Christian Zionism - New Life Tabernacle of Chattanooga

11.3 Bridges For Peace: Political Dispensationalism (1976)
Bridges for Peace (BFP) was founded in 1976 by G. Douglas Young. Young
had worked in Israel since the 1950s, founding the Israel-American Institute of
Biblical Studies in Jerusalem in 1957. In 1976, he also began to publish his
‘Dispatch from Jerusalem’ a monthly newsletter distributed by an organisation
called Christians for Israel, based in Dallas. After Young’s death, Clarence H.
Wagner became the President and first Executive Director of Bridges for
Peace in 1980. 579 BFP affirm: ‘Through programs both in Israel and worldwide,
we are giving Christians the opportunity to actively express our biblical
responsibility before God to be faithful to Israel and the Jewish community.’ 580
This ‘biblical responsibility’ does not include Jewish evangelism since they
claim the promises made to Israel were both prior to and independent of the
Church. ‘The Church does not exist independently from the covenant God
made with the Jewish people and Israel.’ 581 BFP also hold to the
dispensational view that ‘God’s covenant promises between the land and His
people Israel were everlasting and unconditional.’ 582 Most commentators
understand the reference in Ephesians 2:14-18 to Jesus making ‘the two one’
as describing how he has broken down the wall of hostility between Jews and
Gentiles by his death. Wagner, however, claims this passage describes the
ministry of BFP bringing reconciliation between the State of Israel and the
Church. 583 BFP is therefore one of the most politicised Christian Zionist
organisations with a budget, in the year 2000 of just under $3 million and a
membership of 90,000. 584 Having disavowed evangelism they are instead
active through ‘Operation Rescue’ in encouraging Jews from the former
Soviet Union to emigrate to Israel. Merkley claims: ‘All of the Christian Zionist
organizations acknowledge Dr. Douglas Young as their pioneer and Bridges
579
Merkley, op.cit., p168.
580 Clarence H. Wagner, ‘Who are we?’ Bridges for Peace, Jerusalem. September (1996).
581 Clarence H. Wagner, ‘Israel and the Church at the Dawn of the New Millennium.’
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/publications/teaching/Article-18.html
582 Clarence H. Wagner, ‘Did God break his covenant with the Jews?’
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/publications/teaching/Article-19.html
583 Clarence H. Wagner, ‘God’s covenants, and the Church’
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/publications/teaching/Article-38.html
584 http://www.ecfa.org/MbrProf.asp?MemberID=1092; http://www.israelunitycoalition.com
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