Is questioning Israel antisemitic?

Is questioning Israel antisemitic?

Author: Gateway Center for Israel July 1, 2026 Duration: 56:17

"I'm just a village idiot. I'm just asking questions." This feigned innocence is used by a growing anti-Israel Christian crowd to sound humble while pushing an agenda. Nic Lesmeister helps you see through this smokescreen.

Nic rejoins David Blease on Covenant & Conflict to name what's actually going on under the "just asking questions" posture, why the world tilted so fast after October 7th, and how an antisemitic theology long disavowed is showing back up in conservative Christian spaces. Plus, the Israel test: a way of reading how someone handles Israel that says a lot about how they handle everything else.

What we cover in this episode:

  • Why antisemitism didn't disappear after the Holocaust, just went dormant
  • How October 7th accelerated a shift the world wasn't ready to see
  • Classical dispensationalism, where it came from, and why GCFI isn't that
  • The dual-covenant accusation and what "chosen" actually means
  • The "just asking questions" move, and why arrogance keeps dressing up as curiosity
  • The Israel test: Genesis 12, God's name on a people and a place

CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:07 Welcome back, Nic02:19 The world after October 7th05:33 Antisemitism didn't disappear, it went dormant08:01 The oldest hatred, and why it keeps mutating09:17 The imaginary Jew in your mind10:29 Scapegoating the biblical other12:15 What October 7th accelerated13:58 When the church adopts anti-Jewish theology16:22 What dispensationalism actually is19:58 Pre-millennial without being dispensational21:24 George W. Bush and Rachel Maddow23:23 A biblical and sincere love for the Jewish people26:47 Dual covenant, chosen, and the salvation question31:26 Why Christians collapse every question into "saved or not"33:51 A Greek worldview meets a Hebraic one36:46 Faith in Jesus as the assurance of salvation39:30 The Israel test and the weight of Genesis 1241:00 God's name on Jerusalem, sheen in the geography43:46 Tucker, Candace, and "I'm just asking questions"49:28 The Jew first, in blessing and in punishment51:27 Going to Israel and sitting in the tension53:01 Jesus comes back to a Jewish Jerusalem55:10 Closing thoughts


Hosted by Nic Lesmeister and David Blease, Covenant & Conflict is a production of the Gateway Center for Israel. This podcast engages directly with the tensions between timeless scriptural foundations and the pressing questions of our time. Conversations with various experts navigate complex terrain-from social ethics to geopolitical currents-always anchored in a covenantal framework. The aim isn't to sidestep difficulty but to enter into it thoughtfully, demonstrating how a rooted perspective can inform rather than inflame our dialogues. You'll hear nuanced explorations that resist easy answers, prioritizing depth and understanding over rhetorical point-scoring. It’s for those who suspect that ancient wisdom has urgent, practical things to say about modern conflicts and who appreciate dialogue that seeks clarity amidst complexity. Tune in for episodes that challenge assumptions and encourage a more considered engagement with the world, all through a lens that takes both text and context seriously. The result is a consistently thoughtful audio experience that stands apart in the realms of faith and culture.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Covenant & Conflict
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