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John Charles Hagee (born April 12, 1940) is an American pastor and televangelist. He founded John Hagee Ministries, which telecasts to the United States and Canada. He is also the founder and chairman of the Christian Zionist organization Christians United for Israel, the largest Zionist organization in America.
Hagee has attracted controversy over his comments on the Catholic Church, Jewish people and Islam, and promotion of the blood moon prophecy.
Hagee has been married twice. In 1960, he married Martha Downing, and they divorced in 1975. In 1976, he married a member of his congregation, Diana Castro.
He has a son, Matt Hagee, who is also a pastor.
Hagee founded The Church at Castle Hills in 1975. The church grew in size and following two expansions, its second sanctuary was named Cornerstone Church. The church has adopted Pentecostalism beliefs, including biblical literalism, speaking in tongues, Faith healing, the prosperity gospel, and absolute opposition to abortion. Beginning in 1981 in San Antonio, following Operation Opera, Hagee has organized "A Night to Honor Israel" events aiming to show support for the Israel.
Hagee has been politically active. In 1968, he endorsed Democrat George Wallace in his bid for president. His advocacy included organizing and mobilizing a youth movement called "Wallace Youth".
In 1996, Hagee spoke on behalf of Republican presidential primary candidate Alan Keyes, who in 2004 lost the U.S. Senate election in Illinois to Barack Obama. In 2002, Hagee endorsed the conservative State Representative John Shields in the latter's unsuccessful bid for the Republican Partisan primary for the District 25 seat in the Texas Senate. Hagee dubbed Shields's opponent, incumbent Jeff Wentworth, "the most pro-abortion" of 181 legislators in both houses of the Texas legislature.
On February 7, 2006, Hagee and some 400 leaders from across the Christian and Jewish communities formed Christians United for Israel (CUFI). This lobbies members of the United States Congress, using a biblical stance for promoting Christian Zionism. Around that time he received death threats for his activism on behalf of the State of Israel and hired bodyguards for protection.
In 2008, Hagee endorsed Senator John McCain in the presidential contest against Barack Obama. After Hagee's endorsement of McCain, a furor arose over statements made by Hagee that were perceived by some as Anti-Catholicism and Antisemitism. Following Hagee's remarks, McCain publicly distanced himself from Hagee.
Hagee was the primary funding source for the Israeli Zionist group Im Tirtzu, until he cut ties with the organization in 2013. He is also anti-abortion and stopped giving money to Israel's Hadassah Medical Center when it began offering the procedure.
In 2016, Hagee endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
In 2023, Hagee endorsed Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican Primary.
Reform Judaism Rabbi Eric Yoffie criticized Hagee for being "extremist" on Israeli policy and for disparaging other faiths. Jewish leader calls Hagee an 'extremist.'
Hagee has claimed that Adolf Hitler was born from a lineage of "accursed, genocidally murderous half-breed Jews". Citing material from Jewish tradition,Hagee uses Jeremiah 9:13–16; 44:2–4, 15–17 he claimed that the persecution of Jews throughout history, implicitly including the Holocaust, was due to the Jewish people's disobedience of God.
In 2008, Hagee claimed that the Antichrist will be "a homosexual" and "partially Jewish, as was Adolf Hitler" and he also claimed that a reference in Jeremiah 16:16 to "fishers" and "hunters" was symbolic of positive motivation (Theodor Herzl/Zionism) and negative motivation (Hitler/Nazism) respectively, both men were sent by God for the purpose of having Jews return to Israel, and he suggested that the Holocaust was willed by God because most Jews "ignored" Herzl.Ami Eden, "Q & A: John Hagee"
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