A Short History of Christian Zionism: From the Reformation to the Twenty-First Century

Lewis (The Origins of Christian Zionism), professor of church history at Regent College in Vancouver, provides a useful summary of the history of “a Christian movement which holds to the belief that the Jewish people have a biblically mandated claim to their ancient homeland in the Middle East.” He traces its origins to developments in Christianity that preceded the beginnings of the Zionist movement in the late 19th century. In doing so, Lewis more than meets his stated goal of enabling lay readers to “understand the movement’s lineage, and how and why it has developed as it has.” In 16th-century Europe, restorationism—the belief that the Jews would be physically restored to their homeland after they converted en mass to Christianity—emerged, becoming prominent enough that it “began to shape English national identity.” Restorationism spread to colonial America, and Lewis walks readers through the ways that Christian Zionism developed in North America over the last four centuries. Unfortunately, Lewis never satisfactorily addresses American Jewish concerns that evangelical support for Israel could be motivated by restorationist beliefs that all Jews covert to Christianity. Despite this, Lewis usefully teases out the origins of Christian Zionism for anyone looking to understand the highly influential movement. (Sept.)