israel?

Justin Martyr and Supersessionism

Origen and Supersessionism

Augustine's Contribution to Supersessionism

Martin Luther and Supersessionism

Karl Barth and Supersessionism

Supersessionism, the Holocaust, and the Modern State of Israel

The Supersessionist View of 1 Peter 2:9-10

Does Matthew 21:43 Support Replacement Theology?

Is the Church Called "Israel" in Romans 9:6?

Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:30: New Testament Evidence for the Restoration of the Nation Israel

Matt 23:37-39 and Luke 13:34-35: NT Reaffirmations of the OT Expectation for Israel