Israel, biblical literacy, and the future of Evangelical theological education

In an era of rising biblical skepticism, the church is facing an unprecedented internal crisis: engagement with Scripture is increasing, but actual conviction in its authority and historical reliability is sharply declining. Speaking to this modern paradox at the 2026 Jerusalem Summit, ICEJ USA President Dr. Susan Michael delivered a critical address on the profound dangers of widespread biblical illiteracy and how educational institutions can address it. What follows is an excerpt of her full message.

American Christianity is experiencing an unprecedented paradox. Although engagement with Scripture has increased in recent years, confidence in the authority, historical reliability, and theological coherence of the Bible continues to decline. This shift presents a significant challenge for Christian higher education institutions entrusted with preparing the next generation of pastors, educators, missionaries, and public leaders. Biblical illiteracy is no longer just an educational deficiency—it is a theological crisis that will leave a generation of Christian leaders unable to understand the biblical significance of Israel and the Jewish people. 

To address this deficit, seminary curricula must be developed to include a comprehensive biblical theology that presents the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, as a unified narrative of redemption.

Assault on the Character of God

The decline of biblical literacy fundamentally alters how Christians understand the character of God, the nature of divine covenants, and the continuity of God’s redemptive purposes throughout history. From Genesis to Revelation, the biblical narrative consistently presents God as faithful to His promises, with His covenant with Abraham serving as the foundation upon which subsequent biblical revelation is constructed. When this covenantal basis is neglected, God’s faithfulness itself becomes vulnerable to reinterpretation. If divine covenants may simply be abandoned or permanently transferred to another people, then God’s character becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile with Scripture’s own testimony that He is faithful and unchanging.

Supersessionism and the Loss of Israel’s Theological Significance

One significant consequence of declining biblical literacy has been the renewed influence of supersessionism, also known as Replacement Theology, which claims that the church has permanently replaced Israel in God’s plan of redemption. Under this replacement view, promises made to Israel are interpreted spiritually and applied to the church while judgments remain literal and applied to Israel. Yet, Scripture repeatedly affirms God’s continuing faithfulness to His covenant promises and consistently presents Israel as integral to the unfolding of redemptive history. The apostle Paul’s discussion in Romans 9–11 drives this home, declaring that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

Recovering the Jewish Context of Jesus 

Biblical illiteracy also leads to Jesus being stripped of His historical and Jewish context. Jesus was a first-century Jew born into the house of David, circumcised according to the Mosaic covenant, and raised to worship in the temple and celebrate the Jewish festivals. Detaching Jesus from His Jewish identity impoverishes Christian theology. 

Biblical Skepticism

At the same time, Christian higher education faces a growing culture of biblical skepticism. Western societies have become increasingly secular, and skepticism toward biblical authority now extends into many educational institutions traditionally identified as evangelical. This theological creep threatens one of the core pillars of evangelicalism: belief in the authority of the Scriptures. A good number of students are arriving at seminary influenced by assumptions that question biblical authority before formal theological education even begins.

Implications for Theological Education

Educational institutions can no longer assume incoming students possess either biblical literacy or confidence in Scripture’s authority. Both must now be intentionally cultivated and require significant curricular reform. Comprehensive Bible survey courses should become foundational requirements, enabling students to understand Scripture as a unified narrative rather than a collection of isolated texts. Furthermore, the present educational moment provides a unique opportunity to integrate serious academic study of Israel and the Jewish people into seminary curricula to provide historical and theological frameworks that connect biblical Israel with modern Jewry.

Introduction to Israel Course Curriculum & Christian Antisemitism

Curricular reform along these lines is achievable. ICEJ USA, for example, has developed a college-level course surveying the history of the Jewish people from Abraham through the modern State of Israel, with dedicated modules on the history of antisemitism and Christian-Jewish relations so that future Christian leaders can distinguish biblical teaching from theological distortion. Any institution serious about this kind of reform should be asking whether its own curriculum offers students the same grounding.

Experiential learning

Study tours that let students walk the Land of the Bible are one proven way to reinforce classroom instruction. ICEJ USA runs an 18-day summer program in partnership with several Christian and Israeli academic institutions, offering academic credit for the experience. Programs like this should be treated as a standard complement to seminary education, not an optional extra.

Campus initiatives

Finally, institutions should consider developing an Israel center on campus, a hub for ongoing programs, conferences, and interdisciplinary study that keeps Israel, antisemitism, and Christian-Jewish relations part of the institutional conversation year-round, rather than a topic confined to a single course unit. ICEJ USA has helped several universities launch centers like this and can serve as a resource for institutions considering the same step.

Conclusion

The modern biblical literacy crisis is indeed a defining challenge for evangelical higher education today. At the same time, it presents a great opportunity to fight back by recovering comprehensive biblical theology, restoring confidence in Scripture, and making the study of Israel and the Jewish people central to students’ theological training. Doing so will better prepare graduates to serve the church in an increasingly complex world and know how to navigate it. 

The task ahead for Christian colleges and seminaries isn’t about shifting around a few classes on a syllabus—it demands a total theological renewal. When schools put the Bible’s unified narrative back at the center of theological education, they shape a different kind of graduate—one who reads the Bible faithfully, proclaims it confidently, understands its historical context, appreciates the enduring significance of Israel within God’s redemptive purposes, and ministers with intellectual rigor and deep biblical conviction. This educational reform will also form pastors, scholars, and Christian leaders who engage Israel and the Jewish people with theological clarity and moral integrity.