Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Those that Bless You, I Will Bless By Paul Merkley

New Book by Professor Emeritus Merkley Looks at the History of the Christian Zionism Movement

In several books and many more articles and public lectures, Professor Paul C. Merkley has described the part that Christian friends of Israel played in bringing about the creation of the State in 1948 and sustaining it against its enemies ever since. Now in Merkley's new book, Those That Bless You, I Will Bless: Christian Zionism in Historical Perspective, he takes us back to the origins of Christian Zionism in exegesis of Scripture. Confronting the historical distortions of the anti-Zionists, he provides a calm, proud and scholarly defense of Christian Zionism answering these important questions:
  • Why do some Christians vilify Israel, yet some are amongst Israel's strongest supporters?
  • Why does Christianity have such divergent views on Jews and Israel?  
  • What is the basis of the quarrel between some of the older denominations and the newer evangelical or fundamentalist denominations? 
  • On what exactly, are the Christian Zionists basing their support for Israel?
In four parts - Biblical Foundations, The Church and the Legacy of Israel, Modern Times, and Israel Defends Her Right to Life - Merkley takes his readers back to the origins of Christian Zionism and recalls the story of Christian attitudes towards the Jews over the two millennia since the destruction of the Second Temple. Confronting the historical distortions of the anti-Zionists, he provides a calm, proud and scholarly defense of Christian Zionism. For readers seeking a deeper understanding of Christian attitudes towards Israel, this is a must read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Professor Paul C. Merkley is an Emeritus Professor of History at Carleton University in Canada. He was born and educated in Toronto and taught History for over forty years in Canada and the USA. He has been a visiting Professor of American studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He served as Foreign Policy Advisor to Canada's Member of Parliament, Stockwell Day, from 2004-2010. His previous books include American Presidents, Religion and Israel. He is currently at work on a book about Canadian Conservatives and Israel.

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