Source: The American Conservative
January 21, 2026
On January 17, 2026, the leaders of all the major churches in Jerusalem issued a sobering warning. They released a statement in which they cautioned that “damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism, mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock.” The leaders noted that these efforts have found favor among political actors in Israel and beyond and have led to the advancement of agendas that now threaten the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East.
The statement’s significance lies in its timing and rarity. The patriarchs of Jerusalem last addressed Christian Zionism in their 2006 Jerusalem Declaration, so this pastoral statement is their first comment on the issue in nearly two decades. It is a warning that signals an immediate danger to Christian unity and survival.
It closely followed a summit sponsored by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem last December, a gathering of more than 1,000 U.S. pastors that advanced a Christian Zionist narrative while sidelining Jerusalem’s historic churches.
