Editor's Note: As today marks International Holocaust Memorial Day, here in this article Paul Smith assesses what is shaping modern Christian attitudes to Israel and the Holocaust.
I’ve been asked ‘Are you a Zionist?’ – and related questions – with increasing frequency over the last few years. I usually respond, What do you mean? I’m left with a menu of options for Zionism: a view that the state of Israel has a right to exist, a belief in a ‘Greater Israel’ with expanded borders, or support for a shadowy global power movement.
‘And where are you finding out about this?’ I ask. ‘I’m hearing about Zionism on YouTube and social media,’ comes the reply. If I continue the conversation, sooner or later I will hear comments that any HR department would place in the ‘you can’t say that’ category.
Here lies the problem: those talking about Zionism on YouTube present themselves as great free speech warriors. Professing Christian believers in evangelical churches, who know gospel freedoms are under threat, can be attracted to these apparent free-speech allies.
