A Palestinian evangelical’s supersessionism

A  prominent American Jewish organization asks Christian institutions to “talk with us before you talk about us.” This is a dignity, argues Munther Isaac, that’s rarely afforded Palestinian Christians—especially by American evangelicals.

Isaac grew up in the small Palestinian evangelical community and currently serves as the academic dean at Bethle­hem Bible College. While his fury toward the government of Israel is evident throughout the book, his real ire is directed toward White American evangelicals who blindly support Israel. This support, he argues, is based on flawed eschatology, right-wing politics, and a refusal to consider the suffering of the Palestinian people. Isaac vividly and painfully describes that suffering. It should be clear to any fair-minded person that the Palestinians have reason to complain of their treatment by the Israeli government. Isaac wants his evangelical readers to consider a trip to “the other side of the wall” so they might speak with Palestinians and not just about them.

Isaac attempts to address the actions of American evangelicals, however, not by way of a detailed critique of their eschatology or an analysis of the flaws of their politics. Rather, he tries to convince them that today’s Jews have no right to the land of Israel, no necessary connection with the promises of their prophets, no special covenant with God, and no hope without their inclusion in the Christian Church.