[.ca] Whose Promised Land? (ISBN 0745951112)

Whose Promised Land?:
An excellant book; theologically sound; rooted in the real history or the region. It will not please those sold on fundamentalist, dispensational theology. It will please those open to Biblical interpretation that makes sense and that is consistent with New Testament teachings on the Kingdom of God and the people of God. It will give the reader a balanced view of the real history of the confict. It will in the words of each side give their story and rationale for the conflict. It is one of the best books I have ever read cataloging each side's perspective of the problems.

Disappointing, selective interpretation of Scripture.:
This is a subject which I have devoted a considerable amount of study to for many years. This book appeared to promise so much in it's title, yet failed to deliver on virtually every level. The author holds the view that there is no theological significance to the present state of Israel, and that the re-birth of the Jewish state is not the fulfilment, or even a preliminary stage in the fulfilment, of what God promised and predicted in the Old Testament. The tone of this book feels slanted towards the doctrine of Replacement Theology in my estimation and the references and interpretations of Scriptures are erroneous and flawed, with the writer trying to separate the spiritual dimensions of the Gospel of Christ from the material dimensions of the Gospel which are intrinsically part of the Old Testament. This is unbiblical and inevitably leads to incorrect conclusions. I find the references and use of prophetic Scriptures in this book to be inconsistent and very selective. The Old Testament Divine promises in relation to the People (Jews) and Land of Israel by God were explicitly eternal and irrevocable. The Holy Scriptures directly and conclusively declare that the Land being discussed here belonged to the Lord Himself, yet he had promised it to none other, absolutely no other, than the descendants of Abraham, Issac and Jacob (Israel), as an eternal possession. The Divine prophetic promises relating to the heritage, diaspora, regathering and re-birth of the Jewish state are clear and unquestionable. (Genesis 15; v18, Genesis 17; v7-19, Genesis 35; v9-12, Ezekiel 11;v17, Jeremiah 30;v3, Jeremiah 31;v35, Isaiah 11; v10, Zechariah 14; v2...to mention just a few references, which are also dealt with in the New Testament). To pick and choose, and selectively interpret which sections of Scripture are relevant to an agenda is dangerous and can only have disastrous results. The Bible is either the whole Word of God and absolute truth or it is not worth the paper it is written on. If God states that His promises and covenants are eternal and everlasting, then that is exactly what they are. If He makes promises in relation to a Land, then to describe the Land as something spiritual or anything else is a distortion and misinterpretation. The author is rightly concerned about some of Israel's actions in relation to the Palestinians at this time, yet even these have to be taken in their correct, true and entire context in both the political and Scriptural arenas. Matters which are not in any way suitably addressed in this book. The Israeli victims and Palestinian terrorism/violence being sidestepped. Unfortunately, furthermore due to the interpretations expressed in this book, current events and their significance in relation to the end times are not dealt with in the manner deserving of their critical importance. The writer does not correctly address the dispersal of the Jewish people in antiquity which was described Scripturally as being due to their sinfulness and rebellion. Neither does the book address the re-gathering and re-birth of Israel as a nation as not being in any way conditional upon repentance, which itself is declared in Scripture to only occur during the prophetic events of the end times and the Tribulation when the Messiah returns again and is recognised. (Zechariah 12; v1-11). This is an extensive discussion which cannot be satisfied within the confines of a review. This book poorly covers the subject and there is a wealth of excellent material out there which commendably covers this topic. Might I respectfully suggested some other recommended reading which clarifies many of the issues that have become unfortunatley clouded in this particular work;- "Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith" by Marvin Wilson. "Unholy War" and"Jerusalem In Prophecy" both by Randall Price "Israel at the Crossroads: Fifty Years and Counting" by David Dolan.

Reptile Tongue:
When reading this book, one ought to be aware of the theological framework of the author - the tradition in which he writes that has contributed to shaping his personal beliefs and opinions. In Chapman's case, it is Replacement Theology, also called Supercessionism. This doctrine comes from the so-called "saint" Augustine who rejected the biblical concept of a thousand year Messianic reign of peace. He was thus an amillennialist as opposed to a post- or premillennialist. He also claimed that the church had superceded or replaced the Hebrew nation and that all the scriptural promises to Israel in the Old Testament thus belonged to the church. Augustine's ideas became Catholic orthodoxy and at the Reformation they were more or less accepted unchanged, entering the Lutheran and Calvinist traditions. The tragic history of Christian Antisemitism is well documented in books like The Crucifixion of the Jews by Franklin Littell and Christian Antisemitism by William Nicholls. It is often called Anti-Judaism in the literature but it led to the same thing: oppression, expulsion and murder. In this regard, see The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Antisemitism by David Kertzer. There is no doubt that the destructive effects of Replacement Theology has substantially contributed to these crimes and ultimately to the Holocaust. Although it is not immediately apparent, Chapman's book falls squarely in this Antisemitic tradition. There is much hand-wringing about historical and Christian Antisemitism. The latter comes across as insincere, because one cannot criticize the attitudes of Augustine, Chrysostom and Luther without mentioning Replacement Theology. What marks the Christian Antisemite? In the first place, a twisting of Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel, usurping every promise to make it applicable to "the church" or to "Christ." In the second place, the refusal to make a distinction between the Abrahamic covenant regarding ownership of the land and the Mosaic covenant of laws. Thirdly, a fuzzy, ethereal view of mankind's ultimate destiny wherein no distinctive cultures survive, all become "one in Christ". Geddit? There is no multiculturalism in heaven! Finally, a cursory or dismissive treatment of the facts that led to the rebirth of Israel and of the subsequent wars against the Jewish State. All of these are evident in Whose Promised Land? to a greater or lesser degree. There is a strong undercurrent of a denial of Israel's right to life although the author never explicitly states it. He quotes left, right and centre (though mainly Left) and presents a distorted view of the Middle East conflict. For example he implies that Israel is responsible for the formation of Hamas while including in an appendix the covenant of this terror group that includes statements like "Hamas aims for every inch of Palestine" and accuses the Jewish people of having been behind communism, capitalism, freemasonry, the Rotarians, etc. Oddly there is no mention of global warming, yet. Chapman's interpretations serve only to support his preconceived opinion. For example he claims that the prophecies of Ezekiel 36 and 37 have no validity today. He plays word-games, denying in one passage that the church replaced Israel and then going on to assert that early Christians did not consider it "important for Jews to express their distinctive identity through ... a Jewish state." Oh and he replaces the concept of "replacement" with the idea of "fulfillment." Furthermore, he draws a false analogy between Joshua's conquest of Canaan and the history of the Jewish State by throwing around words like "ethnic cleansing". At present, approximately 20% of Israeli citizens are Arabs and 16% of its citizens are Muslim. At last count its Arab citizens were represented by 10 members in the Israeli parliament belonging to three political parties: Balad, Hadash and the United Arab List - Ta'al. When considering the options for peace, Chapman looks at the various scenarios like the possible defeat of Israel or its opponents, options like the One-State (Rwanda) and the Two-State solution, concluding that the last is the best. In discussing the history of the conflict, he does not have much to say about the Arab attempt to strangle Israel at its birth in 1948, the open calls for genocide by Arab leaders then and now or the co-operation of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem with Nazi Germany which is well document in the book The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini by Chuck Morse. The antagonism towards Israel is more insidious in this book, less overt than in the work of Chapman's associates like Stephen Sizer and Naim Ateek. Christians must put the Discern-ometer on max when exposed to these Leftist theologians, as well as of course to those Rightwing Christian Antisemites like Pat Buchanan. For more information on replacement theology and its contemporary manifestations, I recommend Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged by Barry Horner. Paul Charles Merkley's illuminating Christian Attitudes to the State of Israel provides the facts on where various denominations stand today on the issue of the Jewish State.

Palestinians weren't a people before 1967:
Prior to the 1967 War Against Isreal there were no Palestinians, the West Bank was under Jordan's control. Palestianians weren't agitating for their own state independent from Jordan. This is just another form of Islamic revisionism, claiming title to cultures that preceded them in time.

God promised...:
Anyone who rejects the rejuvination of the land of Israel today as a clear sign that God has returned to complete His prophetic revelations to the nation of Israel is ignoring massive chunks of scripture. Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and the prophets are not the least bit vague in this land sign. Vagueness only manifests itself when people like the author here decide to turn the declared promises of God to Israelinside-out to suit their own human goals...whatever those may be. I can't recommend this book unless you are very familiar with those promises mentioned above. If you are familiar with the promises, then I might consider a recommendation because some history is worthwhile reading.