Heresy of the Week: Restorationism

This week's heresy, while perhaps noble in intent, is terrible in execution.

Restorationism (also known as Christian Primitivism or the Primitive Christian Movement) is a protestant (predominantly Hussite and Anabaptism) heretical belief that the woes of the church can be fixed by returning to the “primitive” or apostolic early church. In their attempt to “purify” the church, Restorationists are willing to throw out many orthodox beliefs to achieve a more  “ancient” form of religion. It is also connected with the Dispensationalism Christian Zionism movement, and Restorationism is often the name used for the Christian Zionism movement during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Heresy of the Week: Christian Zionism

My day job is politics, and because of that, I often run into dispensational and premillenialist heresies on a frequent basis, particularly when it comes to advocating for certain policy positions.  This is a very common one that often rears its ugly head in the political world.  The problem isn't the nation of Israel, the problem is claiming any sort of theological significance to it (or using that claim to justify political positions).

Christian Zionism (also known as Restorationism) is a 19th-21st century (although the idea has been around since the time of the reformation) Dispensationalism eschatology heresy that believes there must be an “ingathering” of Jews in the nation Israel before Christ may return to earth. It likely grew out of the “Restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land” 19th century movement. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was seen, by this group, as occurring according to Biblical prophecy. They are major proponents of Dual-Covenant theology (that Israelites are still God’s chosen people, along with an “ingrafting” of Gentile Christians). They strongly support Jewish Zionism.