Regent University has launched a new academic institute that will counter the anti-Israel propaganda that is fueling the rise of antisemitism across college campuses in America by equipping evangelical Christian students to know how to counter false narratives in academia.
The Institute for Israel Studies launched this month within the Robertson School of Government and is scheduled to provide educational offerings for Christians who are pro-Israel this fall.
Dr. A.J. Nolte, assistant professor of government at the Robertson School and chair of the institute, told CBN News the purpose is to provide “education about contemporary Israel and some of the realities about the modern state.”
He shared that much of the “propaganda” presented to college-age students falsely paints Israel as a “genocidal apartheid state.”
“The battleground really is in the schools. It’s in academia right now,” he told CBN News. “If you look at what is happening post-October 7th, the locus of antisemitism and anti-Israel activity in the United States is coming from universities. The only way to fight that is to fight fire with fire in the academic university setting.”
Nolte adds the Robertson School of Government is “well-positioned to counter a lot of those negative narratives from within a Christian frame.”
“Israel is a force for good in the world and (we are) countering a lot of the propaganda that is out there,” he said.
Nolte has been working alongside Robertson School Dean and former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on the program since she first came to the university, but the program’s launch was fast-tracked after Oct. 7th.
“It was a matter of prayer, timing, and funding,” Nolte explained.
Shortly after Hamas brutally attacked innocent Israeli citizens, a donor came forward agreeing to fund the institute during its first five years of operation.
And while Nolte plans to start a podcast, host events, and speakers for the institute this fall, course offerings are not expected until roughly fall 2025.
Nolte says he hopes the institute can be instrumental in “changing the academic climate.”
“Right now as you look at what is happening in academia, Jewish faculty are fighting the battle alone,” he expressed. “The reason for that is not because Christians are not interested, but they are not equipped for that fight. My goal is to make sure that we are equipped for that fight.”
Nolte added that he wants Christian students to feel empowered to stand in support of Jewish students as well.
“My hope is the pro-Israel biblically faithful Christians will come away equipped to counter a lot of the false narratives that are out there right now about Israel,” he explained. “My hope is that young biblically faithful evangelical Christians who are curious about Israel will look to us and say this is a place where I can learn more.”
To stay up to date with the Institute for Israel Studies, email [email protected].
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