Spiritual fallout from the bombing of Iran

Whatever your political views, please don’t defend them with speculative theology

A scene from the emergency UN Security Council meeting of June 13 to discuss the Iran-Israel conflict.

I had two other topics lined up for the next two Mondays, but I did not feel I could address any other topic this Monday after the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday.

Donald Trump, who recently accused Volodymyr Zelensky of risking World War III, has taken a modest risk of starting it himself, or at least contributing to a global escalation of conflict. He has no control over how Russia and China might respond.

Many who are not generally fans of Trump support the effort to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. When a country may be approaching nuclear capability, other countries begin to view it differently. By way of illustration, consider how the US and Europe have placed limitations on their assistance to Ukraine—providing weapons but almost completely avoiding direct participation—largely because of Russia’s nuclear threat.

But there is a reason why other US presidents of both parties have avoided directly antagonizing Iran for the last 45 years. Despite lacking anything close to US military might, hard-core Muslim groups have a track record of finding creative ways to inflict pain on the US.

My main message for global Christian leaders, especially those in a position to speak on behalf of their Christian communities or to influence policymaking in their countries, is to keep their politics separate from speculative theology.

Middle East politics is intensely ugly, with deep emotion on all sides. I don’t feel I have sufficient knowledge to contribute anything to the discussion. If others with greater expertise wish to debate Middle East politics respectfully, their submissions are welcome.

But for many, theology is intertwined with the politics. Some Christians have drawn a direct line from biblical statements about the Jewish people, or from prophetic statements in Scripture, to unquestioning support for the contemporary nation-state of Israel. US Senator Ted Cruz displayed this behavior in a recent interview with controversial right-wing Tucker Carlson. See John Hawthorne’s Substack for a detailed analysis.

There are many flaws in this logic. Over the last 500 years, countless attempts have been made to connect end-times expectations to contemporary geopolitical events. Thus far, every attempt has been wrong. There is no reason for confidence in today’s versions. Moreover, any claim of continuity between Old Testament Israel and the modern nation of Israel rests on uncertain assumptions.

I agree that the creation of a Jewish nation-state in the 20th century was an amazing and unlikely event, that God still cares about the Jewish people, and that Israel has a right to defend itself. But none of those true statements implies that God requires us to support the modern nation-state of Israel unequivocally in all situations.

God himself didn’t act that way in Old Testament times. When the ancient nation of Israel did wrong, he let them disintegrate into two separate kingdoms, both of which were eventually overrun by invaders. God even told the prophet Jeremiah in advance that the southern kingdom would be exiled to Babylon.

An automatic, unquestioning commitment to defending anything the modern Israeli nation does is misguided and potentially dangerous.

Iran has many Christians, and most of its citizens are not responsible for its government’s actions. They are innocent victims too and deserve our prayers.

Another perspective

Here’s how popular writer Diana Butler Bass ended her Sunday comment on the US bombing of Iran. I am not saying that her description is accurate, but I offer it as a reflection of how others view the actions of politically conservative Christians who have mixed politics and end-times theology.

It seems obvious that millions and millions of Americans—including the ones in the Pentagon, our embassies, and the White House—believe that this is prophetic truth. Bombing Iran is God’s will. History is unfolding and they are part of it.

I’m certain that the evangelical base is ecstatic this morning—thrilled by these events.

And they will be more devoted to Trumpism than ever. There will be no prayers for peace—only praise choruses of glory and victory.