Evangelicals are increasingly polarized over whether Christian Zionism is biblical and orthodox or unbiblical and cultic. Stephen Sizer provides a thorough examination of the historical development, variant forms, theological emphases and political implications of Christian Zionism. His excellent and informative survey is interwoven with critical assessment that repudiates both nationalistic Zionism and antiSemitism
Average Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars(2.5 out of 5 stars)
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2.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Robin Reeve (Gland, Switzerland), November 22, 2007
Stephen Sizer's book is very interesting, in its description of the evolution of the different branches of Christian Zionist movements.
He expresses himself from a "covenantal" (i.e. amillenarist or postmillenarist) point of view.
Though his negative views need to be heard about some extreme dispensationalist positions, he seems to neglect the balanced opinions of many premillenialists most of the time.
He doesn't develop his own positions a lot, either.
His political positions express themselves with harsh words against Israel. He speaks of "apartheid", for an example, to describe the way the State of Israel treats the Palestinians (he doesn't go as far as calling Jews "Nazis", however). He has no positive words for the Jewish State - which means he has taken sides and that he is not working for a real peaceful dialog between both parties.
One has the impression that, either one believes that God has a special plan for Israel and one then is a despicable "Zionist", or one has to abandon that idea totally, and rejoin the convenantalists.
So, as a moderate premillianalist, I appreciated some of his criticisms against extreme positions, but I would have liked to see more self-criticism about his own doctrinal choices - as I believe that the eschatological questions are too complicated and delicate to have one "side" being totally right and the other one totally wrong.
One can believe in the special destiny of Israel, while criticizing some of the decisions of the State of Israel and being touched by the difficulties that one's Christian Palestinian brethren in Christ are suffering, for an example.
As a whole, this book is a useful read, but lacks some important developments. It remains polemical, without seriously opening a door for a useful dialog between balanced Christians of differing opinions.
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