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A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Continuing Studies THE INFLUENCE OF DISPENSATIONALIST THEOLOGY ON EVANGELICAL PERCEPTIONS OF MUSLIMS POST-9/11 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The School of Continuing Studies and The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies By Grayson R. Robertson, III, M.A. Georgetown University Washington, D.C. April 14, 2011 Copyright © 2011 by Grayson R. Robertson, III All Rights Reserved ii THE INFLUENCE OF DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY ON EVANGELICAL PERCEPTIONS OF MUSLIMS POST-9/11 Grayson R. Robertson, III, M.A. Mentor: Dr. Yvonne Haddad, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The main hypothesis of this paper argues that dispensationalism, specifically dispensational pre-millennialism, has significantly impacted a segment of evangelical Christian attitudes toward Muslims in the post-9/11 era, primarily in a negative fashion. The central concept of this thesis depends on a comprehensive analysis of evangelical Christian attitudes toward Muslims and Islam post-9/11 and the influence of the evangelical interpretation of dispensationalism on these attitudes in the context of the history and development of millennialism and modern dispensationalism in Britain and the United States. Two factors are identified that contribute to the dispensational focus on Muslims by evangelical Christians: 1) Christian Zionism and its self-proclaimed mandate to contribute to the security of Israel in order to fulfill eschatological prophecy and; 2) the necessity of identifying a modern apocalyptic “scapegoat” - a country, group of countries or religion that is perceived to fit the description of the aggressor against Christianity during the Judgement dispensation. Furthermore, the research indicates that the impact of dispensationalism, in conjunction with the entry of evangelical Christians into the political realm, endangers the foundational concept of religious pluralism in American society. The concluding portion of this paper presents examples of evangelical congregations with moderate, non-dispensational, and peace-building theological beliefs iii and will suggest avenues that evangelicals can take to develop a counterweight to the religious division and opposition to pluralism promoted by an overwhelming majority of dispensationalists. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………..iii INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………….1 CHAPTER I. IN THE BEGINNING: THE ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONALISM………………………………………………………11 CHAPTER II. DER JUDENSTAAT: THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIAN ZIONISM IN THE CONTEXT OF DISPENSATIONALISM……………...36 CHAPTER III. THE MUSLIM NATION AS GOG: AFTERMATH OF THE FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION……………………………………………………..54 CHAPTER IV. THE “AXIS OF EVIL”: DISPENSATIONALISM POST-9/11…...74 CHAPTER V. A WAY FORWARD: PATHS TO MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING IN THE AFTERMATH OF 9/11………………………95 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………..121 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………..123 v INTRODUCTION …I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. --Rev. 3:3 (NIV) Dispensational pre-millennialism is a theological worldview with eschatological overtones, popular among some evangelical Christians. It has negatively influenced fundamentalist Christian attitudes toward Muslims for decades, becoming resurgent once again in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York and Washington. Pre-millennialism is based on the eschatological tradition of millennialism, defined as the belief in the millennium as described in the biblical book of Revelation. It refers to a period of 1,000 years during which Jesus Christ will reign on earth. Dispensational pre-millennialism is based on the Protestant tradition of dispensationalism, an understanding of God’s relationship to humankind as divided into periods, or dispensations, the final of which is the dispensation of Judgment heralding the Second Coming of Christ. Dispensational pre-millennialism, considered a heresy prior to the 19th century, has, since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, represented an ever-increasing influence on evangelical Christian perceptions of Israel and its relationship with the Muslim world. The 1967 Arab-Israeli war, during which Israel captured and occupied Jerusalem embodied the first significant linkage of dispensational theology with specific world events and spawned the first round of dispensational literature that reached a broader, more mainstream audience. Similarly, the period following 9/11 has witnessed a resurging evangelical Christian apocalyptic theology in 1 which militant Islam is once again the designated eschatological antagonist to Christianity, in this case replacing atheistic Communism. This preoccupation with eschatology in the context of the existence of Israel in modern times on the part of this subset of the Christian community raises questions that have import over Muslim- Christian relations. This paper will address such questions as: Has dispensational pre- millennialism influenced evangelical Christianity to take a confrontational stance toward the American Muslim population in the post-9/11 period and, if so, what effect might this conflict have on the acceptance of religious pluralism in the United States? What measures have evangelical Protestant denominations taken since 9/11 to counter the rising tide of Islamophobia in the United States? Evangelical Christians who subscribe to dispensationalism are faced with somewhat of a theological dilemma when approaching the concept of dispensational pre- millennialism. An uncompromising belief in pre-millennialism, as represented by their particular interpretation of the biblical Books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation, tends to drive dispensational evangelical Christians toward encouraging developments that often have cosmic combative overtones, such as Israeli control of Jerusalem, that they believe herald the advent of the pre-millennial dispensation. The 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States resulted in the most dramatic increase in the amount of evangelical Christian literature devoted to forecasting the final biblical dispensation since the late 1960s and early 1970s that saw Jerusalem captured and America defeated in Vietnam by Communist forces. Much of the literature addressing dispensational pre-millennialism published since 9/11 has intensified in nature and crystallized the description of the role of Islam in the eschatological end-game, resulting in mistrust of and, in extreme cases, 2 hostility toward Muslims by many evangelical Christians. As a result, religious pluralism in the United States is facing a new, redoubled threat from evangelical Christian organizations and leaders that view Islam as a direct challenge, not only to Christianity in eschatological terms, but also the perceived right to Christian hegemony in the United States. This paper will argue that dispensationalism, specifically dispensational pre- millennialism, has significantly impacted a segment of evangelical Christian attitudes toward Muslims, primarily in a negative fashion, in the post-9/11 era. Two underlying factors contributing to the dispensational focus on Muslims on behalf of evangelical Christians will be discussed: 1) Christian Zionism and its self-proclaimed mandate to contribute to the security of Israel in order to fulfill eschatological prophecy and; 2) the necessity of identifying a modern apocalyptic “scapegoat” - a country, group of countries or religion that is perceived to fit the description of the aggressor against Christianity during the Tribulation dispensation. The secondary hypothesis of this thesis will argue that the impact of dispensationalism, in conjunction with the entry of evangelical Christians into the political realm, endangers the foundational concept of religious pluralism in American society; however, evangelicals with moderate, non-dispensational, and peace-building theological beliefs offer a counterweight to the religious division and opposition to pluralism promoted by an overwhelming majority of dispensationalists. The goal of this paper is not to support nor refute the merits of the theology of dispensational pre-millennialism; rather, it is, primarily, to identify the roadblocks to interfaith relations that dispensationalism presents and, secondarily, examine the effect of 3 the evangelical worldview on the understanding of religious pluralism and tolerance in the United States. Dispensational pre-millennialism is a theological viewpoint that should be respected as much as any other viewpoint. However, like other theological viewpoints, it harbors ingrained prejudices which manifest themselves in ways intended and unintended by its adherents, discoloring their views of the religious and cultural “Other.” An effort will be made to identify avenues by which to build trust and understanding between evangelical Christians and Muslims, overcoming the tunnel vision of dogmatic theology. Refusing to allow dogma to blindly lead with little regard for the practical implications of its influence was a primary theme of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The current evangelical Christian attitude of distrust of Muslims and Islam, driven by dogmatic interpretations of biblical prophecy, represents a significant and increasing deterioration of the foundation upon which Muslim/Christian relations has stood upon in this country. The first chapter of this thesis will define dispensational pre-millennialism and explore the early development of this particular apocalyptic theology
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