Поиск

понедельник, 3 января 2011 г.

Current attempts to convert Jews to Christianity

The following quotation is a prime motivator of Christian evangelical activity:
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Christian Scriptures, John 14:6.

Topics Covered:

Note: In this essay, the term "Christian" refers to any individual or group that seriously, prayerfully, devoutly believes themselves to be Christian.Our criteria is the same as a government census.

Very Brief Overview of Jewish-Christian Relations:

Relations between Christians and Jews have traditionally been horrific. The Christian church taught for many centuries that all the Jews in 1st century Palestine were responsible for the execution of Jesus. Further, they taught that successive generations shared equal responsibility with their ancestors - down to the present day. In the 10th century, Christian Crusaders systematically exterminated uncounted numbers of Jews on their way to and from the Holy Land. In 1492, Spanish Jews were given the option of converting to Christianity or being expelled from their own country. The Spanish Inquisition was established, in part, to ferret out any Jews that had not sincerely converted. The predominately Christian American colonies frequently denied Jews the right to hold public office. Pogroms (organized persecution and massacre of Jews) in Czarist Russia and in eastern Europe resulted in the deaths of countless Jews.  During the Holocaust of World War II, approximately 6 million Jews were exterminated by citizens of various European countries; the vast majority of the murderers considered themselves to be Christians; all were volunteers. Anti-Semitic attacks on individual Jews, their property, cemeteries and synagogues continue today worldwide, and are increasing in frequency.
Theological Differences Within Christianity Concerning Judaism
As with so many other theological beliefs, conservative and liberal Christian faith groups have diametrically opposed responses to Judaism - particularly over the question whether Christians have a religious obligation to convert Jews to Christianity. Generally speaking:
  • Fundamentalist and some Evangelical Christians take an exclusive position. They believe that of all the religions and denominations in the world, their religious beliefs alone are fully valid. Their doctrines are based on the inerrant word of God. Theirs is the only path that will lead people to salvation and to a living knowledge and intimate relationship with God. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and liberal Christianity all lead individuals away from salvation and towards Hell.
  • Liberal Christians take an inclusive position. They believe that there are many paths to God. Many use the analogy of a mountain: there are many paths leading up the mountain from different locations in the foothills. But all routes eventually reach the top. All great religions of the world inspire people to lead ethical lives, and motivate them to love and care for others. All faith traditions are thus valuable and should be respected. Part of this respect is to not proselytize groups that do not wish to be converted to Christianity. Judaism is one such group.
Christian beliefs are split with regard to the historical covenants described in the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. Old Testament). Generally speaking:
  • Many Fundamentalists and some Evangelical Christians hold to the traditional " 'supercessionist idea' that Christianity replaced Judaism and that God no longer has a covenant with the Jewish people." (1) This is sometimes called the "theology of displacement." It relegates Judaism to an inferior position and "regards the Christian Church as the 'true' or 'spiritual' Israel." This concept was first developed by Justin Martyr (circa 100 to 165 CE) and Irenaeus of Lyon (circa 130 to 200 CE). It was largely accepted within the church by the 4th century.
    Many believe that anyone following the Jewish faith is doomed to spend eternity in Hell, just as will Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and others who have not trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. This motivates many conservative Christians to attempt to lead Jews (and others) to a "saving knowledge" of Jesus. To ignore the Jews would be discriminatory. "If Jewish people are denied the opportunity to hear about Jesus because of Christian self-censorship, then Christians truly will be guilty of anti-Semitism." (18)
  • Liberal Christians typically accept the "dual covenant" belief:
    • That the original covenants between God and the Jewish people are still valid today, and that
    • God has also established a new, parallel covenant with Christian believers.

Statement by The Alliance of Baptists (1995)

The Alliance of Baptists broke with conventional conservative Christian beliefs about Judaism. They issued "A Baptist Statement on Jewish-Christian Relations" on 1995-MAR-4 (14, 15). The Alliance acknowledged that the Nazi Holocaust was made possible only by "centuries of Christian teaching and church-sanctioned action directed against the Jews simply because they were Jews. As Baptist Christians we are the inheritors of and, in our turn, have been the transmitters of a theology which lays the blame for the death of Jesus at the feet of the Jews...a theology which has valued conversion over dialogue, invective over understanding, and prejudice over knowledge..." They confessed their sins of "of complicity...of silence...of indifference and inaction to the horrors of the Holocaust." They called upon all Baptists to join them in:
  1. "Affirming the teaching of the Christian Scriptures that God has not rejected the community of Israel, God's covenant people (Romans 11:1-2), since 'the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable' (Romans 11:29);
  2. Renouncing interpretations of Scripture which foster religious stereotyping and prejudice against the Jewish people and their faith;
  3. Seeking genuine dialogue with the broader Jewish community, a dialogue built on mutual respect and the integrity of each other's faith;
  4. Lifting our voices quickly and boldly against all expressions of anti-Semitism;
  5. Educating ourselves and others on the history of Jewish-Christian relations from the first century to the present, so as to understand our present by learning from our past."
In essence, they urged that Baptists abandon the traditional, conservative supercessionist concept and accept the mainline and liberal dual covenant belief. Jews would no longer be evangelized. The Baptists advocated sincere dialog between two religions of equal stature.

The Southern Baptist Convention and the Jewish Proselytization Resolution of 1996:

There have been many interactions between the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Jewish faith:
  • In 1867, the (SBC) passed its first resolution to urge their organization and membership to convert Jews to conservative Christianity. During the following 130 years, 8 similar resolutions were passed. (2)
  • A struggle developed in the 1970's within the SBC. By 1979, conservatives had begun to wrestle control of the denomination from their more liberal members. A former SBC president, The Rev. Bailey Smith, said, at the 1987 SBC convention, words to the effect that "God does not hear the prayer of a Jew." He was given a standing ovation. In 1994, during a talk before 15,000 people at a Religious Roundtable meeting in Dallas TX, he said: "With all due respect to those dear people, my friend, God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew." (20) The implication is that God has abandoned Jews and hears only the prayers of Christians. [This is a fascinating theological concept. It would imply that God would not listen to the prayers of his son, Jesus, who was an observant Jew.]
  • A recent SBC goal is to proclaim the Gospel, and thereby to attempt to convert, every American to conservative Christianity by the year 2000 CE. Some Southern Baptists feel that ignoring the Jews in this campaign could be considered as a form of anti-Semitism. It could be seen as a rejection of Jews as being somehow unworthy to receive the Gospel - as if they were not worth saving from the endless horrors of Hell.
  • There is a growing movement of religious groups who attempt to combine worship of Y'shua (Jesus) with elements of Judaism. Most Jews find the proselytizing attempts by these groups to be particularly offensive:
    • "Messianic Jewish" congregations retain "Jewish customs, religious traditions and maintain Jewish heritage," while accepting Jesus as the Messiah. (3)  "They have 'synagogues,' which incorporate traditional Jewish prayer services with some worship of Jesus. They celebrate the [Jewish] holidays, and consider themselves 'biblical,' rather than 'rabbinic,' Jews...They, therefore, use Jewish symbols with a twist of Christianity added to them." (4)
    • Jews for Jesus, was founded by Moische Rosen. One source (4) claims that this organization receives most of its finances from Baptists. They allow members to select the exact blend of Judaism and Christianity with which they feel most comfortable. "Jews for Jesus can attend messianic synagogues or Christian churches. Some celebrate Jewish holidays and rituals; others do not."
  • More than 30 Messianic Jewish congregations are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship was founded in 1985 to promote the interest of those congregations. They have been recognized by the Home Mission Board. The Fellowship continually pressed the SBC for a resolution at a general meeting on Jewish evangelism. They succeeded in 1996.
Much of the momentum of the resolution came from the SBC' rejection of the Alliance of Baptists' statement on  the dual covenant. Messianic Fellowship President Michael Smith of Ohio called this idea "a sin against God and man." It would contradict traditional conservative Christian belief that trust in Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation. You cannot get any more fundamental than that!
Meeting in New Orleans, LA, in 1996-JUN, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) passed its 10th and latest resolution on Jewish evangelism. They advocate a major program within the denomination to convert the Jews. The SBC's Home Mission Board  appointed a missionary team, Jim and Kathy Sibley, to lead this program. Their mandate is "to develop evangelistic ministries among Jews and start churches in predominantly Jewish communities" (5) The Home Mission Board had an official filling this post from 1921 to 1989, but the position had become vacant during the 1990's.
The resolution passed by an overwhelming majority. It urged the membership to "direct our energies and resources toward the proclamation of the Gospel to the Jews." . It criticized "an organized effort on the part of some either to deny that Jewish people need to come to their Messiah, Jesus, to be saved or to claim, for whatever reason, that Christians have neither the right nor obligation to proclaim the gospel to Jewish people." (5,6)
Responding to the resultant backlash from Jewish groups against the SBC resolution, Phil Roberts, director of the SBC Home Mission Board's Interfaith Witness Office, says that the resolution has been misunderstood. He said: "All we're talking about here is evangelism, which is sharing of our faith in a loving way with those around us." (7) He continued: "Let's say you've found a cure for cancer or discovered the fountain of youth. The right thing to do would be to share it with others." (8) Discussing Jews who have converted to Christianity, he added "They don't deny their ethnicity. They don't deny the true Old Testament faith. Instead, we believe it's clearly a fulfillment." (7)
Richard Land, president of the SBC Christian Life Commission commented: "It's probably not the politically correct thing to do, but there are a lot of things about Christianity that are not politically correct." (6)
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY said: "We are firmly convinced that there is salvation in no other name, but we are also confident that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Thus, when most faithful, Southern Baptists are to be found sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. We have no right to exclude Jewish persons from the promise of the Gospel." (16)

Reaction of Jewish Groups (and others) to the SBC Resolution:

Reaction was swift and generally very negative:
  • B'nai B'rith is the largest Jewish organization in the world. Its international president, Tommy P. Baer, sent a letter on 1996-JUN-14 to Morris Chapman, president of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was critical of the SBC's resolution. He wrote: "We believe this is a thoroughly retrograde step in relations between Southern Baptists and Jews in the United States...A program of conversion is demeaning to our religion and to our co-religionists -- including those who out of their own free will and conviction -- have converted to Judaism...The decisions of the Southern Baptist Convention are certain to introduce new tensions in the interactions between Jews and all Christians in this country, and to once again sow the seeds of distrust. Pluralism is a basic tenet of our American way of life. It means respecting each other's traditions and religious paths...We cannot believe that creating such tensions between Jews and Christians can possibly advance humankind toward the ultimate Messianic Age that both Christians and Jews look forward to with hope and faith." The full text of the letter can be seen via the hyperlink in Reference (9)
Baer recommended that "the Southern Baptists to reconsider these steps." The SBC will have an opportunity to do that again at its next annual meeting in 1998-JUN. At a later date in 1996, Tommy Baer, criticized some of Chapman's comments which he felt suggest "that without accepting Jesus as 'savior' Jews remain flawed, incomplete, and inadequate."
B'nai B'rith, organized a postcard protest against the SBC resolution. By 1996-NOV, about 6,000 postcards had been mailed to SBC headquarters in Nashville, TN. (7)
  • Conrad Giles, president-elect of the Council of Jewish Federations said: "We as a people have been subjected to all sorts of oppression...This is another more subtle form of oppression...We must take it seriously...It is very disturbing to be targeted by any group for what is basically elimination. While the elimination is not quite in the same manner as during the Holocaust, the end point is the same." (10)
  • Rabbi A. James Rudin, Director of Inter-religious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee called the resolution a "great setback" for interreligious dialogue. "Many, many Protestants, including some Southern Baptists, have rejected this kind of aggressive targeting of Jews as unworthy of Christianity...This [resolution] represents a 180-degree turn from where they were in the '70s and '80s" (6) He said that he would ask a simple question of anyone bent on converting Jews: "Does your spiritual happiness depend on my spiritual annihilation?"
  • Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President The Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UHAC) responded: "We are offended that the Southern Baptist Convention is dedicating its resources to an ambitious campaign to proselytize Jews. This divisive campaign is offensive in that it singles out the Jewish people at a time when the need is great for interfaith understanding and dialogue among all religions...Respect for each other's religious beliefs and the celebration of America's pluralism are fundamental American values...And we are saddened that the Southern Baptists appear to have removed themselves from the dialogue by this campaign." (UHAC represents Reform synagogues in the US)
  • Rabbi Ilan D. Feldman, Rabbi of the Orthodox Beth Jacob congregation of Atlanta welcomed the SBC resolution:"The decision should be greeted by Jews as honest and energizing. 'Honest' because it is based on elementary Christian dogma that salvation can be achieved through Jesus alone. 'Energizing' because it should serve as a wake-up call to the Jewish community, a dose of reality which causes us to 'rally the troops' in the mutual battle for Jewish souls." (11)
  • Rabbi Bruce Cole, director of the Institute for Jewish, Christian and Islamic Studies and Relations, referred to the previous time, in 1973, when a major effort was mounted to evangelize Jews. That effort generated a great deal of ill will. He predicted that the current one will as well. "I think they are going to create tremendous tension between Jews and Southern Baptists, and I'm projecting it's going to cause tensions between the Southern Baptists and other Christians who don't believe in going out and proselytizing Jews in this way."
  • Yaakov Ariel, professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill commented "It demonstrates the unwillingness of Christians to look upon Judaism as a legitimate religion that can offer spiritual guidance and moral values." (8)
  • Bishops from the Episcopal, Lutheran and Roman Catholic denominations issued a joint statement in which they stated that proselytizing Jews is "not appropriate."
  • Eugene Fisher, a spokesperson for for Catholic-Jewish relations by the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference said:  "The Catholic Church does not have a special mission to the Jews because it might instill fear of coercion or persecution...The history is there...We respect freedom of faith."
  • Perhaps the most famous SBC member, Billy Graham, distanced himself from the resolution and said that he won't take part in any such effort. (8)

Policies of Mainline and Liberal Christian Groups Towards Proselytizing

In recent decades, a "third wave" of academic research into the life and beliefs of  Jesus has been led by mainline and liberal Christian theologians. They are beginning to appreciate the depth of the relationship between Jesus' teachings and the beliefs of various groups within Judaism during the 1st century CE. There is increasing dialog with Jews by non-conservative Christian theologians interested in discovering the roots of their own faith.
The Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Roman Catholic Church -- have entered into dialog with American Jews, while discontinuing any efforts to convert them. They have gone beyond rejecting anti-Semitism, beyond tolerance to the point where they value Judaism as a "sister" religion with whom they have much in common, and from which they have much to learn. The dialog is conducted between the two religions as equals.

Ground-Breaking Developments in the United Church of Canada:

The United Church of Canada, is the the second largest Protestant denomination in Canada and perhaps the most liberal. It is similar to the United Church of Christ in the US. It has jokingly been referred to as a church which specializes in organizing circular firing squads. This is because of its history of courageously tackling the really tough questions: ordination of women in the 1930's; ordination of gays and lesbians in the 1980's; and now a deep dialog between the church and Judaism..
In the very late 1980's. the United Church's general council was petitioned to come to terms with its past anti-Semitic history and to mend fences with the Jewish community. (13) The result of this petition is a a report: "Bearing Faithful Witness: United Church-Jewish Relations Today." It was submitted in mid-1997 for approval by the general council. It was released to the public in 1998-MAY.
The report is believed to be unique among Christian denominations in North America. It calls for the church to:
  • stop trying to convert Jews to Christianity
  • end any Biblical interpretation which negatively stereotype Jews or leads to anti-Semitism or anti-Judaism.
  • reject the concept that Christianity is superior to Judaism
  • reject the concept that Christianity is a replacement for Judaism
  • recognize anti-Semitism in its past
Reactions to the report were predictable:
  • The "Community of Concern," a conservative reform group within the United Church, rejected the call for an end to evangelical action among the Jews. Spokesperson Rev. John Niles said "This is completely against the Biblical mandate to go out into the world and baptize...It means the Gospel can't be preached." He expressed confidence that more conservative ministers will continue to evangelize Jews, even if the document becomes church policy.
  • Rabbi Reuven Bulka, chairman of the Religious and Interreligious Affairs Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress commented: "I think it deserves the highest of accolades...They have not in any way compromised their own faith, but they have realized failings within the faith and have honestly said 'Let's clean up this mess.' "
The Right Rev. Bill Phipps, moderator of the Church commented: "Christianity does not supersede Judaism...We are not picking up where they left off." He said that the document urges people to "live your life fully. Try to make Jesus Christ meaningful and attractive to people...but don't cast aspersions or criticize other faith traditions." Rev. Phipps notes that Scripture has been often interpreted in a way that leads to anti-Judaism. For example, when referring to Jesus criticisms of Judaic practices of the 1st century CE, Christians must remember that "he wasn't standing outside of the Jewish community being critical, he was doing it from within."
Peter Wyatt, general secretary for theology, faith and ecumenism for the United Church indicated that no formal apology to the Jewish community is planned. "Jewish people indicated that wouldn't necessarily be helpful, and it's not something they're looking for."

References:

  1. "Saving our souls," The Southern Shofar, Birmingham, AL, at: http://www.bham.net/shofar/1996/0796/ss0796.html
  2. Merlene Davis, "Stop the madness: Southern Baptists are on power trip," Herald-Leader, Lexington, KY. Available at: http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/0620/fdavis.html
  3. Fritz B. Voll, "What about Christian Jews or Jewish Christians?" at: http://www.jcrelations.com/articl1/conv.htm This site includes a history of Christian "conversion" methods.
  4. Meira Bat Avraham, "The Quiet Holocaust," at: http://www.jdl.org/mission.html
  5. "Southern Baptist focus on evangelization of Jewish people drawing media attention," The Louisiana Baptist Message, at: http://www.lacollege.edu/baptist/message/6.27.96/6.27.96.jewish.html
  6. Christine Wicker, "Southern Baptist convention vows to convert Jews," Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX, 1996-JUN-14
  7. Quoted in: Art Toalston, "Evangelism: Jews Oppose Baptist Outreach," Christianity Today, 1996-NOV-11, at: http://www.christianity.net/ct/6TD/6TD03a.html
  8. Yonat Shimron, "Jewish faith long been targeted," News Observer, Raleigh NC, at: http://www.news-observer.com/go/religion/faith/archive/062196.html
  9. "B'nai B'rith Urges Southern Baptist Convention To Reconsider Formal Resolution Actively Seeking To Convert Jews To Christianity," at: http://bnaibrith.org/pr/sbaptist.html, 1996-JUN-14.
  10. Quoted in: Manny Lopez, "Jews find Baptists' new mission of conversion unnerving," The Detroit News, Detroit, MI, 1996-JUN-18
  11. Ilan D. Feldman, "The Jewish Problem," Congregation Beth Jacob, at: http://www.toll-free.com/bethjacob/rabbi04.html
  12. Eric H. Yoffie, "Southern Baptist Convention Resolution* to Missionize Jews," at: http://uahcweb.org/yoffie/sbc.html
  13. Joan Breckenridge, "United Church Reaches out to Jews," The Globe and Mail, Toronto ON, 1998-MAY-23, Pages A1 & A10
  14. "A Baptist Statement on Jewish-Christian Relations," Alliance of Baptists (1995) at: http://www.pitts.emory.edu/baptist.statement.html
  15. The Alliance of Baptists has a home page is at: http://www.allianceofbaptists.org/
  16. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., "Against the Stream: The Southern Baptist Resolutions," at: http://www.sbts.edu/mohler/resoluti.html
  17. The official home page of the Southern Baptist Convention is at: http://www.sbcnet.org/index.htm
  18. R. H. Hamel, "Real anti-Semitism," The Globe and Mail, letter to the editor, 1998-MAY-27 Page A18
  19. Arthur F. Glasser, "A Reflection on 'Let's Get Biblical!' Rabbi Tovia Singer's Lecture Series", Page 2, at: http://www.jews-for-jesus.org/CASE/BIBLICAL/Glasser/glasser2.html
  20. Bailey Smith, quoted in the St. Petersburg Times, 1994-JUN-26.
  21. Sites which promote Christian evangelism of Jews include:
  22. Sites which have been organized in opposition to Christian evangelism include:




Full Text appears at:  CURRENT ATTEMPTS TO CONVERT JEWS TO CHRISTIANITY

Go to the Jewish-Christianity menu

Опубликовано: at
Метки: , , , , , , ,

Комментариев нет:

Отправить комментарий

Подписаться на: Комментарии к сообщению (Atom)
Powered By Blogger