Written by: Bafana Modise
Lately, a poisonous weed has taken root among believers. It dresses up as concern for the oppressed, but deep down, it’s tangled in an old, dangerous heresy called replacement theology. We have seen it pop up in something people are calling “Gaza theology”, which twists suffering into a weapon to condemn Israel and the Jewish people right from the start. As a Christian moved by the Holy Spirit and God’s unchanging Word, I have to stand up and speak truth against this mistake. It’s pulling the Church towards a hateful teaching that puts our Jewish brothers and sisters at risk and cuts us off from our own faith.
Suffering breaks God’s heart
Let me say this clearly: the suffering of any person, whether Palestinian or Israeli, breaks God’s heart. Weeping with those who weep is basic Christianity (Rom 12:15). But when grief gets twisted to push a political or theological agenda that skips context, warps history, and strips away the humanity of a whole people, it stops being compassion and turns into helping spread a lie.
Proof of tragedy, not guilt
This so-called “Gaza theology” builds on a tempting but totally unscriptural idea: moral authority belongs only to the victim, and their view is always the absolute truth. That’s man’s invention, not God’s. The Bible warns us about this over and over. Proverbs 18:17 puts it straight: “In a lawsuit, the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.” Suffering happens, sure. It doesn’t make anyone morally perfect. It’s proof of tragedy, not automatic proof of someone else’s guilt.
Look to the Bible
Claiming every sufferer is righteous flies in the face of God’s full message. Weren’t the prophets, from Moses to Jeremiah, always holding God’s own people accountable even after their great suffering? Didn’t Paul, who endured so much himself, tell us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23)? Suffering doesn’t make saints. It’s part of life in a broken world. Saying one side’s pain proves the other’s evil is bearing false witness. It breaks the ninth commandment, which the New Testament calls essential for believers (Col 3:9-10). A theology starting with lies can’t lead to truth.
Rejecting Scripture’s words
That gets to the core: these hateful ideas come straight from replacement theology, the notion that the Church has fully taken over from the Jewish people as God’s chosen. This isn’t some minor opinion. It’s a cancer in theology. It rejects Scripture’s clear words. Paul asks in Romans 11:1, “I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!” He describes us Gentiles as wild branches grafted into the olive tree alongside the natural ones, the Jewish people, sharing the root of God’s promises. We’re visitors in their story, not thieves stealing it. Hating the natural branches, like replacement theology does, means hating the root that keeps us alive. Paul warns sharply: “Do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you” (Rom 11:18).
More than politics
Today’s push for Christians to turn away from the Jewish people and Israel isn’t just politics. It’s theology that cuts us off from God’s ongoing story of redemption. Going back to rhetoric that demonises Jews or paints Israel’s self-defense as genocide spits on the work of reconciliation. It rebuilds the wall Christ tore down (Eph 2:14).
Devastating theology
These ideas aren’t just wrong theologically. They are spiritually devastating. They break the deep bond between Jews and Christians. How can we, grafted in, now demand the natural branches get pulled out? How can we, once outsiders, curse Abraham’s descendants when God promised: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen 12:3)?
False compassion
To my fellow Christians tempted by this story, I beg you: don’t let false compassion steal your heart. Don’t let unproven cries of “genocide” and “apartheid” against the Middle East’s liberal democracy make you turn from the God of Israel and His Anointed, Yeshua.
On truth
The New Testament says, “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thes 5:21). A story that dodges facts, ignores Israel’s right to fight an enemy like Hamas whose charter demands Jewish deaths, and overlooks hostages and tunnels under hospitals isn’t from God. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Lies, no matter how moving, just trap us.
On justice
Micah asks, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Justice sees all sides. It doesn’t excuse the October 7th slaughter as “resistance”. It grieves all deaths and fights the ideas that celebrate them.
On love
Jesus’ greatest command is to love God and neighbour (Mark 12:30-31). We can’t love God while cursing the people who brought us Scripture, Messiah, and covenants. And we don’t love Palestinians by ignoring Hamas’ grip on them, using them as shields. Real love prays and works for peace based on truth, safety, and recognition, not wiping out one side.
Turn from destructive thinking
Calls to “repent” for backing Israel come from a wrong foundation. They want us to repent for standing with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and God’s plans. Instead, let’s repent for our silence, for not challenging this lie, for letting anti-Jewish hate creep into our hearts. The Church must turn from this destructive road. Let’s go back to Scripture’s solid ground, embrace the olive tree we’re part of, and stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters as God commands forever. Anything else betrays what it means to be Christian.
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Date published: 17/04/2026
Feature images sourced from Freepik
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