NEWS PROVIDED BY
Infinity Concepts
Nov. 29, 2021
EXPORT, Penn., Nov. 29, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- It is often presumed that evangelical Christians prioritize support for Israel as part of their religious and political beliefs. However, new research reveals evangelicals are not of one mind on what they believe about Israel and the Jewish people.
The Jewish Connection: Evangelicals and Israel is a study of 1,000 American evangelical Protestants, from Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research. It reveals that 51% of evangelicals believe the Jews are God’s chosen people. However, the other half believe differently:
• 19% are not sure what to believe
• 17% believe Christians replaced Jews as God’s chosen people
• 10% feel the Jews never were God’s chosen people
• 2% had another view
“Older evangelicals and those who are Charismatic or Pentecostal are the most likely to believe the Jews are God’s chosen people,” says Mark Dreistadt, Infinity Concepts President. “Also, evangelicals who read the Bible at least weekly are significantly more likely to believe this than are infrequent Bible readers.”
The study also asked evangelicals what priority supporting Israel and the Jewish people is in their personal giving. On a five-point scale, 29% assign it the highest priority (5); another 19% rate it a 4. This is a total 48% who rate this as a high priority (4 or 5). Only 21% consider this a low priority (1 or 2). So more than twice as many evangelicals consider supporting Israel and the Jewish people a higher priority (4 or 5) that consider it a lower priority (1 or 2).
Two out of ten evangelicals can be considered “Israel loyalists” – they believe Jews have been and continue to be God’s chosen people and put the highest priority on supporting Israel and the Jewish people.
However, there is little agreement on how they most want to support Israel. A key finding is that just 11% of evangelicals prioritize supporting pro-Israel politicians or political positions in the US. The vast majority would rather prioritize helping the needy in Israel, teaching the Jewish roots of Christianity, helping Jews return to their homeland, and other types of non-political causes.
Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research, notes that this research provides a clearer picture of evangelicals and Israel. “The stereotype tends to be that evangelicals are staunch supporters of Israel who view things mostly through a political lens,” Sellers explains. “So much previous research focusing on geopolitical issues contributed to this stereotype. We wanted to examine this from a theological and charitable standpoint, and found the political angle is rarely where evangelicals focus their priorities. Evangelicals are also far from unified in their theology related to Israel and the Jewish people.”
For the full report, contact:
Definition of “Evangelical Protestant”
This study uses the definition of “evangelical” favored by the National Association of Evangelicals, based on four key spiritual beliefs.
The Authors:
Infinity Concepts is a brand communication agency inspiring people of faith to action through consulting, branding, fundraising, public relations, creative, traditional media, and digital media. Infinity Concepts has extensive experience building bridges of communication and collaboration between the Jewish and Christian communities.
Grey Matter Research is a marketing research and consumer insights company with extensive experiencing serving the charitable and religious sectors. The company conducts consumer insights work that helps organizations make wiser, more informed decisions based on knowledge rather than assumptions.
SOURCE Infinity Concepts
CONTACT: Karen Hepp, 724-930-2809
