Breakout session on 'Religion, Peace and Conflict.' First talk: Carlo Aldrovandi, Ph.D. candidate, Peace Studies, Univ. of Bradford, on 'Forcing the End Times: US Christian Zionism and Israel'.
US Christian Zionism may be characterized as a theo-political movement stemming from American Conservative Evangelicalism, which advocates that at the end of the time Christ will come to rule the world for thousand years before the Last Judgment and that He will do so centred on Greater Israel and focused on Jerusalem. Although difficult to assess, the current proportion of Christian Zionists among the 100-130 million of American Evangelicals (the population of United States is 293 million) could be estimated around 20-25%. In light of an Eschatological fulfilment, Christian Zionist congregations and lobbies, even more dedicated than the majority of Jewish interest groups, provide vast political, financial and practical support to the modern State of Israel. This paper considers the key dynamics underpinning the Apocalyptic understanding of faith amongst Christian Zionists, and the extent to which such dynamics are able to exert a key influence on the Israeli-Palestinian peace processes.
