CHRISTIAN ZI*NISM IN AFRICA

Why do many Christians, especially in Africa, ardently support the settler-colonial ideology of Zi*nism, despite living on a continent still reckoning with the legacy of colonialism?

The reason is mainly due to the faulty interpretation of Biblical texts, particularly in the US, where evangelical Christians influence African churches and US foreign policy to justify unwavering support for Israel. For instance, US Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz on X), a staunch Israel supporter, said in an interview hosted by US-based journalist Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson on X) that the Bible commands Christians to support Israel, citing a verse he could not locate in the holy book.

For more insight into this phenomenon, we spoke with Stephen Sizer, a retired Anglican minister and the founder and director of Peacemaker Trust. He is an author and scholar with papers and books on the interconnection between Christianity and Zionism, including his influential work, 'Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon?'

Sizer unravelled the complex link between African churches and Christian Zionist benefactors from the 'Bible Belt,' a region of the southern United States where socially conservative Protestantism reigns.

He explained how foreign funding forces African churches to align their doctrines with these Christian Zionist patrons. As a result, many African Christians defend Israel, believing they are supporting 'God's chosen people.'

However, South Africa's g*nocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stands out as an embodiment of African solidarity with Palestine, even though a few governments, such as Ghana under former President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo under Felix Tshisekedi initially sided with Israel shortly after 7 October 2023.

Rather than mandating unquestioning support for the illegal settler state of Israel in Palestine, the Bible urges Christians to return to the authentic faith initiated by the anti-imperialist Jesus Christ, that of being peacemakers, not widow-makers.