Christian Zionism and American Nationalism

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Christian Zionism and American Nationalism

 Although Christian Zionism is primarily concerned with the welfare of Jews in Israel, it resonates with a religious sense of American nationalism.  According to this view, God ordained the founding of the United States and declared America a chosen land with a special mission in world history.  Christian Zionists envision America and Israel in a divinely blessed tandem relationship that will ultimately prove redemptive for all humankind.  If God blesses those who bless Israel, as Genesis pronounces, then America’s unflinching support for Israel can only bring heavenly favor and prosperity to both nations.

The ideals of Christian Zionism influenced a number of twentieth-century U.S. presidents to various degrees, which in turn shaped America’s historic relationship with Jews and with Israel.  For instance, Woodrow Wilson said he adopted the 1917 Balfour Declaration in part because he believed it his duty to “help restore the Holy Land to its people.”  Simi- larly, upon the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Harry S Truman referred to himself as “Cyrus,” the Persian king who granted ancient Israel the right to return to their land after years of captivity.(3)

The contemporary relationship of Christian Zionism to American nationalism was highlighted in July 2007 when Senator Joe Lieberman, the most prominent Jew in American national politics, spoke at the annual conference of a leading Christian Zionist organization. Lieberman assumed the mantle of a Hebrew prophet or high priest, showering blessings on the group and its founder. He emphasized the fundamental similarities between Israel and the United States and proclaimed that the most patriotic and righteous thing the assembled crowd could do, as both Christians and Americans, was to give Israel their hearts, their money, and their political clout.