You can tell a lot about a society by who it chooses to fear.
In modern America, fear too often speaks louder than truth, and it reshapes who we think the real enemies are. The people with the least power are often treated as the greatest threats to society. Refugees, migrants, the poor and the marginalized carry the blame for problems they did not create. Meanwhile, those with wealth and influence present themselves as the victims. A billionaire with endless influence is readily seen as a martyr, yet a starving family in Gaza is viewed as a danger. Immigrants running from political corruption, violence, and extreme poverty are portrayed as invaders. The “least of these” have somehow become the ones many Americans fear. It is an upside-down way of seeing the true state of our broken world, yet it has become so common that many no longer question it.
Why is this the case? How did we get here?
While all the causes cannot be covered in this brief article, let me suggest that at least part of the problem stems from a theology that turned a single Bible verse into a political rule of life.
Of course, I am referring to Genesis 12:3, which is one of the most frequently quoted verses when Christians seek to defend unconditional support for the modern state of Israel.
In this passage, God makes a promise to Abram:
“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
For many Christians, this promise to Abram is taken as a standing order regarding the modern state of Israel: bless Israel’s government, no matter what, and God will bless you. But fail to do so, and you should expect God’s curse.
I have written recently about Genesis 12.3 and how many believers use it (as I used to do) to justify blind support for the modern state of Israel.
Here are a couple of recent posts that are worth a read.
Put simply, many evangelicals treat the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 as a command to defend a modern nation-state at all costs. Once that belief is accepted, anyone who challenges the actions of that nation-state becomes accursed of God by default.
Under this “Biblical” worldview, Palestinians are no longer neighbors to love but rather “cursed” obstacles to be removed through acts of hostility, deprivation, and even state-sanctioned homicidal violence. After all, why should we show empathy and compassion to those we believe to be cursed by God?
This is how empathy collapses. The logic is simple. If someone is cursed by God, then their suffering is not my concern. But that literalistic reading ignores the plain teaching of Jesus, who blesses the poor, not the powerful. He praises the peacemaker, not the intimidator. He calls us to love enemies, not label them or curse them. Fear always needs an enemy. But Jesus never does. The promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 was always aimed at blessing all peoples (“all nations,”) not dividing them. Paul writes that the Genesis 12:3 promise finds its fulfillment in Christ, not in a modern secular nation-state.
Today, the vast empty spaces created by neglected discipleship have left many well-intentioned Christians highly susceptible to a flood of propaganda, which subtly takes advantage of religious ignorance. Instead of envisioning a world filled with neighbors to be loved and served, the propagandists subvert religious (and even scriptural) language in order to train us to see a world filled with enemies to fear and hate. Once the propagandist succeeds in converting our ignorance into fear, we are just one step away from dismissing the suffering of children (from “cursed” countries) with a shrug.
The path back to love (and quite frankly, sanity) begins with a simple choice. We can continue defending the powerful, viewing them (and ourselves) as victims while excusing their abuses, or we can learn (or re-learn) to see Christ in those who suffer. Those whom Jesus referred to as the “least of these” are not threats to avoid. They are people God loves.
Until we learn to see God in the least of these, we will not see Him anywhere.
Grace and peace,
Related Resources
- (Article) Why Christian Zionism Is Losing the Next Generation
- (Article) 20 Questions Every Christian Zionist Must Answer
- (Article) Does Genesis 12:3 Mean Christians Must Support Modern Israel?
- (Article) The Biblical Case For Supporting Israel
- (Article) The Tragic Irony of Christian Support for Israel’s War
- (Podcast) 10 Questions Every Christian Zionist Must Answer
