Media influencer Tucker Carlson, listened to by millions, recently fired a shot heard around the world by labeling Christian Zionism a heresy and a brain virus. However, Christian Zionism has a history that goes back centuries, and its adherents say its roots are found in the Bible.
Carlson later apologized for saying he despised “Christian Zionists” and called them “some of the nicest people I know,” but he did not retract his statement that Christian Zionism is Christian heresy and a brain virus.
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Tricia Miller from the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) wrote an article tracing the history of Christian Zionism.
She told CBN News, Christian Zionism is simply the Christian belief in Zionism, which is simply the right of Jews to self-determination in their ancient homeland. That’s it. It’s not more complicated than that.”
Miller contends that the roots extend almost to the time of Jesus.
“It goes back to the first century,” she explained. “Actually, with Jesus and his apostles, you can see references in the Gospels to the expectation of the future restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. It wasn’t called that then; we’ve labelled that now, maybe in the last couple of hundred years. But there is a 2000-year history of Christian belief in the restoration of Israel.”
Miller points out that in the 3rd century AD, the early church father Tertullian wrote, “It will be fitting for the Christian to rejoice and not to grieve at the restoration of Israel. If it be true, as it is, that the whole of our hope is intimately united with the remaining expectation of Israel.”
A large number of medieval and Protestant Reformation theologians agree. In the 18th century, Jonathan Edwards, an influential biblical scholar living in the American colonies, wrote, “Israel would again be a distinct nation, and Christians would have free access to Jerusalem because Jews would look on Christians as their brethren.”
Miller asserted, “We are living in that day now. We’re seeing Israel as a distinct nation, and Christians have free access to Jerusalem because Israel ensures freedom of religion for everyone here, and the Jews are understanding Christians to be their brethren.”
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Christian Zionists, including England’s Lord Arthur Balfour and U.S. President Harry Truman, helped establish the modern State of Israel. Later, Christian leaders such as Billy Graham and CBN Founder Pat Robertson affirmed Israel’s rebirth as a fulfillment of prophecy.
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Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2025 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
