On January 17, 2026, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement condemning Christian Zionism as a “damaging ideology” that “mislead[s] the public, sow[s] confusion, and harm[s] the unity of our flock.”1 In the statement, they also claimed exclusive authority over Christians in the Holy Land, insisting that “they alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land.”2
We at Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem offer this response with respect for the historical churches of the Holy Land, gratitude for their long-standing witness, and a sincere desire for unity among all who call upon the name of Jesus, our Messiah. At the same time, we must firmly reject the assertion that Christian Zionism is inherently harmful, misleading, or incompatible with authentic Christian faith and that the Jerusalem patriarchs are the sole representation of Messiah’s body in the Holy Land.
A Defense of Christian Zionism
The statement issued by the Jerusalem patriarchs—which represent the leaders of the major traditional churches in Jerusalem, such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, the Anglican Church, and the Lutheran Church—neither defined Christian Zionism nor offered a theological critique of it.3 Instead, it simply asserted that the view is harmful.
Christian Zionism is the theological conviction held by millions of Christians worldwide that God is faithful to His covenants; that the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have not been revoked; and that the Jewish people have a legitimate and enduring connection to their ancestral homeland as described in the Bible. We affirm all these truths in our purpose statement (Genesis 13:14–15; Psalm 105:8–11; Jeremiah 31:35–37; Romans 9–11).4
The covenant with the Jewish people that includes the land promise is not an optional doctrine that Christians may discard without consequence. If God can abandon His promises to Israel, then the reliability of every divine promise can be called into question. Christian Zionists therefore affirm Jewish restoration to the land not as a denial of the gospel, but as a testament to the character of God revealed in the Scriptures. Rather than serving as a “damaging ideology,” Christian Zionism affirms the faithful character of our God.
Rejoicing in and supporting the Jewish right of return to the land of Israel does not require uncritical endorsement of every Israeli government policy—although at times it may come across in that way. Christian Zionism is not allegiance to a political party but to biblical revelation. Christians may—and do—debate policies and care deeply about the welfare of all who live in the land, Jewish and Arab alike.
This affirmation of God’s faithfulness to Israel should not and does not ignore God’s love for Palestinians. As the Jewish apostle Peter wrote concerning God’s love for the Gentiles, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34–35). Christians who affirm God’s eternal covenant with the Jewish people must not ignore the challenges or suffering of Arabs in the Holy Land.
In our purpose statement at the Alliance, we “deny that hostility towards Palestinians, or any other peoples in the Middle East, is congruent with expressing love and support for Israel.”5 Equating Christian Zionism with hostility toward Christian Palestinians or indifference to their suffering is inaccurate and unfair. Many Christian Zionists are deeply involved in humanitarian aid projects to help Palestinians in Gaza as well as reconciliation efforts between Jewish and Arab people in the land.
The pursuit of peace between Jewish and Arab people and the affirmation of Jewish belonging in the Jewish ancestral homeland are not mutually exclusive commitments. In the Jewish Scriptures, after God promised the land of Israel to Jewish people as an eternal possession, He commanded Israel to love and treat non-Jews living among them as they would themselves (Leviticus 19:33–34). God desires for both Jewish and Arab people to live together in peace.
The Exclusion of Israeli Messianic Jews and Evangelicals
We are particularly concerned by the claim that “the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem reiterate that they alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land.” In making this claim, the Jerusalem churches excluded all Messianic Jews and evangelical Christians. This statement also ignores the centrality and leadership of Messianic Jews and their symbolic connection to the first Jewish followers of Jesus and the whole Jewish context of Christian faith.
As one Israeli Messianic Jewish pastor, David Zadok, responded,
I read the statement with a sense of disappointment and sorrow, because a large and very important part of Christ’s Church is entirely absent from the picture that is presented by the statement. . . . One wonders, how in the name of unity, as even quoted in the statement and referenced from the Epistle of Paul to Romans 12:5, a vital part of that body, namely, Jewish believers in Jesus, the Messianic Jews, who live, worship, raise families, and serve the Lord here in Israel, is neglected.6
For Messianic Jews, the issue is not abstract theology. It is personal, lived, and inseparable from their covenantal identity as Jewish people who believe in Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. Zadok continues, “While political movements deserve careful discernment, I gently ask that we as Jewish believers in Jesus not be reduced to political categories. Our faith did not arise from modern politics. It arose from the Scriptures, from the promises of God, and the covenant that God made with us, and especially a future hope for the Jewish people, that one day ‘all Israel will be saved,’ as Paul writes in Romans 11:26.”7
In claiming to be the sole arbiter of Christian theology and experience in the Holy Land, the Jerusalem patriarchs excluded an entire segment of the church—their Israeli Jewish brothers and sisters in Messiah as well as Gentile Christians who affirm God’s promises to Israel. As United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee explained, “I do not feel any sect of the Christian faith should . . . assume there is only one viewpoint regarding faith in the Holy Land. Personally, I’m part of a global and growing evangelical tradition that believes the authority of Scripture and the faithfulness of God in keeping His covenants. That includes His covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people. My Christian faith is built on the foundation of Judaism and without it, Christianity would not exist.”8
At the Alliance, we affirm that the Christian faith is inseparable from its Jewish roots and the promises God made to Israel. Far from being a “damaging ideology” that threatens unity within the body of Messiah, Christian Zionism honors the faithfulness of God to His Word, which includes the land promises, and reminds us that God keeps His commitments across generations. We invite our brothers and sisters in every church tradition to engage this issue with open Bibles and open hearts—and to join us in praying together for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6.)
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1 “A Statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem on Unity and Representation of the Christian Communities in the Holy Land,” Jerusalem Patriarchate, January 17, 2026, https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/announcements/a-statement-from-the-patriarchs-and-heads-of-the-churches-in-jerusalem-on-unity-and-representation-of-the-christian-communities-in-the-holy-land/.
2 “A Statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem on Unity and Representation of the Christian Communities in the Holy Land.”
3 “‘Christians Should Rejoice in Jewish Return to Holy Land’: ICEJ Fires Back After Jerusalem Church Leaders Call Christian Zionism a ‘Damaging Ideology,’” All Israel News, January 20, 2026, https://allisraelnews.com/christians-should-rejoice-in-jewish-return-to-holy-land-icej-fires-back-after-jerusalem-church-leaders-call-christian-zionism-a-damaging-ideology.
4 “Our Hope for Peace: A Statement on Israel, the Nations, and the Gospel,” Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, accessed February 20, 2026, https://allianceforthepeaceofjerusalem.com/statement/.
5 “Our Hope for Peace: A Statement on Israel, the Nations, and the Gospel,” Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, accessed February 20, 2026, https://allianceforthepeaceofjerusalem.com/statement/.
6 David Zadok, “An Israeli Messianic Jewish Pastor Responds to Jerusalem Church Leaders, Defending Christian Zionism,” All Israel News, January 18, 2026, https://allisraelnews.com/blog/an-israeli-messianic-jewish-pastor-responds-to-jerusalem-church-leaders-defending-christian-zionism.
7 Zadok. “An Israeli Messianic Jewish Pastor Responds to Jerusalem Church Leaders, Defending Christian Zionism.”
8 Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee), X post, January 20, 2026, https://x.com/govmikehuckabee/status/2013697566295101916.
