Christians from the west have come like a Trojan Horse, carrying economic and cultural influences in the service of political interests that were entangled, often blindly, in genuine spiritual motivation.

Christians from the west have come, and still some continue to come, with an evangelical enthusiasm that is historically ignorant and dismissive of the very churches that carried the gospel forth faithfully since the time of our Lord, and do so to this day.

The effect too often has been that Arab Christians, whose lives and history are rooted here, are regarded as foreigners by their Muslim neighbours. So when we tell you we are a delegation from a church coming from the west, from North America, to your land, we should be honest historically about the past perils of such journeys.

We are here - in Beirut, Cairo, Damascus - to listen and to learn.

In our listening thus far, already we have heard of a new peril that travels from some Christians in the west to this land - what might be called "evangelical Zionism". This is the belief, held by a group of Christians especially in North America, that the modern state of Israel, including its territorial ambitions, has a direct biblical mandate providing a justification for its political and military actions. A few personalities in North America - such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham, have made statements about such beliefs, and also about the nature of Islam, that have attracted wide attention.

You need to hear what we, and millions of other Christians in the United States, think about these perspectives. First, understand, please, that proponents of "evangelical Zionism" are the extremists. And like extremists everywhere, they attract media attention.

I would guess - and this is only a guess - that four out of five Americans would regard the statements of such personalities as ill-informed, ill-advised, and irresponsible. Within American political and religious life, such figures and views are regarded as voices on the fringe, on the "far right". But from what we have heard thus far in our time with you and with the churches in these lands, it would seem that many believe such voices speak for all US Christians. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Evangelical churches in the United States are often vibrant and growing. But they include a wide diversity. Only a portion are influenced by those with a right-wing political agenda, such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. The majority, while generally conservative in their views, are more moderate, and reject political extremism. And a smaller but growing number of evangelicals have a more progressive outlook, believing that the Bible calls us clearly to address the needs of the poor, the marginalized, and to seek peace and reconciliation - all essential to being faithful disciples of Jesus. Recently, a group of prominent evangelicals met in order to address the issues of Christian-Muslim relations, and their views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in ways that showed clear differences from the more extreme views of "evangelical Zionism".

Another branch of Christianity in North America is represented by the historic Protestant churches. The Reformed Church in America is within this branch, although we readily will claim the term "evangelical", in the best sense of the word, as well as "ecumenical" when we describe ourselves. The theological teachings and official statements of these denominations never endorse what may be called "evangelical Zionism". Many of these churches have spoken out clearly regarding the biblical priorities of justice, human rights, and the priorities of peace and reconciliation in our nation's policies dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Then there are the Orthodox churches in North America, and of course the Roman Catholic Church. For them, the perspectives of "evangelical Zionism" are completely foreign to their theological and political understandings.

America is a widely diverse society religiously, and growing more so every day. And the religious voices that yell the loudest do not represent the most people. So we would like you to hear the voices of all the churches in the United States. Through organizations like Churches for Middle East Peace, we try to speak together, and have an influence on our political process.

But it also is clear that we must work harder to enable you to hear us. We must not dismiss the danger of what we have called "evangelical Zionism". This poses a grave threat both to the perception of Christian faith by the peoples of this region, and a threat to the understanding of the biblical message by Christians in North America. Already, our encounters here as a delegation have convinced us of the need to address this threat far more directly at home, and in our own churches.

Wes Granberg-Michaelson