Largely due to their disproportionate size, in our society, the Christian right tends to occupy a space seemingly synonymous with the “religious right” in general. This is not, however, necessarily accurate or fair.

An article in last year’s summer edition of the Jewish progressive magazine Outlook, written by Concordia historian Stephen Scheinberg, explores the relationships between Jewish advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada and the Christian right. In “Partners for Imperium: B’nai Brith Canada and the Christian Right” (link goes to PDF – an HTML text version is available at Mostly Water, Scheinberg argues that the Canadian branch of B’nai Brith has shrunk significantly, while simultaneously drifting right during the last decade.

A former B’nai Brith officer himself, Scheinberg points to the decision to seek common ground with the Christian right, especially Charles McVety and the Canada Christian College – fundamentalists preaching the literal inerrancy of the Scriptures, traditional roles for women, the prohibition of gay marriage, the criminalization of abortion – and the Christian Zionist philosophy that God’s original covenant with Israel remains in effect and must be respected by all nations. He ably links these Canadians to the similar teachings of American preachers such as John Hagee, John Tweedie, and Dean Bye.

Scheinberg starts from a valuable premise – connections to the Christian right – and is in a position to speak authoritatively on B’nai Brith Canada, given his own experience in that organization. Unfortunately the bulk of the article moves on to explore something quite different – the disturbing politics of Christian Zionism. Still, the latter is a fascinating and chilling topic in its own right.