Customer Reviews

Whose Promised Land?

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Colin Chapman does an excellent job of summarizing the history of Palestine and the biblical texts related to the promise of the Land. His answers to these questions are not the standard dispensationalist line and will make many who live and breathe dispensationalism very uncomfortable. His history is thouroughly documented as is his biblical exposition. He devotes a minimal amount of time to editorializing, choosing instead to let the major players through history (Scripture, Lord Balfour, Theodor Herzel, Chiam Wietzmann, Yassar Arafat, David Ben-Gurion and a host of others) speak for themselves. The inevitable conclusions drawn are both historical and thoroughly biblical. Because this book is more of a survey it is short particularly on theological detail, so there is no textual analysis or in-depth discussion of differences in translation (for example). The book is particularly helpful for understanding the history of the region and for its appendices which include a primer on expositing biblical prophecy as well as a summary of the Covenant of Hamas.

I heard the author, Colin Chapman, being interviewed on Hank Hanegraaff's "Bible Answer Man" radio program and was impressed by his thoughtful, balanced and theologically sound viewpoint, so I went and bought the book.

Chapman's book is broken into three sections:

The first offers an historical overview (in FAQ format) of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, covering the time period from 2000 B.C. to the present.

The second section looks at the conflict from a Biblical/theological angle. I was pleasantly surprised to find numerous quotes from Anglican theologian and author N.T. Wright.

The third section brings the historical and theological components together and examines how they apply to the present circumstances in the Middle East.

As you can see by some of the negative reviews here on Amazon, this book may challenge you, especially if you're locked into a "Zionist" or "Dispensationalist" position regarding Israel. If, however, you are honestly seeking a balanced viewpoint, and aren't afraid to examine some of your own presuppositions, you'll find this to be a very rewarding book.

An excellant book; theologically sound; rooted in the real history or the region. It will not please those sold on fundamentalist, dispensational theology. It will please those open to Biblical interpretation that makes sense and that is consistent with New Testament teachings on the Kingdom of God and the people of God. It will give the reader a balanced view of the real history of the confict. It will in the words of each side give their story and rationale for the conflict. It is one of the best books I have ever read cataloging each side's perspective of the problems.

This book is a good introduction to arguments of both sides in Palestine/Israel. The reader will enjoy the abundance of "quotes" from significant figures on key issues in a single book, instead of tirelessly searching and sourcing them on him/her own.

The second half of the book is more theology and theory than history and facts. In here, some readers might feel less secure than in the earlier pages. In this part, Chapman offers another Christian interpretation of the Holy Bible which is less literal and (according to him) more progressive, at least so far as finding a lasting peaceful solution to the conflict in the Holy Land is concerned. I think Chapman deserves to be listened to especially in a time when more unyielding religious views are not so scanty.

I found this book to be both fair and balanced in its presentation of the evidence from both sides of the issue. Chapman relies much more on quoting historical sources than he does on giving his own opinion. He presents a very brief, readable, balanced history of the conflict from both sides. I have learned a lot from the book; it has definitely changed my opinion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and what the Christian response should be. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain an overall understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict quickly without a lot of extra verbiage and interpretation thrown in.

This is one of the most honest and informative books, I have read about the subject. No biased opinions, just facts and fair introduction. Easy to read ant to undrestand also for people, who have a very little backround information.

Very well balanced study of this central problem facing the world today. Chapman first presents a historical view of the problem, then looks at biblical claims to the Land.

Colin Chapman's book is sprinkled with quotes from both 'sides', warns of the danger of older forms of anti-Semitism and focuses on some of the hardships Jews have suffered. It urges caution in forming judgement and maintains an appearance of objectivity and balance, including an interesting, if ironic, quote from Edward Said on the need for intellectual honesty.

However the foundation of his section examining the justice of the dispute is a favourable citation of Naeem Ateek, who himself part justifies suicide terrorism. In the quote Ateek claims biblical Naboth's murder and the theft of his property by the vile Ahab, 'has been re-enacted thousands of times since the creation of the State of Israel'. This fabricated accusation lies at the heart of the book's case.

Chapman almost completely ignores the defensive character of the 1948 and 1967 wars (almost as though the Poles and Czechs were responsible for Dresden or Hitler's 'murder' in 1945), the repeated calls for Israel's annihilation by Arab leaders and their media, the sharp difference in Arab and Jewish murder rates before 1948, and extremely oppressive British policies in handling refugees frm the Holocaust. Not surprisingly he also neglects to mention the Palestinian Grand Mufti's close association with the Nazis, meeting with Hitler and shared genocidal intentions.

His quotes are highly selective and I suspect many are sourced from the partisan Middle East Council of Churches, as well as some rather one-sided historians (Gentile and Jewish).

Let the reader beware of a carefully concealed but highly virulent bias against Israel!

When reading this book, one ought to be aware of the theological framework of the author - the tradition in which he writes that has contributed to shaping his personal beliefs and opinions. In Chapman's case, it is Replacement Theology, also called Supercessionism. This doctrine comes from the so-called "saint" Augustine who rejected the biblical concept of a thousand year Messianic reign of peace. He was thus an amillennialist as opposed to a post- or premillennialist. He also claimed that the church had superceded or replaced the Hebrew nation and that all the scriptural promises to Israel in the Old Testament thus belonged to the church. Augustine's ideas became Catholic orthodoxy and at the Reformation they were more or less accepted unchanged, entering the Lutheran and Calvinist traditions.

The tragic history of Christian Antisemitism is well documented in books likeTHE CRUCIFIXION OF THE JEWS by Franklin Littell and Christian Antisemitism: A History of Hate by William Nicholls. It is often called Anti-Judaism in the literature but it led to the same thing: oppression, expulsion and murder. In this regard, see The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism by David Kertzer. There is no doubt that the destructive effect of Replacement Theology has substantially contributed to these crimes and ultimately to the Holocaust.

Although it is not immediately apparent, Chapman's book falls squarely in this Antisemitic tradition. There is much hand-wringing about historical and Christian Antisemitism. The latter comes across as insincere, because one cannot criticize the attitudes of Augustine, Chrysostom and Luther without mentioning Replacement Theology.

What marks the Christian Antisemite? In the first place, a twisting of Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel, usurping every promise to make it applicable to "the Church" or to "Christ." In the second place, the refusal to make a distinction between the Abrahamic covenant regarding ownership of the land and the Mosaic covenant of laws. Thirdly, a fuzzy, ethereal view of mankind's ultimate destiny wherein no distinctive cultures survive, all become "one in Christ". Geddit? There is no multiculturalism in heaven! Finally, a cursory or dismissive treatment of the facts that led to the rebirth of Israel and of the subsequent wars against the Jewish State. All of these are evident in Whose Promised Land? to a greater or lesser degree.

There is a strong undercurrent of a denial of Israel's right to life although the author never explicitly states it. He quotes left, right and centre (though mainly Left) and presents a distorted view of the Middle East conflict. For example he implies that Israel is responsible for the formation of Hamas while including in an appendix the covenant of this terror group that includes statements like "Hamas aims for every inch of Palestine" and accuses the Jewish people of having been behind communism, capitalism, freemasonry, the Rotarians, etc. Oddly there is no mention of global warming, yet.

Chapman's interpretations serve only to support his preconceived opinion. For example he claims that the prophecies of Ezekiel 36 and 37 have no validity today. He plays word-games, denying in one passage that the church replaced Israel and then going on to assert that early Christians did not consider it "important for Jews to express their distinctive identity through ... a Jewish state." Oh and he replaces the concept of "replacement" with the idea of "fulfillment." Furthermore, he draws a false analogy between Joshua's conquest of Canaan and the history of the Jewish State by throwing around words like "ethnic cleansing". At present, approximately 20% of Israeli citizens are Arabs and 16% of its citizens are Muslim. At last count its Arab citizens were represented by 10 members in the Israeli parliament belonging to three political parties: Balad, Hadash and the United Arab List - Ta'al.

When considering the options for peace, Chapman looks at the various scenarios like the possible defeat of Israel or its opponents, options like the One-State (Rwanda) and the Two-State solution, concluding that the last is the best. In discussing the history of the conflict, he does not have much to say about the Arab attempt to strangle Israel at its birth in 1948, the open calls for genocide by Arab leaders then and now or the co-operation of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem with Nazi Germany which is well document in the book The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini by Chuck Morse.

The antagonism towards Israel is more insidious in this book, less overt than in the work of Chapman's associates like Stephen Sizer and Naim Ateek. Christians must put the Discern-ometer on max when exposed to these Leftist theologians, as well as of course to those Rightwing Christian Antisemites like Pat Buchanan. For more information on replacement theology and its contemporary manifestations, I recommend Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged by Barry Horner. Paul Charles Merkley's illuminating Christian Attitudes Towards the State of Israel provides the facts on where various denominations stand today on the issue of the Jewish State.

Why does this book use a Christian Bible for the "Old Testament" parts? Could've used a Jewish Bible y'know!