(JNS) Kudos to Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel: a genuine man of faith, an authentic patriot, a true friend of Israel—and a mensch to boot.

When a statement, allegedly penned by unnamed patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem and purporting to represent unity and the Christian communities in Israel, recently appeared disparaging of so-called Christian Zionism, he forthrightly challenged the substance of the statement.

Huckabee began by clearly noting that the statement was not made by evangelical churches in Israel. After all, as he professed prayerfully, he loves his Christian brothers and sisters of other religious sects, but he would never claim that he spoke for all Christians worldwide or assume there is only one viewpoint regarding faith in the Holy Land of Israel.

Evangelicals, like many other Christians, believe in the authority of Scripture and that God keeps his promises. Christianity is rooted in Judaism, and the Bible and the Judeo-Christian ethic are a fundamental part of Western civilization and integral to the founding principles of the United States.

As Huckabee eloquently states: “The thought that God is even capable of breaking a covenant is anathema to those of us who embrace Holy Scripture as the authority of the church. If God can or would break His covenant with the Jews, then what hope would Christians have that He would keep His covenant with us?”

It is a powerful argument, and Christians, Jews and Muslims (who treasure the Koran) should take note as well. The political theologians who weaponize religion in service of their agenda-driven desires have callously denied these basic scriptural truths. Instead, they foster ideological doctrines that support and validate their own quest for power, all as a part of an elaborate masquerade that purports to equate their personal brand to religion.

Words are misused and deprived of any meaning. Consider the use of the term “Christian Zionism” as a pejorative to demean Christians who believe that the Jewish people have a right to their ancient biblical homeland of Israel. Frankly, as Huckabee so well notes, how can any Christian believe otherwise? In essence, it would deny the veracity of the Bible and, therefore, undermine the entire Christian belief system.

The Bible is replete with explicit assurances that God’s covenant with the Jewish people and their vested title to the Land of Israel are everlasting, including in the Five Books of Moses (Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-17, 15:5-21, 17:7-8 and 19, 22:16-8, 48:4; Exodus 2:24, 6:2-8; Leviticus 26:42-5; and Deuteronomy 4:3, 7:6-9, 9:4-6); Prophets (Isaiah 49, 54:9-10, 55:3-13, 59:20-1; Jeremiah 32:40-2, 33:19-26; Ezekiel 16:60, 36:22-38, 37:24-8 and Amos 9:14-5); and Writings (I Chronicles 16:15-7; Psalms 105:8-11 and 111:9).

The New Testament also confirms that God’s covenant with the Jewish people is not abrogated (Romans 11; Luke 1:68-73; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:17; and Hebrews 6:13-18).

For that matter, the Koran (17:104, 5:21, 7:137, 26:59 and 10:93) also provides that the Jewish people have a right to the Land of Israel.

It is important to note that Pope Paul VI, as leader of the Catholic Church, issued the famous declaration, known as Nostra Aetate, on Oct. 28, 1965, which was overwhelmingly adopted by the Bishops present at Vatican II. It affirmed the ancient covenant God made with the Jewish people had not been revoked or superseded and remained valid and irrevocable, citing the Apostle Paul in Roman 11:28-29. Thus began the long journey of mutual respect and understanding, which resulted, among other things, in the Vatican recognizing the State of Israel and entering into the Vatican-Israel Accord of 1993.

In a meeting with World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder and others on Oct. 28, 2015, marking the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, Pope Francis said, “To attack Jews is antisemitism, but an outright attack on the State of Israel is also antisemitism. There may be political disagreements between governments and on political issues, but the State of Israel has every right to exist in safety and prosperity.”

John Hagee, an American evangelical pastor and founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), is among the vast majority of evangelicals who believe that “Christians have a Bible mandate to be supportive of Israel and the Jewish people without a hidden agenda.” This position is firmly supported by scripture expressly on point, as noted above.

The theme of God keeping his promises is poignantly presented by Rashi, a seminal 11th-century biblical exegete, in his exquisite commentary on Deuteronomy 34:4. The verse records how God told Moses: “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to say it, I will assign it to your offspring, I have let you see it with your own eyes … .”

Rashi masterfully notes that God let Moses see it so that when he passed away, he could “say it” to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in heaven that God’s oath to them had been fulfilled. It’s a profound lesson in God’s faithfulness that is also presented in the Talmud and Midrash.

Let’s not allow agenda-driven political theology to divide us. Good people of all faiths, let’s join together and actually do good deeds. As Numbers 24:9 assures, whoever blesses Israel will be blessed.

Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates