{"id":22794,"date":"2024-06-11T10:07:25","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T14:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=22794"},"modified":"2024-06-11T10:07:25","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T14:07:25","slug":"new-survey-finds-that-support-for-israel-among-evangelicals-is-based-on-biblical-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2024\/06\/new-survey-finds-that-support-for-israel-among-evangelicals-is-based-on-biblical-knowledge","title":{"rendered":"New Survey Finds That Support For Israel Among Evangelicals is Based on Biblical Knowledge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"israel-palestine\"<\/a>
Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A recent survey, part of a multi-year research project measuring American Christian attitudes toward Jews, Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, shows that support for Israel among evangelicals is mostly based on age and biblical knowledge and hasn\u2019t been substantively impacted by the current Hamas-Israel war in Gaza.<\/p>\n

The comparative study, which concurrently examines sentiment across mainline, evangelical and Catholic communities, finds that a belief that \u201cGod\u2019s covenant with the Jewish people remains intact today\u201d has the greatest impact on support for Israel among a number of potential political, theological, sociological, and demographic factors considered in the study. If a respondent professes this belief, the likelihood that this person strongly supports Israel increases almost threefold (180 percent).<\/p>\n

The second most influential justification across mainline, evangelical and Catholic communities is rooted in history rather than theology, with those who believe \u201cJews need a state of their own after the Holocaust\u201d being 122 percent more likely to support Israel in the current war strongly. Specific to evangelicals, the study compares three different periods over the last six years (2018, 2021 and 2024), revealing that overall, evangelical support for Israel remains stable from 2021 to 2024, though earlier surveys did show a sharp decline in evangelical support for Israel between 2018 and 2021.<\/p>\n

There was a decrease in the number of evangelicals viewing Israel in a traditional biblical context, including a decrease in the number of evangelicals agreeing with the idea of the Abrahamic Covenant. There was also a decrease in core evangelical behavior, like attending church and reading the Bible. Past studies have shown that these religious practices increase support for Israel. The current conflict generates a negative view of Palestinians and Muslims. The comparative research shows a decrease in the image of Muslims, a decrease in support for an independent Palestinian state and a larger blame for Palestinians in the conflict.<\/p>\n