Christian Zionism on Steroids
In this piece, Rev. Mark Davidson explores the implications of Mike Huckabee’s potential appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Israel — and what it reveals about the growing influence of Christian Zionism in American foreign policy. A thoughtful look at the intersection of religion, politics, and the ongoing struggle for Palestinian rights.
Rev. J. Mark Davidson, Executive Director
12/6/20242 min read
The incoming Trump administration has nominated former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, to be the next US Ambassador to Israel. This is an ominous development. Though Huckabee has not yet been confirmed by the Senate, it seems very likely his nomination will be confirmed. Huckabee is staunchly committed to Israel and is so virulently anti-Palestinian that he denies “there is such a thing as a Palestinian” and refuses to use the term “Occupied Territories” or “The West Bank.” To him, this central portion of Palestine is not occupied Palestinian land; it is “Judea and Samaria.” Huckabee simply dismisses commonly accepted geographical designations in international law and the United Nations, and erases Palestinians.
He exalts the supremacist ideology of the Israeli settlers who hold that the Jews are God’s “chosen people,” that they, not the Palestinians, are the true indigenous people of the land of Palestine, and that God “gave them” the land. These things are settled fact in Huckabee’s mind. Huckabee believes that all of historic Palestine belongs to the modern state of Israel, that it is God’s will that world Jewry is entitled to Palestine, regardless of what Palestinians or the international community has to say about that. He believes that events in the Middle East are unfolding according to biblical prophecies, and that once the Jews return to the “Holy Land,” the stage is set for the Second Coming of Christ. A great many Christians interpret these “end-times” passages figuratively, not literally. They are dream-like visions during dark times. This literature expresses a longing for the reign of love and justice in the teachings of Christ. Thoughtful Christians don’t see these ancient literary passages as a blueprint for actual historical events. But not Mike Huckabee. To him, they are sacred edicts.
His beliefs are textbook, card-carrying Christian Zionism. Mike Huckabee is passionate about his beliefs, and he plans to conduct the nation’s business in Israel not as a diplomat steeped in international law, or even as an advocate of the national interests of the United States. He will use his ambassadorship to amplify, expand, and accelerate the agenda of Christian Zionism.
As unsettling as a Huckabee ambassadorship will be, there is a way to look at it that is positive. Christian Zionism has long been in the background of American foreign policy. Leading American politicians such as Speaker Johnson, former Vice President Mike Pence, and State Department Secretary Mike Pompeo are known Christian Zionists. Christians United for Israel (CUFI) boasts millions of American members, and Christian Zionists and Christian Nationalists are a substantial and influential part of Trump’s power base. But still, many Americans are oblivious to this deluded religio-political movement. Huckabee will foreground this heretical theology in ways that will shine a bright light on these dangerous ideas. Just as the genocide in Gaza has ripped the mask off of the fiction of Israel as a noble nation, Huckabee as ambassador to Israel will unmask the Christian Zionist roots of American foreign policy in Palestine-Israel. Then it will be up to the American people to demand a radical reset based not on misused religious texts, but on human rights and international law – a foreign policy that honors freedom and equal rights for Palestinians and Israeli Jews alike.
Grace, peace, and solidarity,
Mark