Scofield Posts by Laura Aboli
The Manufactured Myth of “Judeo-Christian Values” LAURA ABOLI
We’ve somehow grown accustomed to this phrase and many no longer question it, but the notion does not descend from scripture, it was a 20th-century political invention.
In the 1930s–50s, American elites built a “tri-faith” identity: Protestant, Catholic, Jew, in order to (supposedly) unify the country against fascism and then against communism. The National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ) literally toured America with its famous “Tolerance Trios,” where a priest, a minister, and a rabbi stood on stage preaching the tri-faith concept. Out of that PR campaign came a new phrase: “Judeo-Christian values.”
None other than George Orwell picked up the phrase in 1939–41 when he spoke of the “Judaeo-Christian scheme of morals.” By the 1940s and ’50s, it had become part of America’s civil religion. Eisenhower invoked it in speeches, and sociologist Will Herberg’s 1955 book Protestant–Catholic–Jew cemented it as the cultural template.
The purpose of this cultural campaign was to blur what are essentially irreconcilable doctrines.
Judaism denies the central claims of Christianity: that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the path to salvation. Christianity, on the other hand, sees the old covenant as fulfilled in Christ, and the new covenant as binding for all. The Jewish covenant rests on obedience to the Law and justice as reciprocity; “an eye for an eye, whereas Christianity overturns that with grace, forgiveness, and the radical command to “turn the other cheek.” Where Judaism looks to a Messiah still to come, Christianity testifies that He has already come and fulfilled the law. One emphasizes ritual and separation; the other proclaims universality and the breaking down of barriers.
These are not superficial disagreements; they are entirely different moral worlds, yet the phrase “Judeo-Christian values” was designed precisely to conceal this gulf and present a false unity.
Just as the Scofield Bible rewired American evangelicals to see the rebirth of Israel as God’s plan, the “Judeo-Christian values” narrative worked in the public square to normalize the idea that Jews and Christians were fundamentally aligned. Together, these twin projects made it natural for Christians to support the establishment of Israel in 1948, and to accept unconditional U.S. backing ever since.
By 1969, Jewish thinker Arthur A. Cohen called the whole construct what it was: “The Myth of the Judeo-Christian Tradition.” A myth, however, with a purpose: to secure Christian support of Israel.
So when politicians invoke “Judeo-Christian values” today, remember the history. It was never a timeless religious truth.
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Cyrus I. Scofield: The Man Who Rewired Evangelical Belief
Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843–1921) is remembered for his Scofield Reference Bible (1909), which embedded John Nelson Darby’s dispensationalist theology and with it, political Zionism, into the daily reading of millions of American Christians. But behind the pious image was a very different man:
• Dubious credentials — Scofield never attended seminary, never earned a theological degree, and there’s no record of an honorary doctorate. The “D.D.” on his Bible was self-bestowed.
• Shady legal past — After serving in the Confederate Army, he was implicated in forgery, fraud, and embezzlement schemes in Kansas, including misuse of funds as a lawyer. He reportedly fled to Canada to avoid prosecution.
• Abandonment of family — Scofield deserted his first wife and children, leaving them in poverty. Court records show his wife divorced him on grounds of desertion in 1883.
• Powerful Zionist backers — In the late 19th century, Scofield became connected with Samuel Untermeyer, a wealthy Zionist lawyer and influential figure in U.S. politics and banking. Untermeyer and other elite patrons helped fund and promote the Scofield Bible’s publication.
• Mass influence — By framing the return of the Jews to Palestine as a fulfillment of prophecy and a prerequisite for Christ’s return, Scofield’s study notes rewired U.S. evangelical theology, creating an unbreakable political-religious bond with the state of Israel decades before it existed.
The result? Millions of American Christians came to believe that supporting Israel was not only politically wise, but divinely mandated; a theological conditioning that still shapes U.S. foreign policy today.
https://t.me/LauraAbolichannel
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