Zion's Christian Soldiers?
by Stephen Sizer
List Price:
Our Price: $10.29
You Save: $1.92 (16%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen SizerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-19
ISBN: 1844742148
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Inter-Varsity Press
Book Reviews of Zion's Christian Soldiers?
Book Review: Important considerations
Summary: 3 Stars
I have frequently shied away from the topic of Israel for a variety of reasons.
1) Its highly controversial among Christians, particularly in the US
2) I'm embarrassed by The Left Behind books
3) I'm not a theologian or eschatologist and the issues seem highly complex
However, as I continue to ponder the implications of the unquestioned support of Israel as a means of justifying war in the Middle East, I grow disturbed at the implications for global Christians. Enter: Zion's Christian Soldiers by Stephen Sizer. In his book, Sizer addresses the claims of Christian Zionism and its ties to the conservative religious right. He claims,
"It is time to speak out because Christian Zionism has become a formidable and dangerous movement. By portraying the modern state of Israel as God's chosen people on earth, the role of the church has been reduced in the eyes of many to providing moral and biblical justification for Israel's colonization of Palestine. Those who oppose her are demonized. While not all Christian Zionists endorse the apocalyptic views of Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye, the movement as a whole is nevertheless leading the West, and the church with it, into a confrontation with Islam. Using biblical terminology to justify a pre-emptive global war against the `axis of evil' merely reinforces stereotypes, fuels extremism, incites fundamentalism and increases the likelihood of nuclear war."
Sizer then spends the next six chapters delving into the details of what the Bible says about literalism, Israel, the Promised Land, Jerusalem, the temple, and Armageddon. At times, I found his arguments a bit difficult to follow (more likely due to issues in my brain, not his), and the charts slightly difficult to understand given my lack of theological training and the complexity of the topic. In spite of my own inability to understand, for those interested in examining an alternative perspective to Christian Zionism, his work is well researched, supported and organized.
As a global Christian, the issues brought up in Sizer's book stir significant concern within. He asks difficult questions regarding US foreign policy:
* Is the way we view Israel and the church assisting or hindering God's plan?
* Are we `doing justice and loving mercy' in the Middle East, or are we exacerbating tensions?
* Are we walking in the way of peace or are we hindering reconciliation between Arabs and Israelis?
He ultimately claims that Christian Zionism is:
"an exclusive theology driving a political agenda which elevates one nation over others, rather than an inclusive theology centered on Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. In its worst forms, Christian Zionism uses the Bible to justify racial superiority, land expropriation, home demolitions, population transfer, colonial settlements, the denial of international law, and the dehumanization of Arabs. It fuels not only Islamophobia but also anti-Semitism and Islamist retaliation against Christians."
Strong statements to be sure. I'm a bit of a newbie to this discussion, so I'd love some comments on this. Sizer's claims resonate strongly with me and strike chords of deep discomfort I've had all along watching US foreign policy in the Middle East. It was a relief to read a perspective which stands against to the prevailing American Christian views.
Summary of Zion's Christian Soldiers?
Many Bible-believing Christians are convinced that God blesses those nations that stand with Israel and curses those that don't. This belief has had a significant influence on attitudes toward the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. Claims made in books like The Scofield Reference Bible and Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth have fed into contemporary Christian Zionism, with radical implications for how we view our faith and the world in which we life.Stephen Sizer contends that this view is based on misinterpretation of the Bible. He provides an introduction to Christian Zionism and a clear response and positive alternative based on a careful study of relevant biblical texts.
This clear, straightforward volume includes tables and diagrams, questions for Bible study and further reflection, and a glossary of terms. It concludes with a previously unpublished sermon by John Stott titled "The Place of Israel." Here Sizer offers encouragement for readers to dialogue on the relationship between Israel and the Christian church and a more constructive view of the future and our role in it.
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Lying About Israel and the Jews
Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Questionby Edward Said
Verso; Published: 2001-09-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.94
Price in other shops:
The End of the Peace Processby Edward W. Said
Granta Books; Published: 2002-06-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews (Vols. 1&2)by Alan Hart
World Focus Publishing; Published: 2005-01; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
The Politics of Anti-SemitismAK Press; Published: 2003-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
Zion's Christian Soldiers?by Stephen Sizer
Inter-Varsity Press; Published: 2007-10-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.45
Price in other shops:
Whose Promised Land?by Colin Chapman
Baker Books; Published: 2002-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.74
Price in other shops:
The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle Eastby Robert Fisk
Vintage; Published: 2007-02-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.25
Price in other shops:
The Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestiniansby Noam Chomsky
Pluto Pr; Published: 2000-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.00
Price in other shops:
Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, New and Revised Editionby Norman G. Finkelstein, Norman Finkelstein
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2003-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.55
Price in other shops:
The Case Against Israel (Counterpunch)by Michael Neumann
AK Press; Published: 2005-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.97
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitutionby Michael Ovey, Andrew Sach, Steve Jeffery
Crossway Books; Published: 2007-10-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.00
Price in other shops:
Whose Land? Whose Promise?: What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestiniansby Gary M. Burge
Pilgrim Press; Published: 2003-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.71
Price in other shops:
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospelsby Kenneth E. Bailey
IVP Academic; Published: 2008-01-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.30
Price in other shops:
People and Place: A Covenant Ecclesiologyby Michael S. Horton
Westminster John Knox Press; Published: 2008-09-15; Perfect Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.06
Price in other shops:
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticismby Timothy Keller
Dutton Adult; Published: 2008-02-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.00
Price in other shops:
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Churchby N. T. Wright
HarperOne; Published: 2008-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.33
Price in other shops:
Sacramental Life: Spiritual Formation Through the Book of Common Prayerby David A. Desilva
IVP Books; Published: 2008-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hopeby Brian D. McLaren
Thomas Nelson; Published: 2007-10-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.35
Price in other shops:
The Renewal of Trinitarian Theology: Themes, Patterns & Explorationsby Roderick T. Leupp
IVP Academic; Published: 2008-11-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.00
Price in other shops:
Christian Zionism: Road-Map to Armageddon?by Stephen R. Sizer
InterVarsity Press; Published: 2005-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.04
Price in other shops: