Letter: Christian Zionists are not Christian

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com What does it mean to be a Christian? That's a critical question given the actions of some who call themselves Christian Zionists, while supporting genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine and an illegal war in Iran. One unquestionable way to describe the practice of Christianity is living according to the Beatitudes, the core teachings of Jesus spoken to his disciples. In the Beatitudes, Jesus specifies those who are the blessed: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. If we take these words to heart and believe they truly reflect the teaching of Jesus, how is it possible to make sense of something called 'Christian Zionism'? I believe it isn't. In November 2025, 'A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide' was published by Kairos Palestine, a Palestinian Christian ecumenical movement. This powerful document makes clear to me the impossibility of merging Christianity and Zionism: 'Christian Zionism [is] a theology that has produced apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide of indigenous people. Christian Zionism calls on a tribal, racist god of war and ethnic cleansing, teachings utterly alien to the core of Christian faith and ethics. Christian Zionism must therefore be named for what it is: a theological distortion and a moral corruption.' The core of Christianity is love. Zionism, on the other hand, has manifested hatred, cruelty, destruction. I believe 'Christian Zionism' is, in essence, antithetical to Christianity. Connie Jenkins Belfast