Have you guys heard anything about this?

[boughtwithaprice]

I came across this news story and wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this.

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ChJew_31/4798_31.htm

[arunma]

I don't know anything about the Messianic Jewish group in question. Indeed, some Messianic Jewish groups have bad theology, and others try to pass themselves off as Orthodox Jews (I believe that this practice is very wrong).

Assuming that the Messianic Jews in questions are true servants of God, then let me be the first on this forum to praise God for what the Southern Baptist Church has done (probably coming too late, since this article is from September '05). Jesus is Savior to all who believe, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. It is discriminatory and even anti-semitic to withhold the Gospel from a person because he happens to be a Jew. We as Christians do not believe that anyone can be saved by his ethnicity or lineage. Neither Jew nor Gentile can have any covenant with God apart from Jesus Christ, and not a single person may be saved apart from faith in the Son of God.

Therefore, it is right to give the Gospel to Jews. Like the rest of us, Jews are creations of God, and it is his wish that every Jew should have a saving relationship with him through Christ Jesus. I am eager to welcome Jews as beloved brothers in Christ, and I hope that the Southern Baptists' fellowship with this Messianic Jewish organization will bring more Jews into the Israel of God through Christ.

In this article, Abraham Foxman is quoted as saying, "The idea of the Southern Baptist Convention using a so-called Jewish messianic group – which misrepresents two faiths – to target Jews for conversion is disgraceful, insulting and dangerous." What a cold description "target...for conversion" is for the act of sharing our great joy in Jesus Christ. We do not "target" anyone. The great mystery of God, revealed in Ephesians 3, is that Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body. We are not a different body; the church is God's one true people, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles.

Mr. Foxman may be outraged by our sharing of the Gospel with Jews (though he is specifically targetting his anger at the SBC). To him I will only say that it is his right to be angry. All the while, we Christians will continue to serve Jews and to love them as our neighbors. And in so doing, we cannot help but share the Gospel, which is the only thing that is capable of saving any man from the wrath of God. He also says, "the Southern Baptist leadership continues to show its disrespect and disregard for the validity of Judaism and the Jewish people." If only he omitted the words "disrespect," and "for the Jewish people," I would agree with Mr. Foxman, and pray that the Southern Baptist church continues to do this.

Yes, we Christians, whether Southern Baptist or otherwise, most certainly do disregard the validity of Judaism. But by no means do we have anything but love for the Jewish people. The religions of the nations are false, and only in Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) is the truth found. So we do not disrespect or disregard the Jewish people. We have great joy in Christ, and we greatly desire that the Jews would share in this joy, because we would love to call them our brothers, even Abraham Foxman.

[Phileoeklogos]

I believe I have read that article before and some of the response to it.

What is always amazing to me is the belief by the unbelieving Jewish community that a Jew can't believe in Christ and vice versa, you can be an atheist and still be Jewish, ( according to that community ), and no one would probably say that any who have followed any of the false messiahs that have appeared down thru history have lost their " Jewishness", but let a Jew profess Jesus Christ and that person has somehow lost their ethinicity. My heart goes out to our Jewish brothers and sisters, disowned by their own, ( as Jesus said they would be ) and many times misunderstood by their Gentile brothers and sisters.

[Athanasian Creed]

I believe I have read that article before and some of the response to it.

What is always amazing to me is the belief by the unbelieving Jewish community that a Jew can't believe in Christ and vice versa, you can be an atheist and still be Jewish, ( according to that community ), and no one would probably say that any who have followed any of the false messiahs that have appeared down thru history have lost their " Jewishness", but let a Jew profess Jesus Christ and that person has somehow lost their ethinicity. My heart goes out to our Jewish brothers and sisters, disowned by their own, ( as Jesus said they would be ) and many times misunderstood by their Gentile brothers and sisters.


Precisely - very well said! :thumbsup:

As a Gentile believer who had the priviledge to work with Jews for Jesus for almost 3 years in an administrative role (as well as doing some evangelism to non-believing Jews on occasion) i'm not suprised at the tactics used by such "anti-missionary" organizations (such as Jews for Judaism) set up to counter the good work done by Messianic groups such as J4J and Chosen People on the frontlines of Jewish evangelism.

Unfortunately, such groups not only get flack from non-believing Jewish groups for "converting to Christianity" thereby, according to such groups, becoming a traitor to the Jewish people and Judaism but they also get it from some other Messianics who see them as "too Christian" and traitors to the teachings of the Torah and of Jesus Himself! :mad: These poor people can't win either way - thank God eternity will reveal the truth and show the great work they do on behalf of Messiah and the hardships they face in trusting Him. I've heard and read testimonies of Jewish believers and their coming to Christ that shocked me - God give them strength!!!! :prayer::prayer:


Ray :wave:

[arunma]

Precisely - very well said! :thumbsup:

As a Gentile believer who had the priviledge to work with Jews for Jesus for almost 3 years in an administrative role (as well as doing some evangelism to non-believing Jews on occasion) i'm not suprised at the tactics used by such "anti-missionary" organizations (such as Jews for Judaism) set up to counter the good work done by Messianic groups such as J4J and Chosen People on the frontlines of Jewish evangelism.

Unfortunately, such groups not only get flack from non-believing Jewish groups for "converting to Christianity" thereby, according to such groups, becoming a traitor to the Jewish people and Judaism but they also get it from some other Messianics who see them as "too Christian" and traitors to the teachings of the Torah and of Jesus Himself! :mad: These poor people can't win either way - thank God eternity will reveal the truth and show the great work they do on behalf of Messiah and the hardships they face in trusting Him. I've heard and read testimonies of Jewish believers and their coming to Christ that shocked me - God give them strength!!!! :prayer::prayer:


Ray :wave:

Very true. And this does not even cover the fact that some liberal Christian organizations would condemn Jews who convert to Christianity! My pastor recently recounted the story of how our church once hosted Jews for Jesus when they came to our city (this was before I joined, so I'm hearing it second hand). Apparently, his harshest critics were liberal Christians. He even had a lunch meeting with one of the pastors who criticized him, and this man seemed to think that it was wrong for Jews to become Christians.

For Christians to reject their Jewish Christian brothers is indeed a most serious sin.

[JPPT1974]

It is indeed a sin my friend
Just because they are liberal
And don't agree with your views
You shouldn't block them
We all need to look at the spec of our own eyes!

[arunma]

I'm not interested in condemning liberals. But even I can see that it is very wrong for them to condemn Jewish Christians. Why should someone who was born into the false religion of Judaism be required to practice it merely by virtue of his lineage?

[VictorianAngel84]

Why should someone who was born into the false religion of Judaism be required to practice it merely by virtue of his lineage?

False religion? :eek: Throughout the Bible it speaks of them being God's chosen people, He ultimately sent them the Messiah. We are saved only because we were shown clearly who Jesus is and were willing to accept Him.

I don't believe them not accepting Jesus makes it a false religion because they are still able to follow their teachings and their teachings of Christ, hence Jews 4 Jesus.

[arunma]

False religion? :eek: Throughout the Bible it speaks of them being God's chosen people, He ultimately sent them the Messiah. We are saved only because we were shown clearly who Jesus is and were willing to accept Him.

I don't believe them not accepting Jesus makes it a false religion because they are still able to follow their teachings and their teachings of Christ, hence Jews 4 Jesus.



I think you may be confused by my position. Jesus Christ is the litmus test for the truth of a religion. The Bible says:No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:23)

Jews for Jesus most certainly are obediant to God. Non-Christian Jews, on the other hand, or not. It doesn't matter how accurately you follow the Torah, keep the Sabbath, or "please God" in other ways. No one can be saved without faith in Jesus Christ. Having faith in some future messiah to come is no substitute. The Christ has already appeared, and we must receive him joyfully, or deny him.


Now, are ethnic Jews the chosen people of God? I don't think the Bible teaches this, because God does not practice favoritism. It says:And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. (Matthew 3:9)

Being a descendant of Abraham according to the flesh (that is, a rabbinic Jew) does not make a person one of God's chosen people. It also says:For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:27-29)

And:But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The Bible teaches that the church is the Israel of God. If you read the church fathers, you'll find that this has always been the traditional understanding of the early Christians. Unfortunately, some evangelicals today are labelling it by the derogatory term "replacement theology," in a strange attempt to teach that Jews can be saved apart from Jesus Christ.

Yet this is what the Bible teaches. It would be unloving of us to lie to Jews by telling them that they can be saved apart from Christ. No one is saved apart from Christ Jesus, so let us never teach this.

Also, Newbeliever, let me rephrase what I said in my last post, which you had quoted. It is wrong for Christians to say that people ought to practice the religion of their family. Many universalist Christians (people who believe that 'everyone goes to heaven') teach that people should keep the traditions of their family. As the logic goes, Christians should not evangelize people who already practice other religions. What is worse is that these people make racial distinctions: all Arabs should practice Islam, all Indians should practice Hindu idolatry, and all Southeast Asians should practice Buddhism. And ultimately, they say that all ethnic Jews should practice the religion of Judaism. This defies the Biblical ethic that Jesus is Savior to all nations. He is not Savior only to Europeans, Turks, and North Africans (I use these examples because these were the first nations to which Christianity spread). He is Savior to everyone, including Jews, and no one can be saved apart from him. Any religion which does not have Jesus is false.

[Joykins]

As someone who is a Christian of Jewish heritage, I cannot even begin to say how ambivalent I am about all of this.

First of all, Judaism is not a false religion. At *most* it's a on obsolete religion. God -- the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom we also worship--made the covenant with Abraham; Jesus made the new covenant of his blood.

[Athanasian Creed]

...First of all, Judaism is not a false religion. At *most* it's a on obsolete religion. God -- the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom we also worship--made the covenant with Abraham; Jesus made the new covenant of his blood.


TRUE Judaism as taught in the Tenach leads to belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the prophets clearly prophecied His coming and the uniqueness of His Person as the God-Man. FALSE Judaism is the traditions of man taught as God's commandments - it is the bias of rabbis who view Y'shua at best as a misguided teacher, at worst a heretic. ;)


Ray :wave:

[PaladinGirl]

Well, I support any efforts to reach the unsaved and that includes the non-Messianic Jews.

[eldermike]

Nicodemus was a Jew. What did Jesus tell him about entering the kingdom of God? I also support any effort to reach the lost.

[arunma]

As someone who is a Christian of Jewish heritage, I cannot even begin to say how ambivalent I am about all of this.

First of all, Judaism is not a false religion. At *most* it's a on obsolete religion. God -- the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom we also worship--made the covenant with Abraham; Jesus made the new covenant of his blood.

I think people often dismiss or are unaware of the relationship between Abraham and the church. Galatians 3:28 is usually quoted as a statement of racial and class equality. While that is a perfectly accurate exegesis of the text, I wish that we would all read the next verse too, because it explains the basis of this equality. It says:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:28-29)
So then, the covenant with Abraham belongs to his offspring, who are the church of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, God made many promises to Abraham, and the Bible tells us that the church is the heir to all of those promises. One cannot receive the blessing simply by having a Jewish mother, because there is no favoritism with God.

May I ask what your other reasons are for being ambivalent towards Jewish evangelism?

[Chris Norwood]

Nicodemus was a Jew. What did Jesus tell him about entering the kingdom of God? I also support any effort to reach the lost.Not only was Nicodemus a Jew, Jesus was a Jew!

I think that it's kinda ironic, however, that in its statement the ADL, an organization that is supposed to protect the rights of a particular ethno/religious group, belittles another religious group (the SBC) and downright demonizes a portion of their own people who simpy choose to believe something a little different.

It's kinda like those "tolerant" people here in the US that are so intolerant of Christians.

[Athanasian Creed]

Not only was Nicodemus a Jew, Jesus was a Jew!

I think that it's kinda ironic, however, that in its statement the ADL, an organization that is supposed to protect the rights of a particular ethno/religious group, belittles another religious group (the SBC) and downright demonizes a portion of their own people who simpy choose to believe something a little different.


Unfortunately, what you deem "a little different" is not shared by many within the nonbelieving Jewish community. For many within that community, it would be better to be an atheist rather than a Messianic Jew!:eek::scratch:


It's kinda like those "tolerant" people here in the US that are so intolerant of Christians.

You're right - there are none so intolerant than those preaching tolerance! Seems tolerance ends when Christians claim absolute truth (the Word of God) and exclusivity (Jesus is the only way to salvation, Christianity is truth, all others are false):sigh:


Ray :wave:

[eldermike]

Not only was Nicodemus a Jew, Jesus was a Jew!

I think that it's kinda ironic, however, that in its statement the ADL, an organization that is supposed to protect the rights of a particular ethno/religious group, belittles another religious group (the SBC) and downright demonizes a portion of their own people who simpy choose to believe something a little different.

It's kinda like those "tolerant" people here in the US that are so intolerant of Christians.

Yep, it's promised and we count it joy as it's proof that we have found the truth. Praise God!

[Chris Norwood]

Unfortunately, what you deem "a little different" is not shared by many within the nonbelieving Jewish community. For many within that community, it would be better to be an atheist rather than a Messianic Jew!:eek::scratch:

Ray :wave:Of course, that "little thing" is the Son of God; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and the difference between eternal life with God and eternal death and separation from Him. But to the ADL, you obviously cease to be a Jew just because you believe that another Jew back in history was the messiah predicted by the Jewish prophets all through Jewish history.

:scratch: I don't get it...

[JPPT1974]

Of course, that "little thing" is the Son of God; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and the difference between eternal life with God and eternal death and separation from Him. But to the ADL, you obviously cease to be a Jew just because you believe that another Jew back in history was the messiah predicted by the Jewish prophets all through Jewish history.

:scratch: I don't get it...

Jesus is the Son of God
He is the way, the truth, and the life
The one and only way to get to God
Is through Jesus Christ!

[Athanasian Creed]

...But to the ADL, you obviously cease to be a Jew just because you believe that another Jew back in history was the messiah predicted by the Jewish prophets all through Jewish history.

:scratch: I don't get it...

It's a combination of the deception of Satan and the fact that the eyes of the Jewish people (especially religious leaders) have been blinded as Paul said -

Romans 11:7-8 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

However Paul also says -

Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

That "remnant" are they that have come to the saving knowledge of Y'shua being the Messiah of Israel and the Saviour of the world!:clap:


Ray :wave:

[Joykins]

I think people often dismiss or are unaware of the relationship between Abraham and the church. Galatians 3:28 is usually quoted as a statement of racial and class equality. While that is a perfectly accurate exegesis of the text, I wish that we would all read the next verse too, because it explains the basis of this equality. It says:There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:28-29)


So then, the covenant with Abraham belongs to his offspring, who are the church of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, God made many promises to Abraham, and the Bible tells us that the church is the heir to all of those promises. One cannot receive the blessing simply by having a Jewish mother, because there is no favoritism with God.

So God goes back on his word to Abraham? Did God cancel the covenant? Could he do so without self-contradiction?


We do know that God intends in the end to save all Israel (Rom. 11: 28-32)

May I ask what your other reasons are for being ambivalent towards Jewish evangelism?

It has a strong track record of producing atrocities.

On the other hand, the good news is for everyone.

[Andyman_1970]

I'm not interested in condemning liberals. But even I can see that it is very wrong for them to condemn Jewish Christians. Why should someone who was born into the false religion of Judaism be required to practice it merely by virtue of his lineage?

So is your assertion here that a Jew that holds Jesus to be the promised Messiah should cease being Torah observant?

[arunma]

So is your assertion here that a Jew that holds Jesus to be the promised Messiah should cease being Torah observant?

I think he should do whatever he wishes. But whatever Jews do in regards to Torah observance, I think that all Jews should believe that Jesus is the Christ, so that they can be saved.

So God goes back on his word to Abraham? Did God cancel the covenant? Could he do so without self-contradiction?


We do know that God intends in the end to save all Israel (Rom. 11: 28-32)



Actually, I view the New Covenant to be the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham. As for the theology of physical Israel's salvation in Romans 11, the Apostle said that there was one tree, and not two. Paul mentions that certain people (unbelieving Israelite) have been cut off from the tree. It also says:But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:6-8)


Therefore it is not the physical children of Abraham who are saved, but the spiritual children, who include both believing Jews and Gentiles. I can't seem to find any indication in Scripture that anyone can be saved by having the right lineage (that is, being Jewish). And I certainly know that Scripture contradicts the notion that anyone can be saved by works of the Law (known by modern Jews as Torah observance).

So then, I wonder how a Scriptural argument could be put forth that Rabbinic Jews are saved. Pointing to the promises made to Abraham does not seem to help, because the Bible says that those promises have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. I am quite convinced that no one who does not call Jesus the Christ can be saved.

And so, I join the Apostle Paul in saying that it is my desire for all Jews to be saved by having faith in Jesus Christ.

It has a strong track record of producing atrocities.

On the other hand, the good news is for everyone.

Well, I'm not sure about the atrocities issue. European atrocities against the Jews, such as the ghettos, the pogroms, and all the other ways in which life was made difficult for European Jews, do not seem connected to evangelism. First, I can't find an indication from history that the Roman Catholic institution ever made an effort to evangelize Jews.



Secondly, European anti-semitism predates the evangelization of Europe. A fine example of this is in our own Bible.After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. (Acts 18:1-3)


Claudius was a Roman emperor. So it seems that even believing Jews did not escape the persecution of Europeans. I do not know why anti-semitism has been localized in Europe. For whatever reason, Europeans hated Jews before the Gospel came to Europe, they later misused the Gospel to continue hating Jews, and even now when Europe is a post-Christian society, anti-semitism is still rather popular in Europe. But we can see that Christianity is not the cause of anti-semitism.

I think you were right to say that the Gospel is for everyone. The wrath of God is coming on all unbelievers, whether they are Jew or Gentile, and his salvation is only for the church, whether comprised of Jew or Gentile. So it is right for Christians to evangelize Jews.

[mesue]

I came across this news story and wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this.

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ChJew_31/4798_31.htm
:hug: BWAP!!!!!!! :hug:

Anyways ...
I read the article, and also the links to the related story and thought of Stephen in the Book of Acts ...

Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

The Gospel is hard to recieve for some.

[boughtwithaprice]

:hug: BWAP!!!!!!! :hug:

Anyways ...
I read the article, and also the links to the related story and thought of Stephen in the Book of Acts ...

The Gospel is hard to recieve for some.

Hi mesue:hug: glad to see you. How have you been?

Your thoughts on Stephen are a good analogy. He talked with the Sanhedrin all about Jewish culture and came to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah, and he got stoned to death. He did not tell them to stop being Jews, but that the Messiah has come:)


I hope you all didn't mind that I posted this hear in the Baptist forum, but the article was about the SBC, so I thought that you would have more knowledge on it.
My thoughts are that chrstians should be able to talk with Jews about Y'shua, without being accused of trying to steel someone away from their people

[Lenora56]

We live in a sinful, fallen world. When I am not being criticized by any person or group, perhaps it is because I am acquiescing.

[Joykins]

Well, I'm not sure about the atrocities issue. European atrocities against the Jews, such as the ghettos, the pogroms, and all the other ways in which life was made difficult for European Jews, do not seem connected to evangelism. First, I can't find an indication from history that the Roman Catholic institution ever made an effort to evangelize Jews.

To get you started on this topic,

Forced conversions in Spain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Spain#Forced_Conversions_and_the_.22New_Christians.22_.281391-1492.29)

Forced conversions in Portugal -- Portugal apologizes in 1996 (http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=3175)

Conversos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converso)

Marranos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrano)

Timeline of "lesser known highlights" of Jewish Persection (note "forced conversions") (http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/HistoryJewishPersecution.htm)

An explanation of why Messianic Jews don't use a lot of typical Christian terminology (http://home.snu.edu/~HCULBERT/Yeshua.htm) just to give you an idea of the ambivalence Jewish CHRISTIANS feel about the whole thing, and why.

[Chris Norwood]

But this is completely different.

The SBC has no power over any Jews anywhere in the world. There is no way to coerce or force them to "convert". Pretty much all of those cases listed were "Christian" governments taking advantage of their Jewish minority.

This case (the SBC evangelizing Jews) involves a group of free individuals wishing to share God's good news with another group of free individuals. Individual Jews can listen to or ignore the message at their own discretion. So to draw a correlation between those atrocities and this evangelistic effort is pretty insulting to those who have suffered from actual persecution throughout history.

[Athanasian Creed]

...We do know that God intends in the end to save all Israel (Rom. 11: 28-32)

Romans 11:28-32 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

The above passage does not prove that all men (Israel) will be saved; but that those who are saved shall be alike saved by the mercy of God; and that he intends to confer salvation on Jews and Gentiles on the same terms.;)

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Here Paul does not mean to say that every Jew of every age would be saved; for he had proved that a large portion of them would be, in his time, rejected and lost. But the time would come when, as a people, they would be recovered; when the nation would turn to God; and when it could be said of them, that, as a nation, they were restored to the Divine favour. It is not clear that he means that even then every individual of them would be saved, but the body of them; the great mass of the nation would be.;)

Jews and Gentiles alike must come to salvation by the ONLY way - Jesus - "the Way, the Truth and the Life!" :bow:


Ray :wave:

[JPPT1974]

We all need to put aside our differences
And work together
As brothers and sisters of Christ
To further the gospel of Christ much more better!

[boughtwithaprice]

We all need to put aside our differences
And work together
As brothers and sisters of Christ
To further the gospel of Christ much more better!

I agree, but there are those that don't.

I came across this story, and it has me very concerned. Are christians being repressed in Israel, and in the USA if they speak against that repression?

http://www.rense.com/general69/shh.htm

or was this radio talk show host a kook?

[Athanasian Creed]

I agree, but there are those that don't.

I came across this story, and it has me very concerned. Are christians being repressed in Israel, and in the USA if they speak against that repression?

http://www.rense.com/general69/shh.htm

or was this radio talk show host a kook?

To quote from the site above:

"Over the years Crowley has been critical of Israel. He has dared to broadcast facts about efforts by the Israeli government to curtail the work of Christian missionaries in the Holy Land, even to the extent, as Crowley has pointed out, of laws introduced in the Israeli parliament that would penalize Christians who engage in missionary work among the Israelis, requiring that those convicted of evangelism be sent to jail...In addition, Crowley has used his WFAX broadcast to tell Christians in the Washington area of how the Israelis have oppressed Christian Palestinians, uprooting them from their homes, vandalized Christian churches in the Holy Land, and otherwise made life difficult for Christian Palestinians and other Christian Arabs in the Middle East. Crowley has upset many supporters of Israel by pointing out that under the thinking of such Christian supporters of Israel as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Tim LaHaye, a New York-born Jewish atheist has more right to live in the holy city of Jerusalem than a Palestinian Christian minister whose family has lived there for 1,000 years...Yet the Christian management of WFAX has bowed to the demands of the Zionist lobby and is silencing Crowley, a missionary who brought an Israeli Jew to Christ...WFAX management has advised Crowley, in addition, that he is likewise not permitted to talk about "Israel" in future broadcasts of "The King's Business," his daily program which is broadcast Monday through Friday."

Well, considering the fact that Israel will not allow Messianic Jews (but will allow an atheistic Jew) to immigrate to Israel, he might have a point. There are some in the Israeli government who realize evangelical Christians are great friends/supporters of Israel - however, it seems they are only interested in monetary/socio-political backing and not the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah! :(


Ray :wave:


P.S. There was also a similiar incident in Pittsburgh - a Christian radio station fired one of their on-air personalities because he spoke out against Roman Catholicism because he dared to ask his audience whether or not Scripturally they believed Pope JPII was in heaven or not!