Though evangelical Christian support for Israel remains strong, anti-Israel activists are increasingly making inroads in the evangelical community. One of the premier events among anti-Israel evangelicals is the annual Christ at the Checkpoint Conference (CATC) in Bethlehem. Inaugurated in 2010 CATC is organized by Bethlehem Bible College, which was recently described by Dexter Van Zile as the “nexus point for anti-Zionist activism directed at American Evangelicals.” Luke Moon attended the 2014 Christ at the Checkpoint Conference and reported on it and more generally on the anti-Israeli movement among evangelicals in In Bethlehem, the Wrong Kind of Christian Festival for the April 2014 issue of The Tower Magazine.

Despite CATC’s effort to distance itself from some of the more extreme elements among anti-Israel evangelicals, such as the group Sabeel, “things have only gotten worse” since 2010. Reverend Moon explains:

In fact, the event demonstrated just how savvy and successful Palestinian anti-Israel Christian activists have become. Over the last four years, the leaders and participants of Christ at the Checkpoint have grown to be increasingly astute regarding American Evangelicals and how to persuade them of their anti-Israel narrative.

The gains made by anti-Israel evangelicals haven’t just been the result of toning down its more hostile constituents, but also by appealing to core evangelical values. Moon writes that understanding that “niceness” is a quality that American evangelicals value, “anti-Israel activists attempt to portray Israel, especially the young soldiers who man West Bank checkpoints, as ‘mean.'” Additionally, they portray the Palestinians as the underdogs in a world where “Israel is Goliath to the Palestinian David.”

Because Evangelical Christians believe “in determining belief and practice according to biblical authority,” God’s love for Israel must be “redefined.” Moon cites Dr. Gary Burge, who argues that the covenant with the Jews has been superseded so that “the Land of Israel and by extension the Jewish people are no longer important to God’s redemptive plan for humanity.” Moon refers to these arguments as “distortions of scripture.”

The picture that Moon paints of the CATC conference is one that presents a highly selective view of religion and history to promote a political point.

The complete April 2014 issue of The Tower Magazine is available here.

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