Strategic Implications of American Millennialism

[AnotherBaptist]

Some good points.

Here's a rejoinder:

1. Was there any claim to objectivity in the paper?

Any good paper or essay should seek objectivity. There was no balance that I saw.

2. Wouln't you rely on preterist scholarship if you thought futurism needed a corrective?

Again, objectivity. When I wanted to learn about partial preterism I read Sproul's book, not one by a pre-miller. I knew what to expect. This paper said nothing about what would happen if preterism was rampant in political thought, all Muslims rallied behind that under an entirely different pretense and annihilated Israel (which they would be sure to do). That's the balance I would have in such a paper. If both are dangerous, then say so.

3. Weren't those British evangelicals influenced by dispensational premillenialism?

To be sure. But they didn't will the declaration into existence. Like this thesis, it overstates the power of pre-millennial-ism. God has His own hand in this too. He establishes rulers and authorities, not theologians. And a lot more was divided by the declaration than just Palestine.

4. Radical Muslims want war, that's a given. But should Israel expand to ancient boudaries? And should the Palentinians just lay down and give it to them, or fight for it?

You're forgetting that Israel didn't start the 1967 war. They weren't sending tanks into Gaza or the West bank to guard new "settlements" or anything close. They were attacked, without warning, by the Arabs and only gained the land they have now by pushing back their aggressors. If the Arabs wanted to keep this land, they never should have attacked in the first place.

You're also forgetting that most Palestinians deny Israel's right to exist, not just on that land, but any land. Do you agree with that?

 

[Jerome]

Yes, the soldier who produced this screed moonlights as a preacher in the Churches of Christ denomination. Take a look at his sermon on "Supernatural Power: What the Bible Teaches About When and Why God Allowed Satan and His Forces to Use Supernatural Power in the Physical World":

Skyline Church of Christ (PowerPoint file)

 

[J.D.]

most Palestinians deny Israel's right to exist, not just on that land, but any land. Do you agree with that?

Yes, I agree that Palenstinians deny Israel's right to exist, but I don't agree with their opinion. I support Israel's right to exist, and its right to occupy buffer zones as long as hostilities continue.

 

[J.D.]

Yes, the soldier who produced this screed moonlights as a preacher in the Churches of Christ denomination. Take a look at his sermon on "Supernatural Power: What the Bible Teaches About When and Why God Allowed Satan and His Forces to Use Supernatural Power in the Physical World":

Skyline Church of Christ (PowerPoint file)

I'm not surprised that he's a preacher, but a little surprised that he's CoC. I thought they were premil, but that shows you what I know. He certainly has a good grasp of the history of millenialism.

 

[J.D.]

Any good paper or essay should seek objectivity. There was no balance that I saw.

There is no neutrality on truth, and everyone has agenda. And neutral objectivity is never the goal of a paper unless it is stated by the author.

You have to remember that this is a college paper by an individual student. It is not an official government document, contrary to what Noah Hutchins says, and therefore does not seek to achieve objective neutrality.

Army War College is an acrredited graduate school, granting Master's degrees in Military Science and related fields. It is funded by appropriated DOD funds, but it is administered by professional Academics.

This paper said nothing about what would happen if preterism was rampant in political thought

And why should it? That was not the topic of the paper.

To be sure. But they didn't will the declaration into existence.

"They" (dispenationalists) weren't exactly opposed to it, were they?

Like this thesis, it overstates the power of pre-millennial-ism.

You should get the book "Ideas Have Consequences" by Richard Weaver.

God has His own hand in this too. He establishes rulers and authorities, not theologians.

"And he gave some...teachers" (Eph 4); does this not apply?

You're forgetting that Israel didn't start the 1967 war. They weren't sending tanks into Gaza or the West bank to guard new "settlements" or anything close. They were attacked, without warning, by the Arabs and only gained the land they have now by pushing back their aggressors. If the Arabs wanted to keep this land, they never should have attacked in the first place.

I'm not forgetting anything, but aren't you asssuming that I don't support Israel just because my support is not absolute?

 

[Jerome]

From the biliography:

Harkrider, Robert. Revelation. Bowling Green, KY: Guardian of Truth, 1997. The author is a preacher among the churches of Christ. The book is a verse-by-verse commentary on the Book of Revelation. Guardian of Truth is a religiously conservative publisher normally associated with writers among the churches of Christ and other successors to the American Restoration. In addition to the commentary section, the book contains several subject specific appendices, including one devoted to the refutation of pre-millennialism.

(Harkrider [South Bubmy Church of Christ] is a frequent guest speaker at Annadale Church of Christ, where the OP article's author now attends)

 

[J.D.]

J.D., thanks for posting this. I scanned over the paper, downloaded it into my 'Christian Zionism' file, and will look at it later. I also liked your poem.

Two of the worlds' leading academics on U.S. Foreign Policy published this scholarly paper in March, 2006. It went around the globe in two weeks, but was given a cool reception here in the states. It is available at the Harvard site as a downloadable PDF file:

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.
Walt, Stephen and John J. Mearsheimer. "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy." KSG Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP06-011, March 2006.
http://web.hks.harvard.edu/publications/workingpapers/citation.aspx?PubId=3670

Abstract
In this paper, John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago's Department of Political Science and Stephen M.Walt of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government contend that the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy is its intimate relationship with Israel. The authors argue that although often justified as reflecting shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives, the U.S. commitment to Israel is due primarily to the activities of the “Israel Lobby." This paper goes on to describe the various activities that pro-Israel groups have undertaken in order to shift U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction.

Some excerpts (emphasis mine):

Thanks for the support. I'm currently trying to figure out how to set my poem to music. Could be a top-40 hit?