YNet News: A new survey conducted by the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Pembroke shows a sharp drop in support for Israel among young evangelical Christians in the United States.
The study shows a growing gap between the older and younger generations of the community, but some close to the community say the poll does not necessarily reflect the reality on the ground.
Conducted in early 2021, the poll’s numbers show a shift in how the younger generation views the Israel-Palestinian conflict and in their support for Israel compared to the last study, conducted in 2018.
In 2018, the rate of support for Israel among young evangelicals was 69%; this support dropped to 33.6% in the latest survey. Read More
Opinion: How is that possible? How could Bible-believing Christians not have a clear grasp of what God’s word has to say about Israel?
Here’s how:
REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY/ SUPERSESSIONISM: (240 AD – today) A system of theology that essentially teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. Adherents of replacement theology believe the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, and God does not have specific future plans for the nation of Israel.
Replacement Theology may be either Amillennial or Postmillennial. It is currently the most widely held belief in Catholic teaching as well as the World Council of Churches, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church (ELCA), the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ.
COVENANT THEOLOGY: Covenant Theology (1550 AD to today) is a framework for interpreting Scripture. It is usually contrasted with Dispensational Theology.
Covenant Theology views the Scriptures as manifestations of either the Covenant of Works or the Covenant of Grace. The entire story of redemptive history can be seen as God unfolding the CG from its nascent stages (Genesis 3:15) all the way through its fruition in Christ. Covenant Theology is, therefore, a very Christocentric way of looking at Scripture because it sees the OT as the promise of Christ and the NT as the fulfillment in Christ. Some have accused Covenant Theology as teaching what is called “Replacement Theology.”
In Covenant Theology the Church doesn’t replace Israel; the Church is Israel and Israel is the Church (Galatians 6:16). All people who exercise the same faith as Abraham are part of the covenant people of God (Galatians 3:25-29).
Covenant theology is favored by Reformed or Calvinistic Christians.
Dispensational theology (1850 AD to today) teaches that there are two distinct peoples of God: Israel and the Church. Dispensationalists believe that salvation has always been by faith—in God in the Old Testament and, specifically, in God the Son in the New Testament.
Dispensationalists hold that the Church has not replaced Israel in God’s program, and the Old Testament promises to Israel have not been transferred to the Church. They believe that the promises God made to Israel (for land, many descendants, and blessings) in the Old Testament will be ultimately fulfilled in the 1000-year period spoken of in Revelation Chapter 20.
Dispensationalists believe that just as God in this age is focusing His attention on the Church, He will again, in the future, focus His attention on Israel. Romans 11:1 “I ask then: Did God reject His people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.”
Now take a guess which of the three theologies has 5% or less Christian followers?
