STATEN ISRAEL: PROFETIA ELLER OCKUPATIONSMAKT? - En idealtypsanalys av svenska kristna trosinriktningar och dess syn på Israel och den israelisk-palestinska konflikten

Abstract

To what extent does theological premises effect political opinions? Previous research from the United States find that Christian fundamentalists are the group most supportive of Israel in the American political landscape. This essay explores theological premises and its effect on political attitudes towards Israel in a secular environment, which have not been done before. By examining in which ways faith orientations within Swedish Christianity differ from one another regarding views on Israel and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, attitudes towards Israel and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict are mapped and analyzed through a qualitative content analysis of editorials from two Swedish Christian newspapers, Världen idag and Dagen, and one ecclesiastic position paper from the Church of Sweden, representing three different Christian faith orientations, fundamentalist, evangelical, and “mainstream”-protestant. The views found in the analyzed material are also compared to two constructed Christian ideal types, Christian Zionism and Christian Antizionism. The study finds that the views expressed in Världen idag are largely in line with the ideal type of Christian Zionism whereas the views expressed by the Church of Sweden are largely in line with the ideal type of Christian Antizionism. Dagen is positioned between the two ideal types. The results are essentially in line with the findings of previous research in the United States. Finally, this essay’s findings strengthen the explanatory power of theological premises regarding Christian attitudes towards Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.