How should Christians think about Israel?

As the conflict in the Middle East continues to dominate headlines, a new book by Professor Emeritus Dr Michael Rydelnik considers how Christians should think about Israel and the Jewish people today

Ever since the modern state of Israel was formed in May 1948, following the end of the British mandate in Palestine, Israel has not been far from news headlines.

The Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the subsequent Israeli retaliation in Gaza, the high-profile involvement of the President of the US in respect to these conflicts, the current US-led attack on Iran (along with Iran’s retaliation against Israel, and Israel’s subsequent assault on Lebanon), as well as reports of growing antisemitism in Western Europe, have all served to raise the topics of Israel and Jewish people in people’s minds, both politically and culturally.

However, having reached that level of awareness, how should people respond to the issues raised? More specifically, how should Christian people think and respond to such matters?

That is the question asked by the author, Dr Michael Rydelnik in his timely and aptly named new book How Should Christians Think About Israel?: A Quick Guide to God’s Covenants, Biblical Prophecy, and the Jewish People (Moody Publishers). Dr Rydelnik is well placed to write about such matters, being a Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies at the Moody Bible Institute, as well as being a Messianic Jew (more of which, later).