Christian Zionism is Alive and Well

The real reason so many don't care about starving Palestinian kids.

Note: This piece may be confronting, but I also think it’s important. Thanks for being here, and for caring. And please share this story - there is no paywall. For anyone who financially supports Webworm, please know it is appreciated:
https://www.webworm.co/p/fundamentalist

---

Hi,

I wanted to talk about why so many people don’t seem to give a shit about starving Palestinian kids.

And to be clear, there are a lot of reasons people don’t give a shit about starving Palestinian kids.

We all have our own shit to deal with in our own personal life. We all have our own shit to deal with in our community. We have our own shit to deal with in our country. Things that we can reach out to and physically touch will always seem more urgent than anything thousands of miles away. There are so many people and so many things that need our help, and so compassionate fatigue sets in.

All of that is true — but when it comes to Palestine, something else is going on.

It’s hidden beneath the surface, but if you start to pick away, eventually the smooth surface tears aside and the bubbling, fetid guts of the whole thing just pour out.

That’s what I wanted to talk about today.

---

I’ve been talking about our attitudes towards the starvation in Gaza all week using the human metaphor of Sean Plunket:

But over the last few days, I’ve become much less interested in him, and more interested in the businesses that keep throwing their money into his online radio show, The Platform.

Because Plunket is just one old loon, raving on — an online troll in his 60s who’s seen better days. I can grasp him.

But since I reached out to the businesses that support him, I’ve become much more interested in them. These groups of people who see what Sean Plunket has been writing, and go, “Yeah that’s fine, free speech, humph humph, carry on.”

Take Harness Financial, a seemingly dead average “Wealth planning service” for cashed up New Zealanders (that for some reason chose a wolf as a logo):

When I emailed them asking them if they were aware of Sean’s comments (suggesting the starving kids had anorexia, that ravaged bodies were due to incest, and that the starvation was all fake) they replied with this:

Dear David,

Thank you for getting in touch. Your comments are noted, and we are discussing this internally.

We want to be clear that we do not endorse Sean Plunket’s recent comments or views. While we’ve advertised on and produced educational content for The Platform listenership, our focus has always been on providing financial education to New Zealanders.

We recognise the suffering of the people in Gaza, and agree that these issues deserve thoughtful and respectful discourse. Furthermore, we have voiced our disappointment regarding Sean’s comment to senior staff at The Platform.

We do not believe that cancelling or de-platforming individuals we disagree with serves the greater good, as this approach removes space for discourse and dialogue that can lead to better understanding and accountability.

It's also important to consider that such actions impact not only the individual in question, but also the staff members and their families who depend on the business for their livelihoods.

Dieter Timmerman.

The reply was corporate 101, saying words but saying nothing.

“We recognise the suffering of the people in Gaza.” Right up there with “thoughts and prayers.”

Dieter Timmerman of Harness Financial told me they “voiced our disappointment”, before indicating they would change absolutely nothing.

So, I figured I’d go and do some digging on Harness Financial.

---

Five years ago, Dieter Timmerman used to work at a place called Christians Against Poverty.

Yes, Christians Against Poverty.

This is from a press release back then:

Dieter Timmerman, Christians Against Poverty’s Debt Centre Manager in Wellington, says the new year is a great time to make positive life changes, especially after a difficult or expensive holiday season.

“At this time of year many families will be wondering how they’re going to afford school uniforms and other bills as last year’s debt piles up. My message is: Imagine going into next Christmas completely debt free and in control of your finances… You can do it and you are worth it. Call us today for free help.”

Christians. Against. Poverty.

A Palestinian child suffering from starvation at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, July 30 2025. The hospital is running out of infant formula.

He left there in 2021 and eventually landed at Harness Financial — a Christian against poverty going to work at a business that gives financial advice to people who are definitely not in poverty.

I found myself wondering who he’d gone to work with.

Turns out Harness Financial is owned by Samuel Rees-Thomas, an elder at Northern Hills Church, a nondenominational church in Wellington.

Samuel Rees-Thomas (an elder) and his wife Julianne Rees-Thomas.

Northern Hills Church believes in “the infallibility of Holy Scripture” and “in Heaven and Hell, and that they’re real places of eternal existence.”

I’m not making that up — it’s on the website:

When a church says it not only believes in Heaven and Hell, but that they’re real physical places that exist for infinity, you know that church has gone down a certain path.

With that in mind, Webworm spoke to former members of Northern Hills church who told me that, “even for how small it is, it has many problems.”

Northern Hills church is extremely fundamentalist, holding a firm belief in mainline Christian eschatology, teaching that Israel’s restoration is part of God’s plan to bring about a new Heaven and Earth (following lots of destruction, of course).

In other words, they’re what we call “Christian Zionists”.

Webworm wrote about this aspect of Christian belief back in 2023:

In that piece, Joshua Drummond broke down the belief system of the Christians desperately wanting Israel to reign supreme, so that Jesus can come back and take all the Christians to Heaven (remember: a real, physical place):

Christian Zionists send money and aid to Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and they agitate for Greater Israel.

They are an enormous, hugely influential political and financial force.

“The many millions in the United States and elsewhere, Christian friends of Israel, you are always there for us,” says Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. “We have no better friends on earth than you.”

While pretending to be very pro-Jewish, it’s important to know that Christian Zionists are insanely anti-semitic. They leave out the bit where when Jesus comes back, all the Jews go to Hell (remember: a real place, forever) because they don’t believe Jesus is God.

Many fundamentalist Christians believe that by not accepting Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, the Jews have rejected God, and been “broken off” God’s holy tree. Christians have been “grafted in” as the new Chosen People instead.

The horrors that Jews have already experienced, like the Holocaust, and the forthcoming troubles of the Tribulation, during which Christian Zionists believe that one third of all Jews will die, are simply their God working his divine will to herd the Jews towards him. At some point in the Tribulation, all remaining Jews will realise the error of their ways and convert en masse to Christianity.

So yeah, Christian Zionism is insanely anti-semitic.

And yet, Christian Zionists are die-hard supporters of the modern Israeli state.

In closing, that Webworm piece returned to the words of Peter Mortlock, a Christian Zionist leader in New Zealand. His words are a perfect example of what these people believe:

“Nobody here should be in a march for Palestine. You don’t know what you’re marching for,” says Pastor Morlock, making his point at last. “And it’s not a matter of taking sides. I don’t want to take sides and things, but I will take the side of God and I will be against the devil.”

So — returning to Northern Hills Church, where Harness Financial’s Samuel Rees-Thomas (AKA Dieter Timmerman’s boss) serves as an elder.

“Their eldership is entirely comprised of conservative white men. Women aren’t allowed to lead,” a former member told me.

“Right-wing tendencies run amok. I’ve sat in sermons where Obama is called the Antichrist, and the UN is routinely blasted.”

---

With all of this in mind, perhaps Harness Financial’s vanilla statement on why they’re continuing to support The Platform makes a lot more sense.

It was hidden beneath the surface, but when you start to pick away, eventually the smooth surface tears aside and the bubbling, fetid guts of the whole thing pour out.

This is one tiny example that I wanted to highlight. I didn’t have to dig that hard. But I just hope it encourages you to think about why so many people don’t care about these starving kids.

I wish people would pay more attention to fundamentalist believers.

Because behind the scenes, many of them are actively rooting for political causes that undermine both democracy and human rights.

David.

---

Afterword 1:

If you want to support Gazans, it’s a complex situation out there — especially with aid being blocked by Israel.

Personally, I turn to World Kitchen: https://wck.org/relief/chefs-for-gaza

For anyone US-based, Stephanie does incredible peer to peer mutual aid, and her contact is a journalist in Gaza: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniehshih

You can check her saved stories for receipts. But as with all things: Do your research on where you give.

Afterword 2:

Sean Plunket continues to share on X — mostly recently, sharing another post attempting to discredit the fact kids are starving to death:

As Conor O’Neill summed up so well:

Plunket also appears to have taken to calling his critics on Facebook messenger:

Afterword 3:

Along with VAST Billboards, Insulmax New Zealand has cancelled all advertising with The Platform.

Harness Financial, Logan Elevators and STEELFORT continues to show their support, as does Output Envy who sent this smarmy, AI-drivel to a complainant:

“Thank you for contacting us and sharing your concerns. We understand that recent comments made by Sean Plunket have upset some members of the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to express your perspective.

At Output Envy, we are committed to supporting and promoting unique, sustainable products that contribute to a cleaner, healthier planet. Our range also includes solutions that help New Zealanders prepare for emergencies and become more self-reliant in uncertain times. In a world that’s rapidly changing, we believe empowering individuals and families to take practical steps toward resilience is more important than ever.

We work closely with small and local businesses—sharing our own experiences and practical advice on how to navigate challenging times—to help them gain visibility and build resilience in an increasingly complex and competitive environment. Business is tough out there, so every day we do our bit to collaborate with SMEs across New Zealand to improve how we operate, always putting our customers first and listening carefully to their needs.

The Platform, an online broadcasting, and media space, gives us the opportunity to reach a wide and diverse audience. While we don’t endorse every view expressed by its hosts or guests, and in fact would be impossible to keep up with all the daily news chatter on so many social media channels and run a business, we value having our products showcased by a range of presenters with differing perspectives.

It’s also important to recognise that we cannot control the personal opinions or individual expressions of presenters made on their own social media platforms—some of which may differ significantly from our own values, or the views held by our team. We acknowledge these differences and choose to remain focused on respectful engagement, not alignment with every statement made.

The Platform features multiple voices—not just Sean Plunket—and many of them express viewpoints that align more closely with our own. We’re truly grateful for the support of listeners who engage with our message and our products. It matters to us that everyday New Zealanders can hear about ideas, tools, and solutions that can improve their lives and their communities.

As a company, we also work closely with a few grassroots charities, foundations, and local initiatives—many of which are directly involved in addressing poverty, youth development, and social inequality. This includes supporting programs that help get children from low socio-economic areas into sport, as well as initiatives aimed at empowering young people and creating opportunities for growth. The owners of Output Envy have personally spent years volunteering and contributing to community efforts, with this business enabling us to continue that work through sustained financial support and hands-on involvement.

We believe that freedom of speech and respectful disagreement are foundations of a healthy democracy. While we understand that some commentary may be confronting or divisive, we do not support the practice of “cancelling” people or organisations based on differing opinions. Open dialogue, even when uncomfortable, can lead to greater understanding and accountability over time.

We also want to gently acknowledge that here in Aotearoa, we are grappling with serious challenges of our own—rising violence toward children, deepening poverty, and increasing social division. These issues deserve thoughtful engagement, empathy, and a shared commitment to finding solutions.

If you wish to share your views or discuss any concerns directly, Sean Plunket’s show on The Platform regularly invites callers to join the conversation live. He values hearing diverse opinions and encourages open dialogue on air as part of fostering understanding and engagement.

Thank you again for your message. We value your feedback, your passion, and your engagement with the important conversations happening in our communities.

Warm regards,

Output Envy”