U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded sharply to criticism from church leaders in Yerushalayim who have spoken out against Christian Zionism, saying the term has been mischaracterized by figures who do not speak for Christians worldwide. Speaking Wednesday with Newsmax, Huckabee said the concept is being unfairly attacked and misunderstood.
During an interview on “Newsline” with host Bianca de la Garza, Huckabee addressed a recent letter issued by church patriarchs and senior clergy in Jerusalem. He said the letter wrongly portrayed Christian Zionism as harmful and improperly suggested that its authors represent all Christians living in or connected to the Holy Land.
“I found that a little bit troubling,” he said, “because I’m not sure that anybody has the exclusivity to speak for all Christians in the world.”
The letter claimed that Christian Zionism promotes “damaging ideologies,” an assertion Huckabee said misrepresents what the term actually stands for.
“There was also a very, very targeted kind of a pejorative hit at the term Christian Zionist,” he said. “I consider myself a Christian Zionist.”
“All that means is that, yes, I’m a Christian,” said Huckabee.
He went on to explain that identifying as a Zionist carries no sinister meaning and instead reflects recognition of Jewish historical and national rights. “But to be a Zionist doesn’t mean anything nefarious. It simply means that you believe that the Jewish people have a divine right and, frankly, a geopolitical right to a homeland that they have lived in for almost 4,000 years.”
Huckabee dismissed arguments that Christian Zionism should be treated as controversial or threatening.
“So to say a person is a Christian Zionist, it’s a Christian who respects that Jewish people should be living in the Holy Land,” Huckabee said.
“To say that it’s somehow some term that ought to be fearful or, as Tucker Carlson said, is indicative of a brain virus, there are tens of millions of evangelicals just in the United States who would be called Christian Zionists.”
Pointing to historical figures, Huckabee argued that Christian Zionism has long been embraced by prominent Christian leaders.
“Martin Luther King Jr. … was a Christian Zionist,” he said. “So it should not be something that is divisive to Christians.”
“It ought to be a term that every Christian should embrace.”
In the same interview, Huckabee also weighed in on President Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland, saying the idea makes strategic sense and would benefit more than just the United States.
“If it’s good for the U.S. to put defensive forces in a preventive mode, then I’ll tell you something: It’s not just good for America, it’s good for the world. It’s great for Europe.”
“I think the European nations should be giving him a standing ovation for the fact that he had the courage to say, ‘This is a very strategic piece of land,'” he added.
Huckabee also brushed aside skeptics who question Trump’s ability to follow through on unconventional proposals.
“I would say pop the popcorn, sit back and watch,” he said.
“This is a president who can do things that everyone scoffs at and says, ‘Ah, that’ll never happen; he can’t do that.’ And then he does it.”
{Matzav.com}
