Over the last few years I have been studying the millennial generation and have also been doing radio programs about Israel and the Middle East. I didn’t put the two together until I saw an article by Dale Hanson Bourke.

She has been on my radio program talking about her books that address many of the hot button issues. One of those is the Israeli-Palestinian question. She found in her research for that book that there is a growing gap between older and younger evangelical views. Put simply, the younger you are the less likely you are to be supportive of Israel than the general population. She gives five reasons for this.

First, young people see Israel as a modern state, not a biblical land. Ask an older evangelical to describe Israel, and they are likely to use the words “promised land.” Younger evangelicals are more likely to describe Israel as a democracy or world power. They have probably learned as much about Israel in public school as they have in church. That gives them a different viewpoint.

Second, young evangelicals value justice. They are likely to see Israel as a powerful nation, while older evangelicals may see Israel as an underdog. Younger evangelicals also tend to see Palestinians as victims in the conflict in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle.

Third, younger evangelicals probably attend seeker-friendly churches that are less likely to focus on the history of Israel or biblical prophecy. Their theology is different from their elders because of this different church experience.

Fourth, its cool to be Jewish. Younger evangelicals see all sorts of Jewish people proud of their identity and haven’t lived in a world with overt Anti-Semitism.

Finally, many of Jews they have met in this country are secular Jews and don’t even consider themselves to be a chosen people.

Younger evangelicals view the world differently than previous generations. This is not only true of social issues. They also view Israel differently as well.