Allies for Armageddon The Relentless Rise of Christian Zionism Victoria Clark

Millions of Americans believe that God requires them to offer unconditional moral, financial, political and military support to Israel. They are Christian Zionists, the West's religious fundamentalists, and, guided by a literal reading of the Bible, they are convinced that Jerusalem will be the epicentre of the imminent Tribulation, a seven-year period of suffering which will culminate in Christ's Second Coming and the Battle of Armageddon. In this timely and absorbing book, Victoria Clark explores the 400-year history of this powerful political ideology from its beginnings among the Puritans of seventeenth-century England to the present-day United States, where Christian Zionists wield unprecedented influence. In an attempt to understand the movement, she travels through Israel and the American South, meeting its charismatic leaders and engaging with its enthusiastic followers, for whom the War on Terror is a mythic battle between good and evil, and Syria and Iran represent powers of darkness to be 'nuked' into oblivion. On the way, she asks the questions that really matter: are the Christian Zionist leaders telling the truth when they boast about their close links with the White House? How do Israelis feel about being given support by evangelicals who think they are doomed to hellfire? And what effect does the powerful Christian Zionist lobby have on the complex and volatile situation in the Middle East? Fascinating and disturbing in equal measure, this is an extraordinary journey into the heart of Christian fundamentalism and American power.

Victoria Clark, a freelance journalist and writer, contributes to the Daily Telegraph, the Independent, Prospect magazine, and The Tablet. She was formerly correspondent and Moscow bureau chief for the Observer (London). She has written three acclaimed books on religious history, most recently Holy Fire: The Battle for Christ's Tomb.

'... Clark provides here a superb historical narrative of the emergence of the ideology of Christian Zionism ...' - Michael Northcott, The Tablet

'... Clark presents ... vividly and thoughtfully ... With the eye of an experienced journalist.' - Economist

' Foreign policy is at the heart of Victoria Clark's Allies for Armageddon ... as an outsider ... Clark unpicks the contradictions in the relationship between the Christian and Jewish Zionists.' - Anne Penketh, The Independent

'Some 30 million Americans consider themselves Christian Zionists ... Victoria Clark ... does a remarkable job of explaining where they came from and why they exist.' - Ed West, Catholic Herald

' ... an exceptional job ... Clark did her research boldly and carefully.' - William Countryman, Church Times

'Controversial and thought-provoking ...' Dr Simon Ross Valentine, Methodist Recorder

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