By Mafa Kwanisai Mafa

There is a serious moral and spiritual contradiction that Christians must confront in our time. Israel’s state ideology and the actions carried out in its name are often presented by some evangelical Christians as if they are automatically consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Yet support for a political project cannot simply be equated with faith in Christ. The claim that Israel’s regime version of Zionism represents the Christian faith deserves careful examination, especially when it is used to justify the killing of civilians, forced displacement, assassinations, collective punishment and war.

The statement that “Israel regime version of Zionism is not of Christ” should therefore be understood as a moral and theological challenge. It is a call for Christians to distinguish between the biblical message of justice, mercy, compassion and peace and a political ideology that can be used to defend state violence.

Jesus Christ repeatedly placed human life and human dignity at the centre of his teaching. He taught his followers to love their neighbours, care for the vulnerable, forgive their enemies and pursue peace. He did not teach that the suffering of innocent people should be ignored because of their nationality, religion or political identity. He did not teach that one group of people has a greater value before God than another.

This makes the enthusiastic support by some evangelical Christians for Israeli military actions deeply troubling. When civilians are killed, homes are destroyed, families are separated, and people are forced from their communities, Christians should not begin by asking which government is responsible. They should begin by asking: What is happening to human beings created in the image of God?

The suffering of Palestinian civilians has created an enormous moral test for the Christian world. Children, women and ordinary families have paid a terrible price in the conflict. Hospitals, schools, homes and other civilian spaces have been caught in the destruction. Whatever political arguments are made, the death and suffering of innocent civilians cannot become acceptable simply because the violence is carried out by an ally.

Christianity cannot be reduced to geopolitical loyalty. One of the most disturbing developments is the extent to which some evangelical movements have adopted a political interpretation of biblical prophecy that presents unconditional support for the Israeli state as a religious obligation. In this understanding, questioning Israeli government policy is sometimes treated as questioning God Himself. Political leaders are defended not because every action they take is morally right, but because they are seen as playing a predetermined role in biblical history.

This approach is dangerous because it can remove moral responsibility from political decisions. If a government is automatically considered to be on God’s side, then its military actions can easily be excused. Bombing becomes defence. Displacement becomes security. Assassination becomes strategy. Collective punishment becomes necessity. Civilian deaths become unfortunate consequences.

But Christian morality cannot work that way. The prophets of the Bible repeatedly challenged kings, rulers and powerful institutions when they abused the weak. Their message was not that political power should always be defended. It was that power must be judged by justice. The biblical tradition contains a strong warning against rulers who become arrogant, violent and indifferent to human suffering.

Jesus continued this tradition by standing with ordinary people and challenging systems of power that placed burdens upon them. His message was fundamentally about the transformation of human relationships through love, justice and compassion.

This is why Christians should be especially careful when religious language is used to sanctify war. There is also a broader political problem. The modern international system has witnessed many wars, regime-change operations, military interventions and campaigns justified in the language of democracy, security and freedom. In many cases, ordinary people have suffered while powerful states have pursued strategic interests.

The same moral standard must apply everywhere. If Christians oppose the killing of civilians in one country, they should oppose it in another. If they condemn terrorism when committed against one population, they should condemn attacks on civilians regardless of who carries them out. If they defend the sovereignty of one nation, they should respect the sovereignty and dignity of others.

Christianity should not become a selective morality. The danger becomes even greater when evangelical Christianity is used to mobilise political support for military actions. Faith communities possess enormous influence. They can educate people, shape public opinion and influence political leaders. When that influence is used to present war as holy and unquestionable, religion can become an instrument of political power rather than a force for moral accountability.

This does not mean that Christians should remain silent about the security concerns or suffering of Israeli civilians. Every innocent life matters. The killing of civilians is wrong regardless of whether the victims are Palestinian or Israeli. Condemning the suffering of Palestinians does not require hatred of Israelis or Jews. Indeed, opposing antisemitism and opposing the oppression of Palestinians are entirely compatible positions.

The issue is not Judaism. The issue is not Jewish people. The issue is the actions of a state and the political ideologies used to justify those actions.

This distinction is essential. Christians should reject all forms of racism, antisemitism and hatred. At the same time, they should be free to criticise the policies of the Israeli government without being accused of attacking an entire people or religion. Governments must be accountable for their actions. No government should receive a permanent moral exemption because of its historical, religious or strategic importance.

The Christian message must remain centred on human dignity. Africa has a particular reason to understand this question. African peoples know the consequences of colonialism, racial domination, forced displacement and military violence. The continent has experienced slavery, colonial conquest, apartheid, wars and external interference. Africans therefore understand that political language can sometimes hide profound injustice.

For this reason, African Christians should not surrender their moral judgment to foreign political agendas. They should approach the question through the principles of justice, sovereignty, human dignity and peace.

The Palestinian question should also remind Christians that solidarity with oppressed people is not a political fashion. It is connected to the long biblical tradition of defending the weak and challenging injustice. The Christian faith cannot be reduced to supporting a government. Christ does not belong to a state, an army, or a geopolitical alliance. Christ belongs to humanity.

The central question, therefore, should not be whether a particular political project claims biblical support. The question should be whether its actions reflect the values associated with Christ: love, mercy, justice, truth, reconciliation and respect for human life. When bombs fall on civilians, Christians should hear the cry of suffering people. When children lose their parents, Christians should see human tragedy. When families are displaced, Christians should remember the biblical call to care for strangers and the vulnerable. When violence is justified in the name of God, Christians should have the courage to ask whether God is truly being served.

The world does not need a Christianity that blesses every military action of an allied government. It needs a Christianity courageous enough to speak truth to power. The faith of Christ should never become a shield for mass killing, political violence or the destruction of civilian life. It should be a moral force that challenges injustice wherever it appears. Israel’s state ideology should therefore not automatically be presented as the political expression of Christianity. Christians must recover the courage to separate faith from political manipulation. They must judge governments by their treatment of human beings, not by their strategic alliances or religious symbolism.

If Christ teaches us anything, it is that human life has value. And when the powerful destroy the lives of the powerless, the Christian response should not be silence. It should be conscience. It should be compassion. It should be justice. And above all, it should be a commitment to peace.