William Eugene Blackstone

    William Eugene Blackstone is a largely forgotten figure of 19th century American life, but his particular brand of Christian faith subsequently helped to launch an important movement of evangelical America in the 20th century, namely, Christian Zionism. A unique mix of traditional evangelical piety, Bible prophecy, dispensational eschatology (end times teaching), and a belief in (facilitating) the restoration of Jews back to their ancestral lands (in his day then known as Palestine), WEB combined all of these elements to become a public humanitarian voice for Jewish relief from persecution in Europe (Russia in particular) and full restoration to Palestine. Once engaged in this process, he would spend the rest of his adult life lobbying important American public and political figures to save Jews and promote their restoration. Your task in this assignment is to explain the ideas, beliefs, and events that would shape his life and influence as a Christian Zionist, including his impact on the Jewish Zionist movement that would find its most popular base of American support, like today, among evangelical Christians like him. You are also encouraged to comment on what you believe are some of the more important consequences of his thought and theology on US foreign policy in the Middle East today.