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| Is Christian support for Israel dwindling? |
If yes, this should concern us. We need all the support we can get
in an increasingly hostile climate toward the Jewish state, driven in part by a
growing progressive cohort. While that group is still small, it is clearly
expanding. As reflected in the recent New York mayoral election, where heavy
turnout among young voters proved decisive.
One might be tempted to add to this anxiety the recent
revelations of ugly antisemitic comments by young Republican conservatives who
had worked in government.
Troubling as these incidents are, I do not believe they tell
the whole story. The fact that young Christians are abandoning doctrinaire
theologies does not necessarily mean they are abandoning Israel. Strong
Christian support can still exist without traditional evangelical frameworks.
Which was demonstrated in a new survey. As Rabbi Ari Lamm noted in eJewishPhilanthropy:
(A) Makor Analytics survey of 1,200 young American Christians ages 18–39 found that fewer than 8% now identify as evangelical — a precipitous drop from the roughly half of Protestants they represented in 2008. Instead, over 62% identified as “Just Christian” or non-denominational.
Rabbi Lamm’s article asks how this shift in identity affects Christian support for Israel. And whether anything can be done to engage young Christians
the way evangelicals once did. The answer appears to be yes if it is presented the
right way for that generation.
The survey suggests that when you meet young Christians on
their own ‘playing field’ - the platforms of shareability like YouTube,
Instagram, and TikTok - you can indeed influence Gen Z Christians to support
Israel. And the most effective messages are not political or geopolitical. They
are biblical and covenantal.
Consider the strongest-performing theme tested: “God
keeps His promises.” After respondents selected this theme as meaningful,
they were shown the expanded message:
I believe in a God who keeps His promises. The greatest promise God ever made was to restore the people of Israel to the Land of Israel. So when I see that promise being fulfilled before my very eyes today, it gives me greater confidence that God will keep His promises to me in my own life.
Seventy percent of respondents found this message personally meaningful, and across every demographic — gender, race, and political affiliation — they said they were likely to share it on social media.
Here’s where it gets particularly revealing: After Israel struck Iran, only 49% of young Christians said the strike improved global security, and even those who agreed expressed modest confidence. But among those shown the “God keeps His promises” theme, 57% said the strike improved global security, and they expressed high confidence. The only difference between these two groups was exposure to that theme.
To me, this suggests that the widespread concern about evaporating support for Israel among young
Christians is overstated. Support can be
strengthened - even robustly - if approached correctly. The key is to speak in
the language young Christians actually respond to: the media they consume and
the faith-rooted narratives that resonate with them.
Not by lecturing about Israel’s accomplishments.
Not by arguing the justice of the Gaza war.
Not by debating genocide accusations.
But (as Rabbi Lamm put it) through biblical, covenantal
stories rooted in faith, which spark curiosity, resonance, and shareability.
In other words: the support is still there to be tapped. We just need to speak to it in the right way and use the media they use as the means of communicating it to them.
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