Juris Naturalist

Brian,
I think one route to resolving the impass surrounding Zionism is to concentrate on the locus of power. Between modern Israel and its neighbors there is an animosity which has many sources and few diffusers. But the central problem is the question of whom shall have power over whom.
In Christ, however, we have a renewed perspective in which we all empty ourselves of whatever power we have been endowed with for the sake of others, fully in imitation of Christ.
What this means is that Christians can be supporters of Palestinians and Israelis without supporting the nation-state of Israel or the nation-state of Palestine (or the nation-state of the United States of America for that matter), and without supporting the agendas of Israelis or Palestinians which involve the use of power-over.
That conflation of nation with state is central to the problem is easily evidenced in the following quotation from the response, “The land belongs to many nations—Arabs as well as Israelis. Both Israel and Palestine have the human right to a state of their own, without occupation, and without violent attacks.” The land belongs to the nations, not the nation-states. Which state you live under merely implies which group of goons you pay taxes to. Choosing sides among groups of goons is a fruitless activity, yet it is precisely where most American Christians spend their energies. In the case of Zionist debates, they are not even choosing their own goons, but goons for others. The hubris required to believe one is qualified to make such a decision for others is awful.
The correct solution to the Zionist problem requires a deeper investigation into God’s original intentions for Israel, and the origins of the nation-state in Israel. I Samuel 8 is the appropriate starting place for such discussions. It should be clear that God prefers all of us to operate as princes in His Kingdom to the appointment of a human-king agent. Pushing further we can look to the provision of the Levites as sub-optimal in God’s eyes. He preferred that each first-born son be dedicated to the priesthood. Also, God invited all of Israel up the mountain, but they preferred one Prophet. In Christ we are to reaffirm universal priesthood, kingship, and prohetic mantle.
God appointed Judges, apart from nation-states, and gave a law which could not be manipulated and was sufficient. If Christians can