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How has Dispensationalism Affected American Policy in the Middle East?

Bryan E. Lewis

Amridge University
13 March 2009
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Introduction

America’s political leaders have been sold a bill of goods called Christian

Zionism. Its dispensational counterpart has no doubt influenced our policies in the

Middle East. If our political leaders were not to allow themselves to be influenced by the

dispensational view of eschatology, it would completely change our policies in the

Middle East; and, let me add, there would be much more peace in the world today.

Christian Zionism, its dispensational leaders, and its effects on American politics, have

created a supercharged religious atmosphere ripe for an apocalyptic view. This

pessimistic view is a fertile seedbed for a futurist interpretation of scripture, and though

Christian Zionist leaders lack consistency in their eschatological interpretations, they

have been successful in duping a biblically illiterate public into believing that we are fast

approaching Armageddon, when we are not. The world is not at peace and that is largely

due to the doctrine of dispensationalism; this movement is ultimately responsible for the

shaping of US policy in the Middle East.

The Rise of Dispensationalism and the Influence of John Darby

According to Dr. Donald Wagner, Professor of Religion and Middle Eastern

Studies, North Park University in Chicago, and founding member, for the Institute for the

Study of Christian Zionism; “Briefly stated, Christian Zionism: is a movement within

Protestant fundamentalism that understands the modern state of the country-region Israel

as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and thus deserving of political, financial, and

religious support”.1 This is a movement that has been fueled by the apocalyptic view and

1Wagner, Donald, Defining Christian Zionism, http://www.christianzionism.org/Article/Wagner02.asp,

Assessed 07 March 2009.
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system of eschatological interpretation, known today as dispensational premillennialism.

By the end of the 1700’s, several forms of premillennial eschatology began to

emerge, this was largely due to the hysteria spawned by Puritan-influenced colonial

America’s quest for independence from Britain. 2 Among them were various movements

such as the Seventh Day Adventist, early on known as Millerites, which believed in a

prophetic interruptive method known as Historicism.3

However, it was during this period that John Nelson Darby popularized a new

school of thought known as dispensational premillennialism. John Darby, a separatist by

his own admission, visited America in 1862, then after making several more trips, he

converted a generation of Christians to his view. 4 Darby’s view was in contrast to an

earlier version of Christian eschatology, held by such men as Charles Spurgeon and John

Gill, called Historic Premillennialism.5 Darby held that much Bible Prophecy and

scripture in general must be interpreted according to a strict literal hermeneutic. He

taught that Christians would be removed from the earth in an apocalyptic event called the

rapture; thus, the physical nation of Israel would once again take a prominent place in

God’s history. This would all take place just before the return of Jesus to earth to set up a

literal kingdom of God on the terra firma. According to Darby, Christians must interpret

the Bible in light of seven dispensations, each representing a different way in which God
2Puritans brought with them the belief of a “Restored Israel”. Furthermore, History has proven that at the
height of every major conflict there is often an increase hysteria surrounding the subject of eschatology.

3 Historicism is an eschatological interpretation that finds its fulfillment throughout history mainly with in
the Catholic Church. It is what led the reformers to declare that the pope was the man of sin.

4John McClintock and James Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature,
Plymouth Brethren, Volume viii, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1891. 305.

5Historic Premillennialism is a post tribulation view holds that Jesus would return and establish his
millennial kingdom after the gospel had gone to the whole world. The main difference between this view
and Darby’s was the view of the church in relationship to Israel. Darby saw a sharp distinction between the
Church and Israel.
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would deal with mankind. He preached that we are in, since the first century birth of the

church, what is known as the church age, a time in our history known as God’s

dispensation of grace. This hermeneutical method is known as dispensationalism.

Steven Sizer has pointed out the following concerning Darby, he suggest that

Darby was “the most influential figure in the development of... Christian Zionism…

Darby’s dispensationalism soon came to replace covenantalism. Covenantalism taught

that God had one people and two different covenants as opposed to Dispensationalism,

which taught that God has two groups of people and two covenants.”6

Likewise, Donald Wagner in his article “Evangelicals and Israel: Theological

Roots of a Political Alliance” writes: “Through Darby's influence, premillennial

dispensationalism became a dominant method of biblical interpretation and influenced a

generation of evangelical leaders, including Dwight L. Moody.” 7

The Rise of Christian Zionism and its influence on America Political leaders

Influenced by Dwight L. Moody, William E. Blackstone, an evangelist,

proclaimed dispensationalism to millions of Americans while speaking coast to coast

across America. Through his book “Jesus Is Coming” and the speaking circuit,

Blackstone gathered, with incredible zeal, support for his Zionist ideals. William

Blackstone became famous for what is known as the Blackstone Memorial. He was able

to muster the support of four hundred and thirteen prominent citizens, such as the Chief

Justice of the United States, the Speaker of the House, J. P. Morgan, and John D.

Rockefeller, to name a few. These signed a petition urging, then President of the United

6 Steven Sizer, Christian Zionism: Roadmap to Armageddon, Intervarsity Press 2005. 142.

7 Donald Wagner, Evangelicals and Israel: Theological Roots of a Political Alliance. An article: Appeared
in “The Christian Century”, November 4, (1998), 1020-1026.
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States, Benjamin Harrison and the Secretary of State, James G. Blaine, to support the

establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. Though President Harrison did promise to

give the document careful attention he never called on congress to support an established

Jewish state. However, it did help plant in the minds of our government, the notion of

American sponsorship for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Blackstone never ceased

reminding political leaders about the memorial; in fact, he resubmitted it to President

Roosevelt in 1903. Ultimately, it would lead to Woodrow Wilson’s support of Zionism in

1917; followed by Truman’s help in the recognition of the state of Israel on May 14 th

1948 and his famed proclamation, “I am Cyrus, I am Cyrus.” 8

Moral Majority

Dispensationalist’s affect upon American politics and its policies in the Middle

East cannot be overstated. As we shall see, the dispensational view of eschatology has

been shared and at times even preached to presidents and their ideas have been translated

into policies.

In 1979, Jerry Falwell founded an organization known as the “Moral Majority”;

its goal was to mobilize and encourage professing Christians in America to participate in

the political process; the millions of people, who did, quickly became known as the

Christian-Right or sometimes referred to as the Religious-Right. Falwell now deceased,

has played major role in American politics as it relates to the Middle East. Falwell’s

influence in American Politics can not be argued, one of the highlights of his life was the

creation of Liberty University, where republican Presidents and presidential candidates

stood in line to speak to graduating classes. However, Falwell’s impact was well noted,

when Israel bombed Iraq’s nuclear plant in 1981, then Israeli Prime Minister Menachem

8 Merkley, Paul, American Presidents, Religion, and Israel. Introduction. Greenwood Publishing 2004, vii.
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Begin, phoned Falwell before he called President Reagan to ask Falwell to explain to the

American Christian public the reasons for the bombing. 9

Christian Coalition

In 1989, the Christian Coalition of America was founded by Pat Robertson; it

boasts of being the largest and most active conservative grassroots political organization

in America. According to their website, the Christian Coalition of America offers people

of faith the vehicle to be actively involved in shaping their government - from the County

Courthouse to the halls of Congress. According to its website, they have over 2 million

supporters committed to Israel's survival. Robertson’s affect upon American politics

should not be under-estimated; he has some very close allies in the government. For

example, in November 2002, at the Christian Coalition Convention, in Washington DC,

the convention was opened with a “videotaped benediction that came straight from the

Oval Office, some of the most powerful republicans in Congress addressed the

Convention voicing their unconditional support for Israel”. 10

US Presidents affected by Dispensationalism in My Lifetime

In a Speech, on May 1st 1978, President Jimmy Carter said, “The establishment

of the nation of Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.” 11 However, for the sake of

accuracy, Carter has since distanced himself from the Southern Baptist Convention and

their dispensational theology; just before the Iraqi invasion of 2003, in an article

9 Mearsheimer, John and Walt, Stephen, The Israel Lobby, Macmillan 2007, 136.
10 Davidson, Lawrence, Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 14, Number 2, Summer, 2005,
157-169.
11 Speech by President Jimmy Carter on 1 May 1978, Department of State Bulletin, vol. 78, No. 2015,

(1978), p4, cited in Sharif, op.cit., p136.

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published by the New York Times on March 9, Carter wrote: “As a Christian and as a

president who was severely provoked by international crises, I became thoroughly

familiar with the principles of a just war, and it is clear that a substantially unilateral

attack on Iraq does not meet these standards. This is an almost universal conviction of

religious leaders, with the most notable exception of a few spokesmen of the Southern

Baptist Convention who are greatly influenced by their commitment to Israel based on

eschatological or final days, theology.” 12 Kudos’ to Former President Carter for fleeing

the error of dispensationalism; however, clearly, we can see how his view of eschatology

during his presidency most likely helped shape his policies in the Middle East.

President Ronald Reagan also embraced the same dispensationalist theology as

Jimmy Carter did early on. Some have even asserted that Reagan believed one of his

responsibilities was to promote a military buildup so America would be ready for the

battle of Armageddon;13 though the truthfulness of this statement was rigorously debated

in the 1980’s; there should be no doubt that futurist dispensational theology directly

affected Reagan’s politics. On May 15, 1981, Reagan wrote, in his diary, concerning the

subject of the then current crisis in the Middle East: "Sometimes I wonder if we are

destined to witness Armageddon…Got word of Israel bombing of Iraq…nuclear

reactor… I swear, I believe Armageddon is near." 14 Once again, it should be quite clear

that Reagan’s view of eschatology helped to shape his thinking and ultimately his policies

in the Middle East.

Certainly, Reagan’s successor, George H.W. Bush, during Desert Storm, had a
12Jimmy Carter, New York Times Published: March 9, 2003, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
res=9D00EFDE113FF93AA35750C0A9659C8B63, Assessed 07 March 2009.

13 Campolo, Tony, The Ideological Roots of Christian Zionism, Tikkun 2005,19-23.

14 The Reagan Diaries: by Ronald Reagan, HarperCollins Publishers 2007, 34.

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concern for Iraq’s hostile attitude toward Israel; mainly, its disapproval of Israel’s move

toward peace with other nations. However, it is on the second Bush administration we

must now focus our attention.

In April 2002, Ariel Sharon, responding to the Netanya suicide bombing, launched

a massive military strike against Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza. The result

was the bloody siege of Jenin where numbers of Palestinians were killed. The outcry

came from around the world, which forced the White house to react. The official response

of President Bush was for Israel to withdraw its tanks from Palestinian towns on the West

Bank immediately. Jerry Falwell immediately protested the White Houses response; this

was followed by a hundred thousand e-mails from Christian conservatives, i.e. the moral

majority. Sharon did not back down; Mr. Bush did. Falwell was successful in strong-

arming our president into changing his Middle East policies.

During a 60 Minutes interview on October 6th 2002, referring to President Bush’s

concession to Sharon, Falwell commented, “It is my belief that the Bible Belt in America

is Israel’s only safety belt right now…There are 70 million of us, and if there’s one thing

that brings us together quickly it’s whenever we begin to detect our government

becoming a little anti-Israel…There’s nothing that would bring the wrath of the Christian

public in this country down on this government like abandoning or opposing Israel in a

critical matter…I really believe when the chips are down Ariel Sharon can trust George

Bush to do the right thing every time”. 15

15 Bob Simon Interviews Jerry Falwell, 60 Minutes, CBS, 6 October 2002,

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/17/60minutes/main4455442.shtml, Assessed 05 March 2009.
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Dispensationalism and Muslim Terrorism

According to Osama Bin Laden, terrorism is a result of America's support of

Israel. In his famed “letter to America, November 24 th 2002, he focused on Palestine,

"sunk under military occupation for more than 80 years. The British handed over

Palestine, with your [America’s] help and your support, to the Jews, who have occupied it

for more than 50 years; years overflowing with oppression, tyranny, crimes, killing,

expulsion, destruction and devastation." 16 Bin Laden asserts that it has been America’s

continued support of Israel and opposition to Islam in Palestine, which has fueled the

terrorist attacks. However, it is Islamic Iran that is now considered the biggest threat. This

is largely in part to its belligerent stance with nuclear weapons and intent to use them

against Israel.

John Hagee is the Pastor of Cornerstone Church, San Antonio, Texas, an

evangelical church with more than 18,000 members and a television and radio audience

of 99 million homes. Hagee is also the founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI).

CUFI considers its most pressing issue to be the threat of radical Islam, particularly as

relates to the security of Israel. On July 17th 2007, at a CUFI night to honor Israel

meeting, Hagee said, “We want you to recognize that Iran is a clear and present danger to

the United States of America and Israel. And… that it’s time for our country to consider a

military preemptive strike against Iran if they will not yield to diplomacy…the head of

the BEAST of radical Islam in the Middle East is Iran and its fanatical president

Ahmadinejad. Ladies and gentlemen, we are reliving history. It is 1938 all over again.

Iran is Germany. Ahmadinejad is Hitler. And Ahmadinejad, just like Hitler, is talking

16Osama Bin Laden, Letter To America, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver,

Assessed 06 March 2009.
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about killing the Jews”17 Hagee is using biblical terminology to justify a preemptive

global war against the Islamic Iran. Hagee’s contribution is only increasing the tension;

his words are escalating the conflict and leading to self-fulfilling prophecies.

Conclusion

The evidence presented in this paper reveals that dispensationalism has had a

profound impact on US policy in the Middle East. It has achieved this unprecedented

influence in our political policies, because many of its followers hold high positions in

our government. Many government officials and past Presidents have been raised in

dispensationalist churches and are publicly committed to the Zionist agenda for what they

see as biblical reasons. This bad doctrine has birth bad US policy and that bad policy

along with the outspoken rhetoric of today’s dispensational leaders, is increasing the

tension in the Middle East. The world is not at peace and that is largely due to the

doctrine of dispensationalism; this movement is ultimately responsible for shaping US

policy in the Middle East; thus, leading to the creation of self-fulfilling prophecies.

17John Hagee, Christians United for Israel, July 17, 2007, Washington, D.C. from Bill Moyers Journal,
October 5, 2007, Accessed 06 March 2009.
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