The Making of a Paradox: The Roots of Modern Christian Zionism

2015-2016

This is the introduction to my honors thesis from Senior year of college at Stanford. I studied the theological roots of Christian Zionism, and how they had become appropriated and distorted to support the political inclinations of the modern US Right. In particular, I traced the changing rhetoric of pro-Israel lobby group Christians United for Israel (CUFI). They are, interestingly, led by a Texas megachurch pastor named John Hagee whose comments were regularly accused of being anti-Semitic in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, he has achieved widespread acceptance within the conservative pro-Israel community. Prominent American and Israeli politicians (including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) regularly speak at CUFI's annual summits. Pastor Hagee even was selected to deliver the benediction at the recent opening of the US consulate in Jerusalem. As I discuss at length, the growth and prominence of this group is particularly surprising given their origins. And, as Pastor Hagee's involvement in the Jerusalem embassy shows, they have achieved mainstream political relevance.