U.S. President Donald Trump finds himself in urgent need of reliable backing for the war effort, and one constituency consistently demonstrating strong support for his military actions is a group known as Christian Zionists.

At the forefront of this coalition are the thousands who gathered for the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) annual conference, recently held in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2006 by pastor John Hagee, CUFI was modeled after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and has grown into one of the most powerful lobbying organizations within the Republican Party. With a reported membership of 10 million, it constitutes one of Trump's most dependable bases of support — particularly on matters of military engagement. White evangelicals, who make up roughly a quarter of the U.S. electorate and have overwhelmingly backed Trump at the ballot box, represent the core of this coalition.

The conference drew thousands of ardent supporters of close American-Israeli ties, along with Israel's ambassador to the United States. Opening the conference's Night to Honor Israel event, Hagee delivered a pointed statement about the Iranian regime:

"The issue is whether a regime that sponsors terror and threatens Israel should be permitted to exist… Israel has the right to stop a nuclear sword from being placed over the neck of the Jewish people."

Dispensationalism and Evangelical Influence

Christian Zionism is rooted in a theological framework known as premillennial dispensationalism, which emerged in the mid-19th century. According to this belief system, God has divided world history into distinct periods called dispensations, each representing a different phase of divine governance over human affairs. Dispensationalism serves simultaneously as a method for interpreting the Bible and as a framework for understanding history.

During a tour of the United States, Bible scholar John Nelson Darby promoted the belief that God had divided world history into seven dispensations. The final dispensation, Darby taught, would culminate in the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of his millennial reign. Central to Darby's theology was the conviction that Jewish people would play a critical role in this last dispensation — Jesus's return, he argued, could occur only once the Jewish people reclaimed their traditional homeland in Palestine and constructed a Third Temple.

Co-author André Gagné's 2024 book, American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare and End Times, examines the broader role of American evangelicals in U.S. politics. The doctoral research of co-author Jason Piché focuses specifically on Christian Zionism, dispensationalism, and their effects on U.S. foreign policy.

Organizations like CUFI exist primarily to champion Israel's cause. Yet Christian Zionism has been integral to certain American Protestant groups since the late 19th century, and its influence has only intensified since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Christian Zionists and dispensationalists view Israel's security as a fundamental theological imperative, leading them to support joint Israeli-U.S. military operations against Iran and to advocate that America actively promote Israeli interests across the region.

Christian Zionism and U.S. Foreign Policy

Trump recently announced that negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran had resumed, which initially produced a brief pause in hostilities between the two nations. The president has since stated that the U.S. is only "semi-negotiating" with Iran.

For his Christian Zionist supporters, however, any diplomatic engagement with the Islamic Republic represents an existential threat to Israel — and by extension, to American interests. At the recent CUFI Israel event, prominent pastor Russell Johnson articulated these concerns to thunderous applause:

"That is why I must say to our very own political leaders, finish the job! … Israel should not be restrained from permanently removing an existential threat simply because diplomats want a ceremony and politicians want a headline. If you want America to be strong and to be free, America must remain a friend to Israel."

For Trump's most loyal backers, the American-Israeli conflict with Iran is understood as an existential struggle encompassing both material and spiritual dimensions. They maintain that the U.S. and Israel must neutralize Iran to ensure Israel's long-term security. In their view, such actions not only strengthen Israel and reinforce its position within the dispensationalist framework of the end times, but also serve American interests by aligning with God's promise in Genesis 12:3 to bless those who support his covenant people.

Trump's Conundrum

Trump occupies a precarious political position. With an approval rating of just 38 percent, ending the war risks alienating his most passionate supporters, while continuing the conflict threatens to push him further from the majority of Americans who already disapprove of the military engagement.

His current strategy — alternating between limited airstrikes, apocalyptic rhetoric, and fruitless peace negotiations — appears unlikely to satisfy any of his key constituencies. What remains clear, however, is that should Trump choose to escalate the war, Christian Zionists will stand at the vanguard of those rallying behind him.

André Gagné, Full Professor, Department of Theological Studies, Concordia University, and Jason Piché, PhD Student, Christian Zionism and Dispensationalism, Concordia University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.