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Walking on the Pages of the Word of God
Self, Land, and Text Among Evangelical Volunteers in Jerusalem
Series: - Currents of Encounter, Volume: 59
Author:
In Walking on the Pages of the Word of God Aron Engberg explores the religious language and identities of evangelical volunteer workers in contemporary Jerusalem. The volunteers are connected to Christian organizations which consider their work a natural consequence of the biblical promises to Israel and their responsibility to âbless the Jewish peopleâ.
Relying on ethnographic data of the discursive practices of the volunteers, the book explores a central puzzle of Zionist Christianity: the narrative production of Israelâs religious significance and its relationship to broader Christian language traditions. By focusing on the volunteersâ stories about themselves, the land and the Bible, Aron Engberg offers a convincing account about how the State of Israel is finding its way into evangelical identities.
Relying on ethnographic data of the discursive practices of the volunteers, the book explores a central puzzle of Zionist Christianity: the narrative production of Israelâs religious significance and its relationship to broader Christian language traditions. By focusing on the volunteersâ stories about themselves, the land and the Bible, Aron Engberg offers a convincing account about how the State of Israel is finding its way into evangelical identities.
Aron Engberg, Ph.D. (2016), Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University, Sweden. He has previously published several articles and book chapters on evangelical Christianity, pilgrimage and life stories. Walking on the Pages of the Word of God is his first monograph.
"Readers will discover a wealth of insight in Engbergâs new book, from the formation and functioning of global evangelical networks to religious language and the role Christian Zionists have played in shaping the lived landscape of contemporary Jerusalem. This is an indispensable ethnography, one that promises to make a lasting impact on the interdisciplinary study of Christianity and the social life of scriptures more broadly." â James S. Bielo, Miami University
"Based on intensive fieldwork, Aron Engberg provides a vivid portrait of Evangelical volunteers in Israel. For them, living in the Bible Land is not about venerating the past, but its restoration through the State of Israel. The contradictions between prophecy and current life in Israel are resolved through a postponement of understanding, which authenticates action as being a result of Godâs agency. Engberg describes this process, fluctuating between the persuasiveness of narrative truth and the limits of human agency, with precision and coherence. In doing so, he provides an empathetic but not romanticized account of Christian Zionism that relates it to broader issues in contemporary Protestantism." â Jackie Feldman, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
"Aron Engberg provides a closely observed account of Israel as both contemporary place and complex object of aspiration for Protestant evangelical volunteers. Working through individual encounters and biographies, he brings into conversation two areas of research that have had strangely little to say to each other so far: Christian Zionism, and analysis of the forms and functions of Protestant language ideologies. The result is a hugely engaging text that tells us much about how Jerusalem is lived, imagined, and narrated by powerful advocates for the State of Israel as political and spiritual entity." â Simon Coleman, Chancellor Jackman Professor, University of Toronto
"Based on intensive fieldwork, Aron Engberg provides a vivid portrait of Evangelical volunteers in Israel. For them, living in the Bible Land is not about venerating the past, but its restoration through the State of Israel. The contradictions between prophecy and current life in Israel are resolved through a postponement of understanding, which authenticates action as being a result of Godâs agency. Engberg describes this process, fluctuating between the persuasiveness of narrative truth and the limits of human agency, with precision and coherence. In doing so, he provides an empathetic but not romanticized account of Christian Zionism that relates it to broader issues in contemporary Protestantism." â Jackie Feldman, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
"Aron Engberg provides a closely observed account of Israel as both contemporary place and complex object of aspiration for Protestant evangelical volunteers. Working through individual encounters and biographies, he brings into conversation two areas of research that have had strangely little to say to each other so far: Christian Zionism, and analysis of the forms and functions of Protestant language ideologies. The result is a hugely engaging text that tells us much about how Jerusalem is lived, imagined, and narrated by powerful advocates for the State of Israel as political and spiritual entity." â Simon Coleman, Chancellor Jackman Professor, University of Toronto
Acknowledgments
List of Interviews
1 Introduction
â Walking on the Pages of the Word of God
â Toward an Ethnography of Christian Zionism
â âChristian Zionismâ: Belief and Practice
ââ Biblical Literalism
ââ Christian Zionism as Narrative and Process
â Meaning, Language, and Narrative
ââ Meaning & Symbol
ââ Language Ideology
ââ Religious Language & Narrative Performance
â The Scene in Jerusalem
ââ The Volunteers
ââ Interviews
â Self, Land, and Text
2 Evangelical Zionism in Jerusalem
â History of the Organizations
ââ Restorationism and Dispensationalism
ââ Jerusalem in the 1970s
ââ Connecting Israel with the Evangelical World
ââ Practical Support and Founding Organizations
ââ Navigating the Socio-Political Space
ââ Covenantal Theology
ââ Going Mainstream
ââ The Ministries Today
â At the Embassy 2012
3 Self: Calling, Agency and Transformation
â Narratives, Performance, and Transformation
â The Calling
ââ âIt Wasnât Our IdeaââCalling and Agency
ââ Suspension of Agency
ââ Narrative Non-Sense Making
ââ Agency in Abeyance
â Self-Transformation
ââ Realizing Israelâs Spiritual Significance
ââ Becoming Ruth
ââ Continuous ConversionâFaith Walk
â Conclusions
4 Land: Israel, Place and Presence
â Space, Place and the âHoly Landâ
ââ The âLand of the Bibleâ and the Evangelical Gaze
ââ Where Miracles Happen
ââ âGodâs Fire is in Zion, but His Furnace is in Jerusalemâ
ââ The Cosmic Center
ââ A Locative Thrust
â Tensions
ââ Another Problem of Presence
ââ Can Israel Fall Apart?
ââ âTo Live between the Tensionsâ
â Conclusions
5 Text: Literalism, Prophecy and Authenticity
â An Ideology of Literalism
â Ambiguities of Prophecy Belief
ââ Prophecy: Past & Present
ââ Prophecy: Future
ââ Bible Prophecy as an Interpretative Tradition
â Hebraic Roots of Christian Faith
ââ History and Authenticity
ââ Hebraic and Greek Worldviews
ââ Purification
ââ A Vanguard of Reform
â Conclusions
6 Walking on the Pages of the Word of God
â Continuities and Discontinuities of Evangelical Zionism
ââ Globalizing Christian Zionism
ââ Contesting Language Ideologies
ââ Alternative Readings of Israel
â Walking on the Pages
References
Index
List of Interviews
1 Introduction
â Walking on the Pages of the Word of God
â Toward an Ethnography of Christian Zionism
â âChristian Zionismâ: Belief and Practice
ââ Biblical Literalism
ââ Christian Zionism as Narrative and Process
â Meaning, Language, and Narrative
ââ Meaning & Symbol
ââ Language Ideology
ââ Religious Language & Narrative Performance
â The Scene in Jerusalem
ââ The Volunteers
ââ Interviews
â Self, Land, and Text
2 Evangelical Zionism in Jerusalem
â History of the Organizations
ââ Restorationism and Dispensationalism
ââ Jerusalem in the 1970s
ââ Connecting Israel with the Evangelical World
ââ Practical Support and Founding Organizations
ââ Navigating the Socio-Political Space
ââ Covenantal Theology
ââ Going Mainstream
ââ The Ministries Today
â At the Embassy 2012
3 Self: Calling, Agency and Transformation
â Narratives, Performance, and Transformation
â The Calling
ââ âIt Wasnât Our IdeaââCalling and Agency
ââ Suspension of Agency
ââ Narrative Non-Sense Making
ââ Agency in Abeyance
â Self-Transformation
ââ Realizing Israelâs Spiritual Significance
ââ Becoming Ruth
ââ Continuous ConversionâFaith Walk
â Conclusions
4 Land: Israel, Place and Presence
â Space, Place and the âHoly Landâ
ââ The âLand of the Bibleâ and the Evangelical Gaze
ââ Where Miracles Happen
ââ âGodâs Fire is in Zion, but His Furnace is in Jerusalemâ
ââ The Cosmic Center
ââ A Locative Thrust
â Tensions
ââ Another Problem of Presence
ââ Can Israel Fall Apart?
ââ âTo Live between the Tensionsâ
â Conclusions
5 Text: Literalism, Prophecy and Authenticity
â An Ideology of Literalism
â Ambiguities of Prophecy Belief
ââ Prophecy: Past & Present
ââ Prophecy: Future
ââ Bible Prophecy as an Interpretative Tradition
â Hebraic Roots of Christian Faith
ââ History and Authenticity
ââ Hebraic and Greek Worldviews
ââ Purification
ââ A Vanguard of Reform
â Conclusions
6 Walking on the Pages of the Word of God
â Continuities and Discontinuities of Evangelical Zionism
ââ Globalizing Christian Zionism
ââ Contesting Language Ideologies
ââ Alternative Readings of Israel
â Walking on the Pages
References
Index
All interested in the relationship between evangelical Christianity and Israel, and scholars interested in the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, theology & anthropology, and in religion in the Middle East from theological, historical or social scientific perspectives.