Dear Doug Wilson: This Is Envy

Doug Wilson’s accusation of envy against Christian whom he accuses, with or without self-identification, of antisemitism is an instance of Wilson inadvertently being right about the problem in every way but what he articulated. Wilson talked in the trailer for his book American Milk and Honey about envy being sourced from inferiority before blaming the church for being envious of Jews and therefore unable to convert them. There is a sense in which this is true yet in the exact opposite way Wilson intends. Whereas Wilson asserts that antisemitism is rooted in envy, in reality, so-called Christian Zionism is rooted in envy. 

Two recent examples come to mind. Last week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed a woke bill against antisemitism. South Dakota is one of the least Jewish states in America with a population of less than 400. Yet Noem brought in the Jewish lobby to celebrate her legislative accomplishment.

Ensuring the Security of God’s Chosen Peoplehttps://t.co/cfiJsQXdC2

— Governor Kristi Noem (@GovKristiNoem) March 8, 2024

In her statement with the same title as her tweet, 

When I was growing up, my dad would always gather our family together and we would pray for Israel. It was instilled in me from a very young age that the Jews were Gods chosen people, that Israel was the Holy Land, and that we should always pray for them.

I brought those fundamental ideals with me when I was in the State Legislature, when I served in Congress, and now as Governor of South Dakota. Supporting the State of Israel and our Jewish community has always been extremely important to me. It’s important to support Israel for spiritual, historical, and national security reasons. I am continuing to stand with the Jewish people by signing historic legislation to protect them from antisemitism.

There’s no indication that her prayers were from a spiritual revival or awakening for the Jewish people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. She claims some sort of dispensational theological upbringing and that she brought these ideals to her role as governor. This is quite curious considering she vetoed legislation to stop transvestites from competing in women’s sports, the lowest hanging fruit on the transgenderism issue. Calling a group the Chosen People when they lack Jesus is odd and unfounded in church history before 200 years ago. Yet it’s hard to say another person is chosen without internalized or performative inferiority. This inferiority then leads to envy.

Another recent example is Carol Swain’s article on Christian Post. She concluded a horrendous take by stating:

To that end, I find that I qualify as a Christian Zionist since my love for Israel and the Jewish people grows out of my appreciation for the Judeo-Christian Bible. It is my Christian faith that encourages me to love and pray for the Jewish people. We are told in Psalm 122:6 (NIV) to “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.” I pray not to prosper but because Israel is the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8) and deep down, I have always had an affinity for the Jewish people and a secret desire to be a bloodline descendant of Abraham if I could do so and preserve my Christianity.

As I write these words, I hope that more Christian churches will become historical in their teachings, especially at this moment of great crisis. Israel is our friend in the Middle East, and we must stand with her. To stand tall, we must seek knowledge and grow in our faith and understanding of God’s plan for Israel and the world.

It’s quite odd to wish away the heritage God gave you in exchange for someone else’s. While she places a limit on her envy, wishing to have another heritage is still envy and an ungrateful attitude both towards your father and mother, but also God who placed you in a specific moment in time for a reason. But, practically, Swain is confessing envy and tying it to her Christian Zionism.

Many such cases could be found of this in Evangelicalism but also in Romanism post-Vatican II. I implore Doug Wilson to consider the more pressing source of envy that he believes hinders evangelism.