On the first episode of the Good for the Jews podcast, hosts Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, are joined by guests Bishop Robert Stearns and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki to discuss the thoughts and feelings behind Christian support for Israel.
Christians and Jews have had a turbulent relationship throughout their history, with many in the Jewish community today still having historical and current concerns regarding having a close relationship with Christians. Stearns explained that, "Jews have very good reason to be suspicious, fearful, cynical regarding Christian extension of friendship to the Jews, because the history of Jewish-Christian relationship has been horrible for the Jews."
Wolicki addressed another concern: the fear that Christian Zionists are just trying to convert Jews to Christianity.
"If they're trying to convert us, then they're the greatest failures I've ever seen in my life," Wolicki said. "I don't think the Christian Zionist movement has converted any Jews... If their goal was to convert Jews, then really, they should invest money somewhere else."
Christian Zionism: Understanding Christian support for the State of Israel
Stearns and Wolicki further noted the connection Christians have with the Holy Land and with the modern State of Israel and how that shapes their support of modern Israel. Stearns discussed the Christian Zionist sentiments that have always existed in Christianity in some form, and noted how one Christian, William Hechler, played a major role in the start of the modern Zionist movement alongside Theodor Herzl.
Speaking about Christian Zionism, Wolicki noted, "Christian Zionism isn’t just a political position, it's a whole reorientation about what it means to be Christian and what the relationship to the source of Christianity is, the origins of Christianity, which really come from Judaism, and an ongoing relationship with the nation of Israel.
Yael closes the podcast, reflecting back on the discussion and reminding the listeners that, "Christian friends aren’t here to convert us or change us. They love us for who we are. They support us—sacrificially—and expect nothing in return."
The Good for the Jews podcast is a joint project between The Jerusalem Post and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.