Today’s guest is Charles Carlson, one of the foremost critics of Christian Zionism from “We Hold These Truths–” a pro-peace, pro-life group that has been hosting vigils at large evangelical churches across America, challenging their support for Israel, for over a decade.
Carlson shares personal stories of his own travels to Gaza & first hand knowledge of Israel’s brutality against the Palestinian people. With powerful images, he challenges the inhumanity of Israel’s policies of ethnic cleansing, and illustrates in poignant terms how this Zionist vision of Christianity has contributed to a state of permanent warfare in the Middle East.
Carlson talks extensively about the great irony of Israel’s financial dependence on groups like “Christians United for Israel” to bankroll illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank–an incestuous relationship Americans are woefully unaware of. We are more keenly aware of the power of Churches in US politics, or that with over 70 million faith-based voters–including 20 million evangelicals– which tend to vote as a bloc, have created a backdoor for Israeli politics to push its way to the front burner of the Political Right, firing up the neo-con agenda, as well. Though it’s a political hot potato for the Left, this is one of the most important political fights of our age. Carlson’s group, “We Hold These Truths” is smack in the middle of that challenge, engaging with churches on the basis of biblical teachings and citations of scripture.
Carlson explains that Christian Zionism are guided by one simple principle–that the State of Israel fulfills biblical prophecy. For indeed Christian Zionists believe Israel’s rise– and destruction by God, caused by its hubris and abuses– are preconditions for God to send the Messiah as part of the End Times Movement. Unless we wake up the masses, as a direct consequence of this Zionist philosophy, the global community is guaranteed to face endless cycles of destruction in the Middle East for years to come.
Many thanks to Charles Carlson for this excellent interview.

website: www.whtt.org/