By Jonathan Brenneman and Drew Strait
Earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee raised eyebrows with a leaked threat directed at Israel, accusing it of being unwelcoming to Christian groups. Huckabee’s frustration, notably, had nothing to do with Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its use of mass starvation, or its apartheid-style treatment of Palestinians, including Christians. Instead, it stemmed from what he claimed was Israel’s failure to approve tourist visas for American evangelical groups—likely out of concern that visitors might witness firsthand the horrific suffering unfolding in Gaza and, in the West Bank, which has seen a massive increase in settler violence toward Palestinians in recent months.
Many were surprised by this rebuke, given Huckabee’s longstanding support for Israel and the Trump administration’s $12 billion armament of Israel’s right-wing government. What could have caused such a turn? The answer is simple: As a Christian Zionist, Mike Huckabee is, first and foremost, a Christian supremacist.
Understanding Christian Zionism as rooted in Christian supremacy—along with its sibling, Christian nationalism—is key to understanding the American far right’s love of Israel and hatred of Jews. Put simply, Christian Zionism is the foreign policy of Christian nationalism—a worldview in which one’s theological imagination is co-opted by state power.
This ethno-nationalist outlook is driven by a pervasive conviction, present in American national consciousness since the earliest settlements on this continent: that America is chosen by God for a special purpose in the world and that Christians are divinely mandated to institutionalize Christian supremacy and privilege over the nations. Within this dominionist theology of empire, Israel is viewed as a biblical ally (albeit a subordinate one) to global evangelicals in their mission to spread Christianity coercively throughout the Muslim world and usher in the end times. Meanwhile, Judaism—and Jews living outside of Israel—are seen as an impediment to that mission. This leads to the apparent contradiction of being both antisemitic and staunchly pro-Israel.
The professed love for Israel and deep-seated antisemitism among Christian Zionists is longstanding, historically relevant for this moment, and reflected in public polling on Christian nationalism. Adherents of Christian nationalism are significantly more likely than the average American to support the antisemitic “replacement theory”—the conspiracy that Jews are secretly funding migrant caravans to infiltrate the United States and replace white families.
The Public Religion Research Institute (P.R.R.I.) found that 81% of white adherents of Christian nationalism agree with the statement, “Immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic backgrounds.” P.R.R.I. also found that adherents of Christian nationalism are the most likely to agree with antisemitic tropes, such as the belief that “Jewish people hold too many positions of power.” This is why white Christian supremacists chanted “the Jews shall not replace us” at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017.
In the same breath, Republicans—who serve as a major vector for Christian nationalism—are far more likely than Democrats to view Israel favorably (83% vs. 33% among Americans overall). This sheds light on how a Christian nationalist pastor like Robert Jeffress, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, can claim that Judaism leads “people to an eternity of separation from God in Hell” and still be invited to offer a prayer at the U.S. embassy dedication ceremony in Jerusalem. This apparent contradiction is by design—and it reveals why Christian Zionists care more about evangelical tourism than about the animalistic dehumanization and starvation of Palestinian children.
Mike Huckabee’s Christian supremacy presents an immediate threat to human security and democratic pluralism. It must be called out for what it is: a theology of oppression that provides a permission structure for wielding power over the vulnerable, including anyone who stands in the way of his racist notion that Christians have a divine right to rule and tour the nations.
