Israel Matters: Why Christians Must Think Differently about the People and the Land

Widely respected theologian Gerald McDermott has spent two decades investigating the meaning of Israel and Judaism. What he has learned has required him to rethink many of his previous assumptions.

Israel Matters addresses the perennially important issue of the relationship between Christianity and the people and land of Israel, offering a unique and compelling "third way" between typical approaches and correcting common misunderstandings along the way. This book challenges the widespread Christian assumption that since Jesus came to earth, Jews are no longer special to God as a people, and the land of Israel is no longer theologically significant. It traces the author's journey from thinking those things to discovering that the New Testament authors believed the opposite of both. It also shows that contrary to what many Christians believe, the church is not the new Israel, and both the people and the land of Israel are important to God and the future of redemption.

McDermott offers an accessible but robust defense of a "New Christian Zionism" for pastors and laypeople interested in Israel and Christian-Jewish relations. His approach will also spark a conversation among theologians and biblical scholars.

• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Getting the Big Story Wrong
• 2. Does the New Testament Teach That the Church Is the New Israel?
• 3. Those Who Got It Right: A History of Christian Zionism Starting in the Second Century
• 4. Looking More Closely at the Old Testament: Salvation for the World through Israel
• 5. Looking More Closely at the New Testament: A Future for Both the People and the Land of Israel
• 6. Political Objections: What about the Palestinians?
• 7. Theological Objections: Is the First Covenant Obsolete?
• 8. If All This Is True, Then What?
• 9. Six Proposals
• Appendix: Covenant and Land in the Old Testament
• Indexes