 challenges the myth of the hyphen in Judeo-Christian, tracing how it reshaped Christian identity, redefined the Church’s witness, and bound modern faith to political Zionism. Joel Webbon and prolific writer, JD Hall, team up to tackle the myth “Judeo-Christianity,” the ultimate third rail issue of our time.
The duo’s first book skips the formalities of publishing. All of the publisher information that you would normally see on the first page inside a book is not there. (They are on Amazon.) All books are financial ventures that risk financial loss in production, and this book cut cost down to the bare minimum.
Additionally, I have not read a book that translates into a speech as much as this book. Perhaps the experience of Webbon and Hall has as pastors translated into their work together as writers or perhaps previously spoken material was adapted into text. Nevertheless, the book reads like a speech or a lecture.
Thus, like a speech, this book does not delve into too much nuance or technicality which would be expected in a more academic work. The Hyphenated Heresy is not an academic work. In sharp contrast, this is a book for normies. The layman can read its pages and understand its message, despite the subject matter appearing exclusive to the highly online.
The book begins with a crash course on how “Judeo-Christian” came to be in its modern usage. It describes the increased religiosity in the aftermath of WWII as a civil religion. With communism as the big bad, reframed as atheistic, “Judeo-Christian” served a rhetorical purpose during the Cold War for various actors.
Additionally, Hyphenated Heresy goes to basics. It goes into great detail to explain the history of dispensationalism, Zionism, and Talmudic Judaism. The information presented more than sufficient to equip the laity in today’s spiritual warfare. A point where the book is introductory to the topic shines when it explains Modern Judaism’s ethos and how it is incompatible with Christianity.
The term “Replacement Theology” is a pejorative cudgel, but not in The Hyphenated Heresy. The book’s authors wholeheartedly embrace the term for the sake of argument and explain why it’s correct. From there the book launches a counterattck exposing the seedy origins of dispensationalism and how it evolved over time.
Chapter 9 is my favorite chapter in the book because it names names of famous Evangelical figures who advanced Christian Zionism, some even blatantly selling out. Billy Graham is shown to be the most important figure in advancing this heresy because he legitimized it from being seen as kooky. Jerry Falwell is exposed for overtly selling out with the Israelis supplying him with a jet so that he can travel to advance their theology. Pat Robertson is the televangelist who similarly wanted fame and recognition. Ultimately, John Hagee would become the high priest of Christian Zionism to this day, with CUFI, and he would blend Christianity into a foreign lobby.
From there, the focus of the book shifts to Modern Israel, pointing out that the spirituality of Israel is more mystical where practiced, adopting not only the Talmud but increasingly the Kaballah. The book informs the reader of this emerging facet of a pagan religion in America as well.
The book ends by going hard after Doug Wilson and the Moscow Mood. This was clearly written by Hall, as the book explains that Webbon did not want to go there. Doug Wilson is called out for the Antioch Declaration, his antics in CREC, and his underhanded tactics in policing rivals. His son Nate Wilson, is called “prodigal” for his “Judeo-Christian Christmas.” And CrossPolitic is called out for taking a free trip to Israel and coming back and defending Israel as a bastion for shared values.
This chapter uses Moscow because all of these men, theologically, should know better than to spout Zionist talking points, but instead of embracing Christian Zionism’s terminal decline are rushing to baptize the theology as Reformed.
Overall, The Hyphenated Heresy is written for normie Christians and is fit to equip and edify them against Christian Zionism which has proven to be a foreign scorge within the church.
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