Christian Zionism in Africa

Over the past decade, Christian movements that advocate for Israel have become increasingly vocal across Africa. And yet, the spread of this type of Christian Zionism on the continent has so far attracted very little attention from scholars. The publication of Christian Zionism in Africa—the first volume dedicated specifically to this topic, to my knowledge—is therefore timely. Nonetheless, this book is better regarded as a theological and political intervention in the debate on the merits and implications of Christian Zionism, rather than a dispassionate analysis of the subject. The overall thrust of the collection is not so much to describe, analyze, or historicize contemporary Christian Zionism in Africa, but to refute its claims and logic and to shed light on Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians.

The editor of the volume, Cynthia Holder Rich, and several of the contributors are affiliated with the Faculty of Theology at Tumaini University Makumira—the university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Other contributors include activists and writers dedicated to the Palestinian cause. Their shared stance towards Christian Zionism (and political Zionism) is made clear from the outset. In his brief foreword to the book, Walter Brueggemann refers to the key beliefs of Christian Zionism as “beguiling, goofy,” as well as “odd,” and states that “the good news of the gospel of Christ has been preempted, distorted, or eliminated in the ideology of Christian Zionism” (viii-ix). In another contribution, Mark Rich describes Christian Zionism as “a spiritual and theological virus, foreign to the gospel itself and to the body of the church,” and to which the only “vaccine” is “the gospel of Jesus Christ” (121-122).

The title of the collection notwithstanding, considerable portions of the book do not deal directly with Christian Zionism in Africa. The first part of the book, promisingly titled “History, Law, and Politics,” opens with a chapter by John M. Hubers that features a concise history of Christian Zionism in the UK and the US. Benjamin J. Parsalaw and Sara Ryan offer a “legal analysis of the current State of Zion (Israel) and any future Zionistic states” (45), warning of the dangers of hegemonic regimes, while Jonathan Kuttab, a Palestinian human rights activist, assesses whether Israel is an apartheid state. In an essay that does turn to Africa, Samwel Shanga Mhajida reviews East African gospel songs featuring Zionist themes, but his contribution fails to offer a coherent historical analysis of the development of Christian Zionism in this region.

Several of the contributions focus on advancing theological critiques of Christian Zionism. Nehemia G. Moshi promises to analyze the “Zionist inclinations” of African Christianity and to articulate a “theological response” to these. The analysis of Zionism in Africa is thin and problematically reduces it to a missionary import, while the theological critique offered by Moshi describes Christian Zionism as a “selfish” belief that is contradictory to African and Christian ideals of community, familyhood, and love. Rich’s contribution argues that Christian Zionism is a heresy, while Faustin Leonard Mahali argues that Pauline theology can play an important role in fighting xenophobia and other forms of racism. Holder Rich, the editor, accuses Christian Zionists in Africa of leaving “Israeli racism—and their own racism—unchallenged” (148), while “twisting” the gospel to support of “violence and oppression” (162).

Other contributions examine the role of religious institutions in promoting or challenging Christian Zionism. Modestus Lukonge critiques the operations of Christian Zionist groups in Tanzania. His chapter stands out in its use of primary research, as it partly draws upon phone and online interviews with Christian Zionist pastors. Jörg Zehelein reflects on, and critiques, the way Pentecostalism and “prosperity gospel” in Africa inform and promote Christian Zionist beliefs. Marthie Momberg criticizes Israel’s practice of “selling lies” (222) in Africa to mobilize diplomatic support for its policies, partly reflecting on his own engagements with South African churches and experiences visiting Palestine. Suraya Dadoo shows how Israel leverages the Zionist messaging of Pentecostal Churches in Ghana in its public diplomacy efforts. Mark Braverman, closing the book, calls on churches to reject Christian Zionism and stand against the injustices perpetrated against Palestinians.

It is unfortunate that what is seemingly the first edited collection on Christian Zionism in Africa features no attempt to trace this movement’s theological and institutional roots in the continent, define its sociological and theological perimeters, or provide any estimates regarding its demographics. Moreover, although several of the contributors are based in Africa, few of the contributions draw upon primary research, and even those that do derive much of their information from online sources. Ultimately, the contributions tell us little about Africa’s Christian Zionists as such: who they are, how and why they have come to adopt Zionist theologies, or what exactly these theologies state. The chapters by Dadoo, Lukonge, Mhajida, and Momberg are the exceptions, with their use of examples and empirical evidence. But without an introductory chapter that delineates the scope of the issues and their scholarly and political stakes, the book fails to lucidly package these contributions in a broader context.

An effort to place the contributions in this book in relation to broader scholarly conversations in the history and anthropology of Christianity in Africa would have made this collection more appealing to researchers and students. At times, the efforts to deliver a political message also result in mistakes and inaccuracies—such as the reference to Sudanese and Eritrean refugees in Israel as “African Jews” (48)—which also undermine the academic rigorousness of the book. But academics and scholars are not the primary targets of this volume, which has mainly been written, it seems, with African Christians, clergy, and church officials in mind. As such, and given the overt political use Israel makes of Christian Zionism in Africa, it is hard not to be sympathetic to the contributors’ effort to criticize this movement and to try to advance more optimistic, peaceful, and humane theologies and religious practices.

Yotam Gidron is a postdoctoral researcher in the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University.

Yotam Gidron

Date Of Review:

July 31, 2023