593: Pro-Israeli, Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Peace with Todd Deatherage
Nov 29, 2023
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Former State Department official Todd Deatherage discusses his 15-year effort to promote pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian peacemaking. The podcast explores the rise of antisemitism, the challenge of balancing tribal allegiance with ethical commitments, and the role of the church in prioritizing care for fellow Christians. They also delve into the unique characteristics of Jewish identity, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and power dynamics, and the importance of reflecting Christ and promoting peacemaking in American Christianity.
Supporting Israel should not diminish the dignity of Palestinians, emphasizing the need for nuance and compassion.
Understanding the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is crucial for pursuing justice, peace, and reconciliation.
Dispensationalism has influenced evangelical support for Israel, but a more nuanced theological perspective is necessary.
Deep dives
Recognizing the Complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Todd Deathridge, the executive director of the Telos Group, shares his unlikely journey of involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from growing up with a simplistic understanding rooted in politics and dispensationalism, to encountering the complexity of the conflict during his time in the State Department. Reflecting on the need to expand our scope of moral concern and recognize the humanity of everyone involved, Deathridge emphasizes the importance of finding a future that allows everyone to flourish, rather than reducing the conflict to a matter of good versus bad. He addresses the role of American evangelicals in supporting Israel, acknowledging the historical antisemitism within Christianity and the need for self-interrogation. Overall, he calls for a peacemaking approach that is nuanced, compassionate, and rooted in the principles of justice and dignity for all.
The Importance of Doing the Work to Understand the Conflict
Deathridge highlights the need for Americans to go beyond their simplistic views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and engage in the necessary work of understanding its complexity. He introduces the Telos Group's approach of facilitating trips to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, designed to help participants listen to diverse viewpoints, hold different experiences in tension, and cultivate relationships with Israelis, Palestinians, and various religious groups. The goal is to challenge preconceived notions, embrace the connections between justice and peace, and develop an eschatological and cultural imagination that reflects God's vision for a world of abundance, mutuality, and love. By immersing oneself in the brokenness, vulnerability, and fear experienced by different communities, Deathridge believes it is possible to pursue repair, reconciliation, and justice that allows all to flourish.
Examining the US Evangelical Support for Israel
Discussing the US evangelical support for Israel, Deathridge acknowledges the historical antisemitism within Christian history but recognizes that supporting Israel is generally preferable to hating it. However, he urges self-interrogation within the evangelical community and an understanding of the church's complicity in weaponizing theology against Jews. Deathridge encourages Christians to deepen their understanding of the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict beyond simplistic views of good versus bad. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing the humanity and dignity of all parties involved and calls for a peacemaking approach rooted in justice, compassion, and a future that allows everyone to thrive.
The Need for Nuanced Approaches and Compassionate Peacemaking
Deathridge highlights the need for nuanced approaches and compassionate peacemaking in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He emphasizes the danger of reducing the conflict to simplistic narratives and urges Christians to confront their own biases and assumptions. By holding space for diverse perspectives and engaging in relationship-building, Deathridge believes it is possible to work towards a future that offers justice, peace, and flourishing for all parties involved. He advocates for an understanding of the conflict that goes beyond tribal allegiances and embraces a vision of unity and love rooted in biblical principles. Deathridge encourages Christians to reject binary thinking and instead embrace the complexity of the conflict as they strive for reconciliation and justice.
Understanding the Influence of Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism, an eschatological belief system popularized by evangelicals, has had a significant impact on the pro-Israel stance of many Christians. This theology, rooted in a detailed understanding of biblical prophecies and charts, shapes the belief that supporting Israel is essential for their own theological understanding of the end times. This dispensationalist belief has been ingrained in the evangelical movement since the 19th century and became closely tied to fundamentalism and political positions, such as the pro-life and pro-Israel stances. However, it should be noted that a more nuanced theological understanding is often lacking among many evangelicals, resulting in a simplistic view of supporting Israel without considering the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Need for a Vision of Mutual Flourishing
In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a binary view often prevails, with extreme factions on both sides opposing any possibilities of peace. However, there is a need to recognize that being pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian, while also advocating for peace, is crucially interconnected. The small piece of land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River is home to both Israelis and Palestinians, and their rights and privileges should not be determined solely by their ethnic or religious identity. Supporting mutual flourishing for all requires a vision of security, dignity, and freedom for both Israelis and Palestinians. It is essential to challenge the idea of a zero-sum game and to encourage actions that promote a resolution based on justice, peace, and reconciliation, rather than perpetuating violence and division.
With a spike in antisemitism around the world since the October 7th attack in Israel and the horrible scenes of Palestinian suffering in Gaza, Jews in the U.S. are wrestling with what it really means to be pro-Israel. Phil and Skye are joined by Holy Post pundit Mike Erre to discuss a thought-provoking sermon by American Rabbi Sharon Brous. She asks, is it possible to support one’s own tribe without diminishing the human dignity of others? And how does this relate to Christian communities who feel “under siege” in America? Then, former State Department official, Todd Deatherage, shares about his 15-year effort to help Americans understand that the Israeli-Palestinian situation is not a zero-sum conflict. He says evangelicals need to stop viewing Israel as a “lucky rabbit’s foot,” and embrace a vision for biblical peacemaking in the region that is both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian.
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