C012 (Confronting Christian Zionism)

House of Deputies Message #231

The House of Deputies informs the House of Bishops that on Jul 10, 2022 it considered resolution C012 (Confronting Christian Zionism). The house acted to:

Concur with Referral to an Interim Body


Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,

That the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church reject the nationalistic theology of Christian Zionism which provides the ideological basis for Christian Zionist leaders and politicians seeking to influence United States policy in Palestine-Israel; and be it further

Resolved, that this Convention not only reject the theology of Christian Zionism which is inherently antisemitic but also, critically, condemn the political policy positions that it sponsors and financially supports, which include Israel's expansion across the entire land of Palestine ­Israel and the displacement of the Palestinian people, including our indigenous Palestinian Christian and Muslim brothers and sisters; and be it further

Resolved, that, recognizing the extent to which the Prayer Book liturgy including prayers and the lectionary as well as the hymns contain frequent references to the Biblical land of Israel and the Israelites and that many Episcopalians confuse these with the current State of Israel, a conflation that reinforces the deceptive theology of Christian Zionism , the Episcopal Church commit to making clear in liturgy and in teaching the clear distinction between the current political situation and the Biblical past.