What is established
Definition
Replacement theology (supersessionism) holds that, because many Jews did not accept Jesus, God transferred Israel's calling and promises to the church, which becomes the 'new Israel'.
History
Forms of it appear in early Christian writers from the second century and became dominant in much of church history. It fed the 'Christ-killer' accusation and centuries of anti-Jewish preaching and law.
Reconsideration
After the Holocaust, many churches — Catholic and Protestant — explicitly distanced themselves from the idea that God has rejected the Jewish people.
Where people differ
- Some theologians distinguish harsh replacement theology from 'fulfilment' views that see Israel's hope completed in Christ while rejecting contempt for Jews.
- Palestinian Christian theologians sometimes criticise Christian Zionism as the opposite error; rejecting replacement theology does not require endorsing every political position.
Biblical reflection
The church is not Israel's replacement but its grafted-in sibling. We confess, with sorrow, the fruit that replacement thinking bore in Christian history, and we choose Paul's posture: 'do not be arrogant, but fear' (Romans 11:20).
Scripture: Romans 11:1, 17–29; Ephesians 2:11–22
Questions readers ask
Why does GOD News reject replacement theology?
Because Paul teaches that God has not rejected His people (Romans 11:1–2, 29), and because this teaching has historically fuelled antisemitism.
Is every critic of Israel a replacement theologian?
No. Criticism of government policy is a separate question from the theological status of the Jewish people.
Sources
Related explainers
Romans 9–11 and the olive treeAntisemitism and the churchGod's covenant with IsraelAll explainers