U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has publicly rebuked senior Orthodox and Catholic leaders in Jerusalem after they issued a joint statement describing Christian Zionism as a “damaging ideology.”
The dispute follows a Jan. 17 declaration titled “A Statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem on Unity and Representation of the Christian Communities in the Holy Land.”
“The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in the Holy Land affirm before the faithful and before the world that the flock of Christ in this land is entrusted to the Apostolic Churches, which have borne their sacred ministry across centuries with steadfast devotion,” the statement said.
Although the declaration did not name specific organizations or events, the church leaders criticized recent actions by “local individuals” promoting ideas such as Christian Zionism, claiming such efforts “mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock.”
They added that these activities “have found favor among certain political actors in Israel and beyond who seek to push a political agenda which may harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East,” without offering further details.
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem include the Coptic and Greek Orthodox patriarchs; the Maronite, Melkite, Syrian, and Armenian Catholic patriarchs; the Armenian Apostolic patriarch; and Lutheran and Anglican leaders.
The statement came weeks after more than 1,000 American pastors and Christian influencers visited Israel during the Friends of Zion Ambassadors Summit, an event organized in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Referencing the book of Romans, the church leaders argued that anyone asserting “authority outside the communion of the Church is to wound the unity of the faithful and burden the pastoral mission entrusted to the historic churches in the very land where our Lord lived, taught, suffered, and rose from the dead.”
The statement also raised concerns about outside involvement in church affairs, noting that those promoting these views “have been welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally.” Such engagement, they said, amounted to “interference in the internal life of the churches [which] disregard the pastoral responsibility vested in the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.”
The patriarchs further reaffirmed “that they alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land.”
Huckabee, a conservative Evangelical and former Southern Baptist minister who previously served as governor of Arkansas, responded forcefully in a social media post Tuesday.
“I love my brothers and sisters in Christ from traditional, liturgical churches and respect their views, but I do not feel any sect of the Christian faith should claim exclusivity in speaking for Christians worldwide or assume there is only one viewpoint regarding faith in the Holy Land,” Huckabee wrote.
“Labels such as 'Christian Zionism' are too often used in a pejorative manner to disparage free-church believers, of which there are millions across the planet. Christians are followers of Christ and a Zionist simply accepts that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient, indigenous, and Biblical homeland.”
“It’s not a commitment to a particular government or government policy, but to the Biblical revelation as given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” he continued.
“In my faith, there is certainly room for those who 'butter their bread' differently than me, and I would hope that there would be room in the hearts of other church bodies for me. We need to unite in those truths that should be agreed upon, such as the sanctity of life, the sacred act of marriage, the autonomy of the individual, the desire to lift up every human and alleviate human suffering, and the belief that grace is God’s gift to us all.”
