Abstract
There are fe1w topics as contentious as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a conflict that is particularly fraught in the Christian church because of the peculiar role Israel plays in the theological imagination of Christianity. In this remarkable edited volume, Peace and Faith: Christian Churches and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Cary Nelson and Michael Gizzi have assembled a substantial resource for exploring the fraught dimensions of this conflict as they play out in some parts of the Church. I say some parts, for though this book is titled in such a way as to suggest it speaks for the Church broadly, it is very much a guide to the way this discussion plays out in the United States of America. Specifically, this collection is a pro-Zionist analysis of the way various denominations in the United States have responded to the conflict. It is particularly critical of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, and the ways in which Christian supersessionism and anti-semitism shape these debates in profound and diverse ways.
Despite its narrow focus on the American discourse, this volume goes into fairly granular detail in its analysis of how various major denominations in the United States have approached this subject. With in-depth articles on Roman Catholics, Evangelicals, Mennonites, Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians, readers are introduced to the diverse ways different Christians navigate this debate. What is particularly helpful about these essays is that, although the politics of these various denominations are diverse on the question is Israel-Palestine, these contributions are attentive to the ways Christian rhetoric and reasoning across the spectrum slip into anti-Jewish tropes in expressing their various positions. For example, even though evangelicals are generally pro-Zionist, their reasons for being so are often motivated by Christian eschatological concerns that are ultimately dismissive of Israel’s persistent claim as the covenantal people of God (p. 153f). Similarly, Christians who for various reasons tend to critique Israel’s treatment of Palestinians are shown to at times slip into anti-semitic tropes in their critiques of Israel to stridently make their point (pp. 80–81).
Perhaps the single greatest strength of the book is its extensive appendix and bibliography. While not everyone will agree with the political bias of the volume, the appendix includes an in-depth timeline of Jewish-Christian relations. This timeline has a particular focus on the pervasive and persistent note of anti-Jewish rhetoric that has been a consistent part of the Christian tradition from very early in its history. For those seeking to do further research on Christian-Jewish relations, this timeline, and the bibliography, is a great place to orient oneself to the topic.
Yet for all its strengths, readers who are critical of the state of Israel might reasonably take offense at the ease with which their criticisms are dismissed as merely products of Christian anti-semitism and super-sessionism. Writing this review from a Canadian context in which anti-colonial concerns are a major theme of theological reflection today, I wonder if there might have been room for more intentional engagements with post-colonial and anti-colonial critiques of some of the state of Israel’s settlement policies. Surely there must be a way to talk about this conflict that both takes seriously the historic and ongoing sin of Christian anti-semitism and is sensitive to the demands of justice for Palestinian Arabs of all faiths and none!
