Keets, R: What Do Christians Believe About Israel?

There is a growing debate in the church today over how Christians should relate to Israel. Has the Christian gospel and church replaced the special role of the Jewish people in God's plans and affections? Are replacement theologians right in believing that God has no future destiny for the Jewish people, other than their common salvation through the Christian gospel? Or will, as Christian Zionists believe, the Jewish people and the State of Israel play a central and vital role in God's End-Time plan for the world's redemption? Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 the theological issues have become increasingly entwined with the volatile political situation in the Middle East. Many Christians feel confused about the issue. This book attempts to explain, in as balanced a manner as possible, the strongly held beliefs of opposing positions so that the interested lay person may better understand the arguments. The setting is a series of imagined discussions between a modern Christian Zionist and a Christian non-Zionist, where they engage in lively, honest, and yet friendly debates around a dinner table, with the focus on the scriptural basis for their differing beliefs.