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Green said that while poll questions asking "How do you feel about Israel?" will get 60 to 70 percent positive responses, the same question about Palestinians will also be answered highly positive— about 50 percent.

Tougher questions, however, show that evangelicals typically support Israel. "If you asked, 'Who's side are you on?' you will find about 50 percent of people having no opinion, 30 percent favoring Israel, and 20 percent favoring the Palestinians," said Green. "You may think this means they don't support Israel, but they do. They just don't have enough information to have a firm opinion."

The reasons for evangelical support of Israel are diverse. In fact, recent study findings contradict claims by pundits and those in the media who argue that conservative Christian support is chiefly driven by eschatology. In a poll commissioned by Stand for Israel, a project of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, The Tarrance Group found that theology is not the primary reason for evangelicals to back Israel. Forty-three percent of evangelical respondents said their number one reason for backing Israel was Israel's identity as a democracy and a long-standing U.S. ally. Only 35 percent of those polled said their primary reason was its significance in biblical prophecy.

An additional question specifically asked respondents for their principle theological basis for support. Fifty-nine percent of evangelicals said it was God's promise to bless Israel. Only 28 percent said their primary theological reason was related to the End Times.

"In my reading of Scripture, Israel has a special place in the heart of God (Romans 9-11), but all people have a place in the heart of God according to Matthew 28," said Clive Calver, president of World Relief. "It is incredibly simple: the heart of Jesus is for all people. We have a mandate not to stand with one side or the other, but to seek to stand for peace, harmonize people, and bring Jesus to them."

While the general evangelical populace may not have a solid stance on Israel, Green told CT that evangelical leaders are a different story. "The position of people in seminaries, leaders of parachurch organizations, and elites in denominations are much stronger than you'd find in the mass public," he said. "Their views are sophisticated, and they've thought about this clearly."

In a 2002 foreign policy survey for the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Green questioned 350 leaders of evangelical organizations. Sixty percent of respondents said the U.S. should back Israel over the Palestinians. The number was up slightly from a similar study in 2000.

Why isn't the strong support of leaders reflected in their parishes and constituencies? "For many of these elites, foreign policy has not had a high priority," said Green. "Until recently, they talked more about abortion and gay rights. The only exceptions were relief agencies, who for a long time were the only ones talking about this."

Green said it may be surprising that while 60 percent of evangelical leaders back Israel over Palestine, 52 percent are in favor of a Palestinian state. "Evangelical elites want to see peace in the Middle East," Green told CT. "They believe the Palestinian people have legitimate aspirations to have their own country. These elites would not support a state if it threatened Israel."

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June (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47