A recent Redeacted News investigation hosted by Natalie Morris is drawing renewed attention to the origins of modern Christian Zionism and the controversial history behind one of the most influential study Bibles ever published.
The report centres on the Scofield Reference Bible, a heavily annotated Bible first published in the early 1900s that helped popularise the belief that the modern state of Israel plays a central role in biblical prophecy and the end times.
But according to Morris, many Christians may know very little about the man behind it.
“The evangelical Christians in the US that support Israel mostly do so from the theology that came about in the late 1800s from what’s called the Scofield Bible,” Morris states early in the segment. “It’s basically like a Cliff’s Notes for the Bible that Christian Zionists use as their reason behind supporting Israel.”
What follows is a highly critical portrait of Cyrus Scofield himself.
“By evangelical standards, a scoundrel”
Morris describes Scofield in remarkably blunt terms.
“He was by evangelical standards a scoundrel,” she says. “He was a philanderer who abandoned his wife and two daughters. He was sued many times and in fact even served prison time for fraud.”
The report alleges that Scofield was forced out of public office amid allegations of blackmail and financial misconduct.
“He lied about his military record having been a Confederate soldier,” Morris claims, before asking the central question of the segment: “So how did this person become a biblical leader that led so many faithful Christians towards supporting the government of Israel and all of its subsequent wars?”
According to the transcript, Scofield’s life before ministry was chaotic and controversial.
Redeacted News claims he was accused of forgery, financial fraud, unpaid debts and deceptive legal practices during his years in Kansas politics and law. Morris says one case led to formal conviction and prison time.
The report also focuses heavily on his personal life.
Morris states that Scofield abandoned his first wife and children when he relocated to Dallas to pursue ministry work.
“He leaves his wife and two daughters behind and he leaves them for good, never to come back and parent them,” she says. “His wife has to work two jobs to support these two girls.”
In one of the more striking moments of the segment, Morris recounts how a local Kansas library reportedly refused to stock a biography of Scofield because of his reputation in the community.
She quotes a response allegedly sent by the library:
“Scofield left Mrs. Scofield with small children and no money. Not too responsible of a person. I don’t think we need his biography. Many Atchison citizens remember what a rascal he was.”
The Birth Of A Powerful Theology
The report then shifts into the rise of dispensational theology, the prophetic framework that became deeply influential within American evangelicalism.
According to Morris, late 19th century Bible conferences in the northeastern United States increasingly promoted the idea that history unfolds in prophetic stages and that the Jewish people would one day return to Israel before the second coming of Christ.
“The story is not complete until Jews return to their homeland,” Morris explains while discussing the movement’s theology.
She argues that these teachings gained traction during a period of major social instability in America following the Civil War.
“Everything feels unstable. So when someone says, ‘Hey, this isn’t chaos. This is the biblical timeline,’ people lean into that.”
Morris also notes that several other apocalyptic religious movements emerged during the same era, describing the late 1800s as a kind of “doom boom.”
Wall Street, Elite Clubs And Zionist Influence
One of the most controversial sections of the report involves Morris’ claims about elite financial backing behind Scofield’s work.
The segment alleges that Scofield became connected to the exclusive Lotus Club in New York, a social club whose members included financiers, industrialists and politically connected elites.
“This is not a natural landing spot for a pious and humble preacher,” Morris says while discussing Scofield’s membership in the club.
She claims the club included wealthy individuals supportive of early Zionist causes and that Scofield was introduced there to publishing and financial backers who helped bring the Scofield Reference Bible to market.
“The reference Bible that they used was born and funded by New York City elite social clubs,” Morris states.
According to the report, the Scofield Bible transformed what had once been a relatively marginal theological interpretation into mainstream evangelical belief throughout the United States.
“It was not a grassroots movement,” Morris argues. “It was systemized, funded, and published at scale.”
A Theology That Still Shapes Politics Today
The report concludes by arguing that the Scofield Bible continues to shape modern geopolitics through its influence on evangelical attitudes toward Israel and the Middle East.
Morris notes that the Scofield Bible remains widely used in churches, seminaries and Bible study groups even today.
The broader implication of the segment is that theological ideas developed more than a century ago may still be influencing modern foreign policy thinking, political alliances and public support for Israel across the Western world.
Whether viewers agree with the conclusions or not, the report raises questions about how religious narratives are formed, who funds them, and how profoundly they can shape generations of political and cultural belief.