Evangelicals for Israel: The Study of John Hagee’s Rhetorical Influences on Evangelical Israel-Related Ideologies

This rhetorical analysis investigates preacher John Hagee's recent sermons to identify a rhetorical vision addressing the shifting landscape of 21st-century Evangelical Israel-related ideologies that foster group identification and sense-making. Additionally, it examines how he addresses competing Christian Israel-related ideologies exacerbated by historical Church theology, politics, and current events in Palestine. Evangelicals have adopted one set of ideologies concerning Israel in rejection of mainline Protestantism ideologies supporting Palestine. However, the literature does not address current rhetorical influences shaping this ideology. Through applying symbolic convergence theory to Hagee’s responding sermons to war in Israel/Palestine, this rhetorical analysis identifies the rhetoric shaping the shifting landscape of Evangelical ideologies and sparks open discussion on a controversial topic in the Church.