Despite only taking one theology course in college, my professor told his students to never preface thoughts about God by saying, “I’m not a theologian, but…” Anyone who thinks or asks questions about God is practicing theology – and, critically, how we live reveals our theology better than anything. Cross-posting the following article, from my Peace Catalyst colleague Michael McDougle, which provokes us to evaluate our political positions in relation to the Holy Land through the lenses of Jesus and his ethics (source):
The Ethics of Jesus
Why our theology must never be separated from the ethics of the kingdom of God
MAR 26, 2025
Whatever we believe about the Jewish people, the land of Palestine, or the end times, we must begin with the basics—with Jesus. Our theology is never just about ideas. It has real-world implications. It impacts how we treat people. It either upholds the ethics of the Kingdom of God, or it doesn’t.
Jesus gave us a way of living marked by love, humility, justice, mercy, self-giving, and peacemaking. He said we are to love our neighbors and our enemies. He blessed peacemakers and the poor in spirit. He rejected violence, resisted empire, and told Peter to put his sword away. If this is the Jesus we follow, then this must also be our lens. Whatever else we believe must pass through that filter.
If we believe that the Jewish people have a unique covenant with God, or that the land of Palestine was promised to them forever, even then—especially then—that belief must never be separated from the ethics of Jesus. There is no theology of the land that allows us to justify the violent displacement of 750,000 people. There is no promise that overrides the command to love. There is no version of the gospel that supports taking 78% of someone else’s land by force, or silencing their voices, or denying their humanity.
This is not unique to Israel. We have seen this pattern before. Settler colonialism has justified itself through theology again and again. The pattern is the same: invoke divine destiny, declare the land as empty or unworthy, and erase the people already there. Doctrine of Discovery. Manifest Destiny. White supremacy dressed up as Scripture.
In modern political Israel, the same logic is used. Religious Zionists quote Scripture to justify the removal and oppression of Palestinians. Some label Palestinians as “Amalek”—a biblical enemy marked for destruction—as a way to dehumanize them and legitimize violence. The Israeli military even named its AI targeting system “the Gospel.” These are not just policies—they are theological claims with deadly consequences.
A few years ago, I spoke with a someone who holds to Christian Zionism about what was happening on the ground in Palestine. I tried to explain the realities of military occupation and displacement. Their response was telling: “I don’t know about the local day to day issues that are taking place or how people are treating one another there. All I know is what the Bible says…”
This is the danger. When our theology is disconnected from reality, it loses sight of people’s suffering. It cannot recognize injustice, even when it unfolds in plain view.
But the Kingdom of God is not like this. It is the opposite of this. The Kingdom is where the first are last, where enemies are loved, where the meek inherit the land. It is upside-down power. It is the cross. It is the lamb.
And that brings us to Revelation. Some Christians say, “Jesus came the first time as a lamb, but when he comes again, he will come as a lion.” But that is not what the text shows us. In Revelation 5, the elder says to John, “Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah!” But when John looks, what does he see? A lamb, looking as if it had been slain. The point is clear: Jesus is not a lion who devours. He is a lamb who suffers. He does not conquer by killing his enemies. He conquers by dying for them.
This is not just a theological debate. It is a matter of life and death. The Christian Zionist narrative—even when absorbed softly or politically—has justified war, occupation, apartheid, and mass death. It has done so in the name of God. And that is a heresy.
So wherever you land theologically—about Israel, or prophecy, or the end times—start here: with Jesus. With his life. With his way. Let him shape how you read the Bible. Let him reshape how you see the land, and the people who live in it. Let him shape your hope for the future.
If you’ve never thought about these things before, or if you’ve been shaped by other teachings, that’s okay. This is an invitation to see it again—through the eyes of Jesus.
Maybe we ask ourselves: With what I know about the ethics of Jesus and his kingdom, would Jesus ever be okay with me stealing someone’s home? Forcing families off their land? Dehumanizing people in the name of theology? If we do not believe these are the ways of Jesus, then we should not support anyone—regardless of religion or ethnicity—who does the same, especially when they attempt to use Scripture to justify such actions.
Because the gospel of Jesus does not justify stealing land. It does not bless bombs. It does not erase people. It makes enemies into neighbors. It breaks down dividing walls. It is good news for all people.
Let us return to that gospel.
Christian Zionism is a powerful political force in American Christianity today. To provide one example, see this February 27th letter to the US President, drafted by the organization called “American Christian Leaders for Israel,” calling for the United States government to ignore past treaties and law which established the current borders of Israel and Palestine, in favor of stealing land from Palestinian people to give it to the state of Israel.
On March 7th, another organization, “Friends of Sabeel North America: A Christian Voice for Palestine,” released a statement entitled “Christian Leaders, Activists, and Persons of Conscience Stand against Forced Displacement and Reaffirm the Inalienable Palestinian Right to a Life of Freedom and Dignity in their Ancestral Homeland.”
You can read it and consider signing on in support, if you haven’t already.
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