Key Points
- Christianity’s early separation from its Jewish roots helped create centuries of anti-Jewish teaching and persecution.
- Replacement Theology taught that the church replaced Israel in God’s plans, fueling contempt toward Jewish people.
- Access to Scripture, the lessons of the Holocaust, and the birth of Israel helped improve Jewish-Christian relations.
- Modern churches remain vulnerable to antisemitism through anti-Zionism, biblical illiteracy, and renewed replacement theology.
- Christians are called to recover biblical truth, reject antisemitism, and stand in solidarity with the Jewish people.
Jews and Christians have had a complex history of difficult relations for several reasons. What began in the first century as an internal squabble among Jews over the messiahship of Jesus became a split into two separate religions, both struggling to survive under the brutal Roman Empire. This separation produced opposition, contempt, and centuries of antisemitism.
How Did the Church Become Severed from Its Jewish Roots?
As the early church grew beyond its Judean base and throughout the Roman Empire, it inevitably became predominantly gentile, made up of pagans who had converted to Christianity with no knowledge of, nor appreciation for, the Jewish roots of the faith or the Jewish people themselves. Consequently, several gentile church fathers began to distinguish Christianity by preaching against Judaism and warning their followers away from it.
This is how the teaching of Replacement Theology (also called “supersessionism”) took root. Replacement Theology taught that the Jews had been cursed by God for rejecting Jesus’ messianic credentials and had been, therefore, replaced by the church in the plans and purposes of God.
This theology led to a teaching of contempt for the Jews, labeling them as “Christ-killers” and giving sanction to their maltreatment.
After Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century AD, anti-Jewish theology paved the way for centuries of degrading laws and state-sanctified discrimination, persecution, forced conversions, confinement to ghettos, and mass expulsions of Jews. This religiously motivated and state-empowered antisemitism prepared the way for the Nazi Holocaust.
To be clear, Christianity did not cause the Holocaust. However, Christian anti-Judaism, which led to antisemitism—history’s oldest hatred—made the Holocaust possible. Whereas Christianity had sought the conversion of the Jews and state leaders had sought their expulsion, the Nazis sought the “final solution to the Jewish question”: the murder of all Jews and their eradication from the human race.
In recent history, a tectonic shift has taken place within Christianity away from that antisemitic past, and Jewish-Christian relations have never been better than they are today. There are several reasons for this, including the exponential growth of a more Bible-based Christianity over the last several centuries, the harsh lessons learned from the Holocaust, and the exposure of millions of Christians to the Jewish people through tourism to Israel.
How Did Bible Access Change Christian Attitudes Toward Jewish People?
For most of church history, ordinary Christians did not have access to the Bible to even know what it taught. As a result, there were teachings about the Jewish people that simply were not grounded in Scripture and produced centuries of antisemitism. As soon as the Bible was translated into the vernacular and mass distribution made possible by the printing press, Christians could
read the Scriptures for themselves, and many discovered the error of their ways.
They realized that Jesus was Jewish and that Christianity had been born out of Judaism. They also read the many promises of God to regather the Jewish people to their ancient homeland. Preachers began to teach about that return, and they prayed for and supported it as an act of justice for a people who had suffered persecution for centuries.
How Did the Holocaust Force Christians to Reexamine Anti-Jewish Theology?
In addition to access to Scripture, two more recent events brought about significant change in Christian relations with the Jewish people. The first was the Holocaust, which shook the historic churches predominant in Europe.
The Catholic and Lutheran churches, in particular, reevaluated their theology and liturgy. Some of the most beautiful words of Christian repentance toward the Jewish people ever written are by the Catholic bishops of Europe. While the Catholic Church has sought a new relationship with the Jewish people, they have fallen short of embracing the Jewish State.
How Did the State of Israel Change Jewish-Christian Relations?
A second event that significantly impacted the Evangelical world was the birth of the State of Israel. This fulfillment of biblical prophecy reinforced God’s covenant with the Jewish people and dispelled Replacement Theology. It also allowed millions of Christians to visit Israel to “walk where Jesus walked”—and many interacted with Jewish people for the first time and began to understand the Jewishness of Jesus better. It is no coincidence that over the past four decades, as Christian tourism to Israel has mushroomed, so have Jewish-Christian relations.
While this generation is privileged to be part of a historic correction in the church’s relations with the Jews, we cannot take it for granted. Antisemitism is on the rise around the world, and dangerous trends within American churches need to be addressed to protect this budding relationship. It is the American church that will keep antisemitism from gaining more ground in the country, and it must understand the importance of doing so.
What Dangerous Trends Leave Churches Vulnerable to Antisemitism?
Most Christians today would never condone the religious antisemitism that fueled centuries of discrimination, persecution, ghettos, and expulsions in the heart of Christian Europe, nor the racial antisemitism embraced by Hitler that led to the horrific genocide campaign known as the Holocaust. But they are vulnerable to the new form of antisemitism that is trying to infiltrate America and Christian churches—anti-Zionism.
How Is Anti-Zionism Influencing Some Christian Churches?
Some of the more liberal protestant denominations in America have been passing anti-Israel resolutions calling for divestment from Israel and companies that do business with Israel for years. It should be noted that these same liberal Protestant churches are losing members at such an alarming rate that their very survival is questionable. Sometimes it seemed their criticism of Israel was part of a larger criticism—and resentment—of the growing Evangelical movement overtaking Protestantism.
A similar effort was made beginning in the 90s to make Evangelicals less pro-Israel and to be “pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, pro-peace, and pro-justice” by entertaining an anti-Israel narrative under the banner of “love and peace” for all. Though 30 years later, the effects of this movement have been limited at the grassroots level, a similar reaction occurred in seminaries and Christian colleges, creating a new generation of pastors and Christian leaders disassociating themselves from the support of Israel.
The result is that at a time of rising antisemitism under the guise of anti-Zionism, many churches and seminaries have been silent. Since the horrific attack on Israeli civilians by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the lies and propaganda made Israel so controversial that few pastors were willing to speak out. Protests on college campuses and violent attacks on Jews were met by fear and a deafening silence.
Two other dangerous trends in the American church are making it increasingly vulnerable to antisemitic narratives against Israel and the Jewish people: a loss of biblical literacy and rising Replacement Theology.
Why Does Biblical Illiteracy Matter for Jewish-Christian Relations?
While Evangelical Christianity—and its inherent support for Israel—is mushrooming in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, it has plateaued in the United States (and Europe) and is losing its momentum. This is evident in the growing biblical illiteracy in society, not to mention prominent Evangelical voices challenging core biblical tenets and the Bible itself.
One prominent Evangelical pastor with a huge following has publicly discounted the Old Testament and blamed it for the loss of faith in the younger generation. When the Old Testament is discarded, God’s covenant with the Jewish people and the biblical significance of modern Israel goes with it.
Why Is Replacement Theology Dangerous for the Church?
In this atmosphere of questioning—even disregarding—the Old Testament, Replacement Theology is gaining traction under various names and guises, one of which is Fulfillment Theology. Jesus said He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). However, Fulfillment Theology maintains that Jesus’ fulfillment did abolish the law and, with it, God’s covenantal relationship with Israel. It also teaches that all Old Testament promises to Israel are fulfilled in Jesus; thus, they are no longer valid regarding modern Israel.
Although this view may lack the same degree of animus toward the Jews as historical, anti-Jewish preaching, Fulfillment Theology still winds up in the same place as Replacement Theology—namely, that God is finished with the Jewish people and has replaced them with the church.
It is important to clarify that just because someone holds a form of Replacement or Fulfillment Theology does not mean that they are antisemitic. Many well-meaning pastors hold replacement views more as a theological assumption simply because they were never taught otherwise.
Replacement Theology, however, robs Christians of the very root that sustains our faith and separates us from the people who represent the truth of the Bible and the faithfulness of God to always keep His word. As the apostle Paul said, the Jewish faith is the root that supports us (Romans 11:18). To be separated from that root means spiritual death. It also leaves Christians vulnerable to anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiments. If we believe the Jews were bad enough to have lost their standing with God, then we may believe the worst of accusations any antisemite might bring forward.
The battle against this dangerous ideology is our battle. It behooves us to do everything we can to help churches recognize it for what it is and stand against it.
How Should Christians Stand with the Jewish People Today?
The liberalization of Evangelical churches in America and the rise of theologies that spiritualize or discount the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. These trends leave the Evangelical church in America increasingly vulnerable to the antisemitism seeping into our schools and society.
However, there are still millions of Bible-based Christians throughout the United States and around the world who pray fervently for Israel and actively seek ways to be a blessing and to stand with the Jewish people. They are up against serious challenges, and our responsibility is to make sure that their pastors and leaders understand the biblical significance of Israel and to raise up new generations to discern the truth and stand in solidarity with the Jewish people.
Get-involved in the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem: www.icejusa.org/getinvolved
Frequently Asked Questions about Antisemitism and Christianity
- What is the connection between antisemitism and Christianity?
Christianity began within Judaism, but over time parts of the church became severed from their Jewish roots, leading to anti-Jewish teaching, contempt, and persecution. - What is Replacement Theology?
Replacement Theology teaches that the church replaced Israel in God’s plans and promises, a view that has often contributed to contempt toward Jewish people and the Jewish roots of Christian faith. - Why does biblical literacy matter in Jewish-Christian relations?
Biblical literacy helps Christians understand Jesus’ Jewish identity, the Jewish roots of the faith, God’s covenant promises, and the importance of reading both the Old and New Testaments faithfully. - Is anti-Zionism always antisemitism?
Not every criticism of Israel is antisemitic, but anti-Zionism becomes dangerous when it denies Jewish self-determination, demonizes Israel, or fuels hostility toward Jewish people. - How should Christians respond to antisemitism today?
Christians should reject antisemitism, recover the Jewish roots of their faith, pray for Israel and the Jewish people, and teach future generations to discern truth from anti-Jewish hatred.
For Further Reading
- The Uncomfortable Truth about the Rise in Antisemitic Sentiment
- What Are the Historical Origins of Christian Zionism?
- Understanding the Theology Behind Christian Zionism
- The History of Antisemitism and the Evil Forces Behind It
- The Surprising Roots of the Modern Christian Zionist Movement
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