Bad Theology: Busted

Episode 8 - Indigenous Responses to Christian Zionism

Today, on the 78th Nakba Day (May 15, 2026), we welcome Mark Charles, Shadia Qubti, and Rev. Dr. Robert O. Smith to the podcast, each representing different Indigenous perspectives on the problem of Christian Zionism and what can be done to give people alternative theological positions to grab ahold of. In Season 1, Episode 4 [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2510217/episodes/18585452] of the podcast, Rev. Emilee Walker-Cornetta said that, “we’ve been disciplined to not seriously engage our own history of settler colonialism, genocide, and enslavement…and that we’re still enchanted by our own narrative of Manifest Destiny” and that’s what we’re going to focus on in this episode. How has the United States’ refusal to seriously critique our own foundation story impacted people’s willingness to look past the suffering of the Palestinian people? It’s so easy for people to look abroad and see horrors in far away places, but to admit the same in our own backyard is more difficult for people encultured within “American exceptionalism.” FOSNA Nakba Day 78: A Solidarity Toolkit [https://www.fosna.org/advocacy-direct-action-database/nakba-day-78-a-solidarity-toolkit] Resources Mentioned * Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery purchase via InterVarsity Press [https://www.ivpress.com/unsettling-truths] * More Desired than Our Owne Salvation: The Roots of Christian Zionism purchase via Oxford University Press [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/more-desired-than-our-owne-salvation-9780199993246] * Comprehending Christian Zionism: Perspectives in Comparison purchase via Augsburg Fortress Press [https://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9781451472264/Comprehending-Christian-Zionism] * International Solidarity Movement (ISM) [https://palsolidarity.org/] * Now I walk in Beauty, a Navajo Prayer, English version here [https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/song/now-i-walk-in-beauty-a-navajo-prayer/] * The Kairos Documents * South Africa [https://kairossouthernafrica.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/the-south-africa-kairos-document-1985/] * Kairos Palestine I [https://www.kairospalestine.ps/index.php/about-kairos/kairos-palestine-document] * Kairos Palestine II [https://generalcouncil.ca/document/gce45-gs41-kairos-palestine-ii-moment-truth-faith-time-genocide-february-2026] * Gender, Genocide, Gaza and the Book of Esther: Engaging Texts of Terror(ism) purchase from Routledge Press [https://www.routledge.com/Gender-Genocide-Gaza-and-the-Book-of-Esther-Engaging-Texts-of-Terrorism/Nadar/p/book/9781032895499] Inst. for the Study of Christian Zionism [https://studychristianzionism.org/] The ISCZ is the primary resource for the study, critique, and response to Christian Zionism. Friends of Sabeel North America [https://www.fosna.org/] Seeking justice and peace in the Holy Land through education, advocacy, and nonviolent action. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show [https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/bad-theology-busted] Credits: Original music: Karl Saint Lucy & Danny Frye (feat. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac) - “The Path Forward” Produced, written, and performed by: Karl Saint Lucy (ASCAP) & Danny Frye (BMI) Featuring sampled speech by: Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac Drums, mixing, and mastering: Danny Frye Keyboards and programming: Karl Saint Lucy Logo design: Dee Roberts

Episode 7 - Christian Zionism in Latine Contexts

In this episode, we are excited to connect with Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes, Rev. Dr. Crystal Silva-McCormick, and Dr. Nicolás Panotto, for what promises to be a fascinating conversation exploring the influence and impact of Christian Zionism in Latin American contexts—both within and among Latine communities and institutions—but also the harm Christian Zionist ideologies and power structures have brought to Latine individuals and families, whether here in the United States or abroad. Resources mentioned • Decolonizing Theological Knowledge in Latin America: Religion, Education and Theology with a Postcolonial Accent by Nicolás Panotto (interview on the book [https://www.htiopenplaza.org/content/decolonizing-latin-american-theological-education]) • Theology after Gaza: a global anthology ed. Mitri Raheb and Graham McGeoch (via Wipf & Stock [https://wipfandstock.com/9798385233649/theology-after-gaza/]) • Discourse on Colonialism by Aimé Césaire (via libcom.org [https://files.libcom.org/files/zz_aime_cesaire_robin_d.g._kelley_discourse_on_colbook4me.org_.pdf]) • Decolonizing Palestine: the land, the people, the bible by Mitri Raheb (via Orbis Books [https://orbisbooks.com/products/9781626985490]) • Kairos Palestine II [https://www.kairospalestine.ps/images/GKJs_response_Final.pdf] • Kairos Palestine II Lenten study guide [https://religionnews.com/2026/01/06/in-time-for-lent-new-ecumenical-study-guide-for-new-kairos-palestine-ii/] • “Liberation Theology as a Test for Authentic Religion” by Naim Ateek (via FOSNA store [https://www.fosna.org/fosnabookstore/p/religion-and-politics-in-israelpalestine-and-the-question-of-tolerationintolerance-liberation-theology-as-a-test-for-authentic-religion-two-paper-by-rev-dr-naim-ateek-ebook-2w4yc]) This is the podcast of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ). To learn more about ISCZ visit our website at: https://studychristianzionism.org [https://studychristianzionism.org] Got a question about the podcast? Reach out to us via email at BTBusted@studychristianzionism.org [BTBusted@studychristianzionism.org]. Support the show [https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/bad-theology-busted] Credits: Original music: Karl Saint Lucy & Danny Frye (feat. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac) - “The Path Forward” Produced, written, and performed by: Karl Saint Lucy (ASCAP) & Danny Frye (BMI) Featuring sampled speech by: Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac Drums, mixing, and mastering: Danny Frye Keyboards and programming: Karl Saint Lucy Logo design: Dee Roberts

Episode 6 - Christian Zionism in the US Black Church

Today we’re excited to connect with Josiah R. Daniels, Rev. Keyanna Jones Moore, and Rev. Dr. Reggie Williams. During our conversation this month, we will dive deeper into how Christian Zionism shows up in the spiritual and political realities of Black Christians in the United States. Resources mentioned: * Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance [https://archive.org/details/bonhoeffersblack0000will] by Reggie Williams  * The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology amid Gaza [https://orbisbooks.com/products/the-cross-and-the-olive-tree] edited by John and Samuel Munayer  * Jesus and the Disinherited [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.260684] by Howard Thurman  * The Message [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-message-ta-nehisi-coates/648b60a08684ce24] by Ta-Nehisi Coates * One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777485/one-day-everyone-will-have-always-been-against-this-national-book-award-by-omar-el-akkad/] by Omar El Akkad * Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2499-perfect-victims] by Mohammed El-Kurd * ‘I’m so dehumanized’: Journalists say U.S. newsrooms treat Palestine with fear and contempt by Laura Albast via Prism Reports [https://prismreports.org/2025/09/09/journalists-news-media-bias-palestine/] * Want to Love Your Neighbor? Grieve With Them By Elom Tettey-Tamaklo via sojo.net [https://sojo.net/articles/opinion/want-love-your-neighbor-grieve-them] * What is neutrality bias, and why do we need to address it? by Gina Baleria via the Wayback Machine [https://web.archive.org/web/20210922114321/https://www.routledge.com/blog/article/what-is-neutrality-bias-and-why-do-we-need-to-address-it] * Department Press Briefing – February 14, 2024 Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson via state.gov [https://2021-2025.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-february-14-2024/] * Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange [https://gilee.gsu.edu/] (GILEE) * Highlander Folk School [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/highlander-folk-school] * Shalom Hartman Institute [https://www.hartman.org.il/] * Video of “flying checkpoint” in North Georgia [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSYBTFRj9Cb/] * The Wayback Machine [https://web.archive.org/] * John Coltrane: A love supreme [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll3CMgiUPuU] Inst. for the Study of Christian Zionism [https://studychristianzionism.org/] The ISCZ is the primary resource for the study, critique, and response to Christian Zionism. Friends of Sabeel North America [https://www.fosna.org/] Seeking justice and peace in the Holy Land through education, advocacy, and nonviolent action. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show [https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/bad-theology-busted] Credits: Original music: Karl Saint Lucy & Danny Frye (feat. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac) - “The Path Forward” Produced, written, and performed by: Karl Saint Lucy (ASCAP) & Danny Frye (BMI) Featuring sampled speech by: Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac Drums, mixing, and mastering: Danny Frye Keyboards and programming: Karl Saint Lucy Logo design: Dee Roberts

Episode 5 - Christian Zionism in South Africa

This month we’ve connected with our movement partners in South Africa. Joining us across a vast span of time zones, we’re excited to bring Dr. Thandi Gamedze and Dr. Ntando Mlambo to the podcast. The ideas of “Land, space, and place” are integral to the conversation around colonialism and settler colonialism in the contexts of both South Africa and Palestine. Indigenous Palestinians and Indigenous South Africans have long shared a deep, historical affinity as those on the receiving end of settler-colonial violence and apartheid. Nelson Mandela is well-known for his support of Palestinian freedom, most famously declaring: “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” Resources mentioned: * Gender, Genocide, Gaza and the Book of Esther: Engaging Texts of Terror(ism) by Sarojini Nadar, purchase from Routledge [https://www.routledge.com/Gender-Genocide-Gaza-and-the-Book-of-Esther-Engaging-Texts-of-Terrorism/Nadar/p/book/9781032895499?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=P7696357662_ECOMMC_US_cross-network&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22176576362&gbraid=0AAAAACWuhHUSaSMW5Ls6OA8uzlpwjrRCC&gclid=CjwKCAiAz_DIBhBJEiwAVH2XwAGrPgJft9OM2ODGYZ9vumnn2fgtfVzebX6olODwdJET_ikt9DMKXBoCczoQAvD_BwE] *  Liberating Black Theology: Emerging South African Voices, edited by Demaine Solomons and Eugene Baron, purchase eBook from African Sun Media [https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za/book/liberating-black-theology-emerging-south-african-voices/1534227] * Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas, purchase from Orbis Books [https://orbisbooks.com/products/stand-your-ground?srsltid=AfmBOop9Hk8iji3jiJfZen-WXxY-D48qtPIH7o9yZaBEKPkMco0uAjVv] * www.targetedchurches.com [http://www.targetedchurches.com/] Support the show [https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/bad-theology-busted] Credits: Original music: Karl Saint Lucy & Danny Frye (feat. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac) - “The Path Forward” Produced, written, and performed by: Karl Saint Lucy (ASCAP) & Danny Frye (BMI) Featuring sampled speech by: Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac Drums, mixing, and mastering: Danny Frye Keyboards and programming: Karl Saint Lucy Logo design: Dee Roberts

Episode 4 - Christian Zionism in US Theological Education

This month, we’re joined by Dr. Malinda Berry, Rev. Dr. Shannon Smythe, Rev. Dr. J. Ross Wagner, and Rev. Emilee Walker-Cornetta to talk about what Rev. Prof. Mitri Raheb calls the “software” of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Israel relies on two things to sustain its illegal occupation of Palestine—hardware and software. The hardware is the weapons and other forms of military aid sent to Israel. But what is the software? It is the theological messaging that manufactures consent for Israel’s many war crimes, including the ongoing forced starvation of children, women, and men in Gaza. This theological messaging is both consciously and unconsciously woven into the curriculum of many seminary and theology schools in the U.S. Resources mentioned: Theology after Gaza: a global anthology ed. Mitri Raheb and Graham McGeoch, purchase from Wipf and Stock [https://wipfandstock.com/9798385233649/theology-after-gaza/] The cross and the olive tree: cultivating Palestinian theology amid Gaza ed. by John S. and Samuel S. Munayer, purchase from Orbis Books  [https://orbisbooks.com/products/the-cross-and-the-olive-tree?srsltid=AfmBOorLi3dz4KbkywIdTjR8OkvA8go1B7m9ieknnw8yRBmHsPbzN2Ll] Being Christian after the desolation of Gaza ed. By J. Ross Wagner and Bruce Fisk, purchase from Wipf and Stock [https://wipfandstock.com/9798385254859/being-christian-after-the-desolation-of-gaza/] Faith misplaced: the broken promise of U.S.-Arab relations, 1820-2001 by Ussama Makdisi, purchase from Hachett Book group [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ussama-makdisi/faith-misplaced/9781586488567/?lens=publicaffairs] Artillery of heaven: American missionaries and the failed conversion of the Middle East by Ussama Makdisi purchase from Cornell University Press [https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801457746/artillery-of-heaven/#bookTabs=1] The space between us: conversations about transforming conflict by Betty Pries, purchase from MennoMedia [https://www.mennomedia.org/9781513808697/the-space-between-us/] Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Willie James Jennings, purchase from Rofhiwa Books [https://rofhiwabooks.com/products/copy-of-the-christian-imagination-theology-and-the-origins-of-race] The end of theological education by Ted Smith, purchase from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co [https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802878878/the-end-of-theological-education/]. Israelism via Tubi [https://tubitv.com/movies/100026807/israelism] If you enjoy the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform! Support the show [https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/bad-theology-busted] Credits: Original music: Karl Saint Lucy & Danny Frye (feat. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac) - “The Path Forward” Produced, written, and performed by: Karl Saint Lucy (ASCAP) & Danny Frye (BMI) Featuring sampled speech by: Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac Drums, mixing, and mastering: Danny Frye Keyboards and programming: Karl Saint Lucy Logo design: Dee Roberts