Christians, especially evangelicals, are stepping up to help Israel out of its genocide-Induced slump. Is that a good idea?
By Kathryn Shihadah, reposted from Patheos, July 15, 2026
American evangelical leaders are pushing back against a wartime drop in Christian support for Israel, and have pledged to redouble their efforts among the young generation in the postwar period by mixing the Bible with Israeli innovation, as well as bringing more Christians to visit.
A prominent group of American Christian media broadcasters will, for the first time, hold a major event in Jerusalem next year, seeking to unite Christians and Jews in combating media misinformation following the two-year war against Hamas in Gaza.
Larry Huch, a pastor from Dallas, figures it this way: “Israel is terrible at PR… everything is war.”
Indeed, the name “Israel” has become synonymous with genocide, famine, killing children, torturing prisoners, and stealing land – a true PR nightmare. Israel’s advocates place the blame squarely on social media.
The “media misinformation” that Christians and Jews “must” battle is not misinformation at all, but inconvenient truths. Israel has been engaging in genocide for nearly three years, killing at a bare minimum 73,000 Palestinians – most likely the number is several times higher. Israel has manufactured a famine, bombed crowds of civilians, shot babies and children in the head, tortured prisoners held without charge… the list goes on.
This is not a public relations faux pas. A country that acts in this way, whose leaders have publicly made genocidal statements and are wanted for war crimes, whose soldiers film themselves committing illegal acts – this country has more than a PR problem.
Pastor Huch’s plan to counter Israel’s (rightfully) tarnished reputation? “We need to combine biblical history with the benefits that Israel is bringing to the world through its innovations.”
The suggestion that Israel’s innovations could possibly make up for the commission of genocide should turn the stomach of any Christ-follower – especially given that some of its greatest advancements have been in spyware and weaponry, tested in the laboratory of Gaza, sold around the world, and making a bundle of money for the Jewish State.
One former Israeli diplomat instructed a pastors’ conference last month, “The less young people know the Bible, the further they drift away from Israel. You lose connection to the Bible, you lose connection to our common roots.”
In reality, though, the less we know our Bible, the more easily we can be duped by charlatans.
The Bible does not teach love for the modern state of Israel. Certain interpretations of certain verses of the Bible can be manipulated to appear to command us to love Israel and long for the destruction of the Palestinian people. This is Christian Zionism, a theology that runs counter to manyof Jesus’ teachings, such as his emphasis on a spiritual kingdom that transcends borders and ethnic groups. Nonviolence, love for one’s enemies, championing the oppressed – these core Christian tenets all fly in the face of Zionism.
Perhaps that is why it took an organization funded by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (“This material is distributed by Show Faith By Works on behalf of Israel – Ministry of Foreign Affairs”) to create a Christian Zionist Bible study program for American pastors. That’s right: the Israeli government wants to teach us Scripture – including the New Testament – and to do so through Interviews with Israel Defense Forces soldiers (some of whom have committed war crimes), West Bank settlers (some of whom are violent extremists), and other folks whom we can definitely trust to help us understand Scripture.
One former Israeli diplomat instructed a pastors’ conference last month, “The less young people know the Bible, the further they drift away from Israel. You lose connection to the Bible, you lose connection to our common roots.”
In reality, though, the less we know our Bible, the more easily we can be duped by charlatans.
The Bible does not teach love for the modern state of Israel. Certain interpretations of certain verses of the Bible can be manipulated to appear to command us to love Israel and long for the destruction of the Palestinian people. This is Christian Zionism, a theology that runs counter to manyof Jesus’ teachings, such as his emphasis on a spiritual kingdom that transcends borders and ethnic groups. Nonviolence, love for one’s enemies, championing the oppressed – these core Christian tenets all fly in the face of Zionism.
Perhaps that is why it took an organization funded by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (“This material is distributed by Show Faith By Works on behalf of Israel – Ministry of Foreign Affairs”) to create a Christian Zionist Bible study program for American pastors. That’s right: the Israeli government wants to teach us Scripture – including the New Testament – and to do so through Interviews with Israel Defense Forces soldiers (some of whom have committed war crimes), West Bank settlers (some of whom are violent extremists), and other folks whom we can definitely trust to help us understand Scripture.
Our souls, dear fellow Christians, are for sale. Israel recently budgeted $730,000,000 for PR, to boost its tarnished reputation in the West (especially the US). That is nearly 100 times what the Jewish State used to spend per year before the war (read: genocide) on Gaza began. This pile of cash is being spent on all kinds of influence – purportedly to help us misinformed Americans to stop believing the facts we see and start believing pro-Israel spin.
When you see a glitzy pro-Israel Bible study, an all-expenses-paid conference in Jerusalem, a visitor to your church who wants to talk about the wonders of Israel, or even a Google search comes up with a sponsored result (i.e. paid advertisement) that is pro-Israel – it is safe to assume the related expenses came out of Israel’s $730 mil PR budget (there’s much more going on behind the scenes). Much of the influence is framed as Christian education because Christians have been some of Israel’s greatest supporters.
Ultimately, Israel and its supporters know they can’t hide Israel’s policies of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, occupation,rape, and genocide forever. When the Israeli governmentand pro-Israel organizations, billionaires, and leaders pourmassive effort and huge sums into propaganda; when they assemble media conglomerates and thought leaders to control the narrative, and affix the “antisemite” label to advocates of Palestinian rights – all in an attempt torenovate Israel’s reputation – they are misdirecting their effort.
When Israel dismantles its apartheid and adopts equal rights for all, when it ends its 77-year war against Palestinian existence – then it might expect to enjoy support again.
We as Christians should behave responsibly. If we’re taught something that doesn’t track with Jesus’ life and teachings, we must question it. If we learn that it is unsound doctrine, we need to call it out.
Uncritical support for Israel is unsound doctrine, and it is killing people.
Kathryn Shihadah is news editor for If Americans Knew. She speaks regularly about the injustice and demonization Palestinians face at the hands of Israel with complicity from the United States, especially to Christian audiences. Kathryn has lived in the Middle East for ten years and has traveled extensively. She blogs occasionally at Grace-Colored Glasses, part of Patheos Media.
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