Ted Cruz, Dispensationalism, and the State of Israel
Tucker Carlson and Senator Ted Cruz clashed over Israel, Iran, and US foreign policy. The whole interview (more like an informal debate) was entertaining, but the most intriguing part for me was when Cruz talked about the alleged biblical foundation of his support for Israel.
While I usually write about economic topics, I’m wading into some theological waters here because I, like Senator Cruz, am an evangelical protestant. He didn’t refer to it by name, but the view he was espousing in his interview reflects dispensational theology. My purpose in writing this is merely to show that not all evangelical protestants espouse dispensationalism and that there is a more coherent interpretation of scripture through the lens of covenant theology that does not lead to dangerous US foreign policy.
Here is a bit of the heated conversation between Senator Cruz and Tucker Carlson:
Cruz: “When I came into the Senate I resolved that I was going to be the leading defender of Israel and what you didn’t ask is why, so let me tell you why. […] The reason is twofold: Number one, as a Christian growing up in Sunday school I was taught from the Bible those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed, and from my perspective I want to be on the blessing side of things.”
Carlson: “Where is that?”
Cruz: “I can find it for you. I don’t have the scripture off the tip of my [tongue]. You pull out the phone and…”
Carlson: “It’s in Genesis.”
They are referring to one of the most important passages of scripture, Genesis 12:1-3, in which God makes a covenant with Abram, whose name would later be changed to Abraham:
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Similar pronouncements from God were given to Abraham’s descendants. God told Abraham’s grandson, Jacob (whose name would later be changed to Israel), “in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14b).
This, then, is the basis for Senator Cruz’s resolve to be “the leading defender of Israel,” guiding his foreign policy views in the 20th and 21st centuries. This view (an element of dispensationalism) is not unique to Senator Cruz—it’s espoused by many politicians and their constituents in the US, which helps explain why the US maintains such an entangling alliance with the current government of Israel.
Dispensational theology is relatively new, originating in the 19th century. It’s adoption by many in the US can be attributed to the Scofield Reference Bible, published in 1909. It teaches that God “dispenses” grace and reveals himself in distinct ways for distinct people over distinct periods in distinct places. For example, the Abrahamic covenant applied to certain people (Jews) in a certain place (Canaan) starting with Abraham and lasting until Moses. It leads to the conclusion that God has separate plans for Israel and the church.
Covenant theology explains that after the fall of Adam and Eve, God made an overarc
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