“Why do evangelicals love the Jews?”
For years I’ve seen that question asked—albeit almost always indirectly—in various forms. Sometimes it comes from Christians who are skeptical of Zionism; other times from appreciative but suspicious Jews. The underlying subtext, though, is almost always the same: There must be something suspicious about the peculiar attachment.
I think I know the answer to the question. I’ve spent thirty-five years—since the age of six—as an evangelical. I’ve attended hundreds of churches and engaged thousands of my fellow evangelicals. While I’m not qualified to provide a theological explanation, I do believe my experiences can help shed light on the subject from a sociological perspective.
Too often such question are only asked of the intellectual elites while the “view from the pews” is overlooked. The perspective of the common evangelical may not be as sophisticated as that of a seminary professor, but it is important for Jewish-Evangelical relations that it be properly understood.
For example, too often it is assumed that the affection for Jews and Israel is primarily motivated by eschatology. This concern, while overstated, is not without warrant. One of the dominant eschatological views within evangelicalism is premillenial dispensationalism, a system that carves out a significant role for an earthly Jewish state in the events at the end of days. Some of the beliefs of dispensationalism include the concept that Christ offered to the Jews the Davidic kingdom in the first century but they rejected it, and it was postponed until the future; that the current church age is a “parenthesis” unknown to the Old Testament prophets; and that God has separated programs for the church and Israel.
Although introduced in America churches in the 1800s, dispensationalism’s primary influence over the last few decades has been in the form of best-selling works of apocalyptic fiction (especially the Left Behind series of novels) and pop-theology (e.g., Hal Lindsey’s, The Late Great Planet Earth). Because of the ubiquity of dispensational themes in evangelical pop culture, it’s reasonable to assume that it must be the catalyst for evangelical Judeophilia.
However, not all philo-Semites are dispensationlists. (I myself am an amillennialist.) The common thread is not beliefs rooted in Revelation but rather a perspective shaped by the Bible’s first thirty-nine books. It is this Old Testament-oriented biblicism that accounts for the evangelical’s attitude toward the Jews
As I noted last month, biblicism is a core characteristic of evangelicalism. The term is often defined as a “literal interpretation of the Bible”, but this is misleading since no evangelical truly interprets the Bible literally. Instead, as Dan Waugh clarifies, the evangelical form of biblicism is interpreting the Bible “faithfully”:
By faithfully I mean that we take potions of the Bible literally that were intended to be taken, and present themselves in a literal fashion. In this category, I would include the Old Testament stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, Joshua, David and the like. Also, I would include all the Gospel stories of miracles, including the literally bodily resurrection of Jesus. This sets me apart, and other evangelicals apart from those who interpret these stories as great myths or merely nice religious stories with no factual basis. Much of the Bible is written as a historical record of God’s interaction with his creation. These events are presented as literal facts and must be taken by the faithful Bible interpreter literally – in the natural, intended sense of the author.
For many evangelicals—myself included—the Bible not only records a faithful account of history but also documents the very invention of history by the Hebrew people. The events recorded in the historical books of the Old Testament are not only an account of significant events in ancient history, but are the most important events from the creation of the universe until the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The tale of the Hebrews is one of the most important stories in the history of the world.
Of course, this view of the Bible is not unique to evangelicals. Many other Christian groups share a “faithful” view of scriptures. But the difference is that in many of the other branches of Christianity (e.g., Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy) the Bible shares a place with Tradition. For evangelicals, though, the Bible largely is the tradition.
Lacking a heritage that includes centuries of saints and martyrs and venerable ecclesiastical institutions, we evangelicals turn to the Old and New Testaments for our models and heroes of the faith. The evangelical may not be able to identify Saint Anthony, Christopher, or Demetrius of Thessalonik, but we know—and revere—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. To paraphrase an old Willie Nelson song, our heroes have always been Hebrews.
Indeed, it is almost impossible to overestimate the influence of the Old Testament on the evangelical imagination. In its most basic form, the evangelical mind is an anomalous type of the Hebraic mind. Modern Jews might sneer at the presumptuous of the connection, but it is a truism that evangelicals consider themselves to be the other “People of the Book.”
Another related influence on our philo-Semitism is the evangelicals’ truncated view of Jewish history. For many evangelicals, the Jewish people exited the stage of history after the destruction of the temple in a.d. 70 and only reemerged in the 1940s with the Holocaust and the birth of modern Israel. For too many evangelicals, the “diaspora” might as well be a Yiddish term for “intermission.”
While such historical ignorance is inexcusable (if not uncommon among Americans), it has had the salutatory effect of keeping evangelicalism free, by and large, from the taint of anti-Semitism. The horrors of the Holocaust—which were occurring during the same years the modern evangelical movement was being born—also seared our conscience and deepened our sympathy for “God’s chosen people.” For a people steeped in the world of Esther and Joshua, the persecution of European Jews and the reestablishment of the nation of Israel are more than world-historical events. They are a continuation of the story that began with Abraham.
The result of making the unmediated connection between ancient Hebrews and modern Jews is that many evangelicals are accidental Zionists. The idea that the Jews have a right to the land of Israel is simply not something that many evangelicals question. It is akin, in many way, to the way that some consider the historically and theologically novel concept of the “rapture” to be Biblical. Many of them simply never considered it an issue that was necessary to question.
This theological intuition is shored up by political buttresses. The fact that many theologically conservative evangelicals are also aligned with political conservatism—a movement which has developed strong Zionist sympathies—has helped to reinforce the idea that the Jews have a natural right to dwell in Israel.
Such an explanation may seem to bolster the stereotype that we evangelicals are uneducated and easily led—especially by the nefarious neo-cons. But the truth is that few Americans form their geo-political views based on objective foreign policy realism. Evangelicals are not unique in letting our sympathies and prejudices shape our political preferences. And we do have our reasons, its just that our theonomic justifications for Zionism are offensive to those who believe all political views much be secularized and denatured of religious influence. That, of course, is their problem and not ours. While it might not be polite to admit in liberal cosmopolitan company, there is nothing illogical or unreasonable in believing that the tribe of Judah has a historical right and providential claim to the land of Israel.
It is worth noting, however, that just as not all evangelicals are dispensationalists, not all evangelicals are Zionists. Supporting Jews as a people does not necessarily require supporting Israel as a state. For many of us, though, Zionism is another natural outworking of the regard we have for the Jewish people.
Even so, the suspicion many Jews have toward the motives of evangelicals is understandable. As David Goldman once noted, “The tragedy of Christendom’s encounter with the Jews has no end of telling.” There is no easy way to convince a people that your religion’s shameful history of anti-Semitism is almost as inexplicable to you as it is to them.
But perhaps it would help if they understood the third reason we evangelicals have a special affection for our Jewish neighbor: Because we know that God has a special affection for them too.
May 27th, 2010 | 9:01 am
Great essay, but I’m skeptical. The connection between these two cultures seems anomalous, accidental. But, as you say, they are God’s chosen, and I guess that’s the real connection.
May 27th, 2010 | 9:41 am
The Bible is the connection, I think, as you point out. This is why many evangelicals feel closer to Jews than to Catholics: Jews they see in the Bible, Catholics they don’t.
I do have a question: What does it mean for God to choose and have a “special affection” for the Jews? To put it another way, do evangelicals think that Jews can arrive in heaven through Judaism, without reference to or faith in Christ?
If not, what is the point of the “special affection”?
May 27th, 2010 | 9:47 am
Yes, this is absolutely right, Joe. Thank you for explaining something that is usually misunderstood by those outside of Evangelicalism. I’ve often (probably like many others) had similar thoughts, especially when I hear the non-sense that liberals of many sorts promote regarding Dispensationalists wanting certain events to harm Israel, etc.
Now can you get them to stop referring to Evangelicals as Evangelists?
May 27th, 2010 | 10:05 am
A very thoughtful post. I second Craig’s question: what is the relationship between God’s special affection for the Jews and the mainstream Christian doctrine that salvation is only possible through faith in Jesus and accepting Jesus as one’s savior?
May 27th, 2010 | 10:34 am
For this particular Evangelical, the meaning of God’s special affection is that salvation is both “from the Jews” and for the Jews. In Romans 1, the apostle Paul declares that the gospel of Jesus Christ is first for the Jew and then for the Gentile. In other words, Jews have been given temporal priority in the reception of the gospel of salvation. Those of us who are dispensationalist also understand the book of Revelation to declare that the gospel of salvation will again be delivered with a priority both to and from the Jews in the end of time.
Furthermore, from an Evangelical perspective, the Christian Church is at its root a Jewish phenomenon (evidencing God’s special affection) into which we who are not Jews have been incorporated through a Savior who was (and still is!) really and historically a Jew.
May 27th, 2010 | 11:28 am
[...] Carter has an interesting post on “Why Evangelicals Love the Jews,” arguing that, at the popular level at least, it has less to do with eschatology than with [...]
May 27th, 2010 | 12:41 pm
I don’t know that early Christian anti-Semitism is all that inexplicable, although this may be a topic for another time. I’ll add a disclaimer here that I am neither Christian nor Jewish.
The Gospel of Matthew paints the Jewish elders at the time in an absolutely horrible light. It is the priests and elders who fire up the crowd to demand Jesus’ crucifixion, who take blood money from Judas and who convince a somewhat reluctant Pontius Pilate to put Jesus to death.
As if the savage and humiliating crucifixion of Jesus was not enough, what follows is even more apparently sinister from the Christian perspective as the guards sent by Pontius Pilate return to report that Jesus’ body is not in its grave (from Chapter 28):
11: Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
12: And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
13: Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
14: And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
15: So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
According to Matthew, the Jewish elders not only conspired to murder Jesus but then through corruption and bribery tried to cover up the story of his resurrection even though they knew it was true. Matthew warns that Jews “until this day” deny the resurrection of Jesus and, by implication, are participating in spreading falsehoods.
Of course, even if you accept all this as historical truth (which I don’t), it need not be anti-Semitic. One could say the elders at that time were especially corrupt due to the decline of Jewish civilization after the end of the Hasmonean dynasty. But still, it’s not difficult to see why in the wrong hands these verses could be used as a warrant for some very ugly forms of bigotry.
May 27th, 2010 | 12:48 pm
Dear TimC: I appreciate your response and your points. I still want to quibble, though. It does sound a bit like God did something for the Jews “back then” (they got first crack at the Gospel) and will do something for the Jews in the future (they will get another chance at it later on, in the dispensationalist view).
But given this, it’s difficult to see how to avoid a supercessionist or replacement theology. What is going on with the Jews NOW, in other words (and in all the time since the first Church)? Have they been “sidelined,” as I heard one dispensationalist minister put it? And what does being “sidelined” mean in terms of salvation?
These questions are not merely directed at TimC, but to anyone. To my mind, this is one of the most puzzling aspects of Paul’s thinking in the N.T. (not to mention Jesus’ prophecies). Thoughts, anyone?
May 27th, 2010 | 12:51 pm
P.S. I see that this question is related to Joe Carter’s description of the mental jump in many Christians from “destruction of Jerusalem” to “contemporary Israel.”
May 27th, 2010 | 2:18 pm
Fascinating and insightful article. Although in regards to some comments, I don’t know if I’d say Catholics *don’t* have an affection for the Jewish people. It may demonstrate itself differently, though. Remember, our Mass is fashioned after many ancient, Jewish practices, and we use common OT terms like “tabernacle” on a weekly basis. And at every single Mass we hear the name of the high priest Melchizedek and hear readings from the Hebrew scriptures. I know of many Catholics who feel a special “connection” to Judaism (and also many Catholics who, due to being politically conservative could also fit into that same category as Evangelicals). I will say though, just from my own observations, the dispensationalist crowd has the most overt “affection” for the Jewish people for the reasons stated in this article.
Sadly, there are some factions of Catholicism (some schismatic, traditionalist circles) that seem to be anti-Semitic even today. Shameful and very difficult for me, a JPII generation Catholic, to understand.
May 27th, 2010 | 3:04 pm
Craig,
“Sidelined” is probably a reasonable summary of the dispensational understanding of the position of the Jews right now. (Forgive me if I am making points already known to you; I’m not sure of your background.) A key passage for dispensationalist understanding of the Jewish situation is Romans 11. There Paul makes it clear that Israel still has a unique place in God’s plan. Some natural branches (i.e. Jews who did not follow Jesus) have been removed from the tree (God’s elect congregation) because of their unbelief so that Gentiles who do believe could be grafted into the tree. But this dare not lead us to supercessionism or replacement theology because “if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.” And so we have confidence that “all Israel will be saved.”
Now, does that mean that every Jews living now or who did live in the past will be in heaven? I don’t know. I do know that the One whom I believe to be Israel’s savior said “No one comes to the Father but through me.” That is to say that all who are in heaven–whether they be Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc. here on earth–enter only by the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ.
May 27th, 2010 | 3:40 pm
I would sure like to see some decent data supporting Mr. Carter’s proposition–”undocumented assumption” is more accurate, of course–that “evangelicals love Jews.”
I simply do not believe it.
Historically, evangelicals have been driven by hatred. Please, people, do not make yourselves look foolish by disputing this claim. It is historical FACT. I am old enough to remember seeing Pastor billyBob, backed by members of his congregation, at the picket lines, circa 1957, shaking his bible and ranting “th’ Baaaahble sez the nigras were created inferior.” (By “Pastor BillyBob”, I mean, of course, all of those “pastors” who led fundamentalist and/or evangelical congregations in the south, and who read the bible as a manual of hatred against blacks/ Jews/ foreigners/ northerners/city-dwellers/ you-name-it).
Of course, today some of the hatreds have shifted–to “big-city sophisticated elites” (that oughta cover a multitude of sins, so to speak), to gays, Democrats, etc.
All that said….I believe it is simply not possible that evangelicals have forgotten certain facts about Jews. (Is it possible they are actually ignorant of those fact? That could be.) Let’s start with the fact that Jews are famously liberal in their politics, tending strongly to vote Democratic, to be vigorously in favor of C/s separation, to support womens’ right to abortion, and so on. Then, remember that in past years Jews played a major role in that industry that evangelicals love to hate, Hollywood.
Evangelicals also are surely aware that Jews are in so many ways the polar opposites of evangelicals: they tend NOT to see things in black and white, tend NOT to be dogmatic, tend NOT to be authoritarians, tend NOT to insist on a literal (wooden) reading of scripture, and so on.
(I can hardly wait to see whether this comment will be accepted or rejected…tho I do have some *slight* suspicions….)
May 27th, 2010 | 3:56 pm
Dear TimC: Theologically, I agree with the main points of your response (although I am not a dispensationalist), including entering heaven through Christ only.
It seems in some ways Jews and Moslems are actually in a worse condition than others, since part of the contemporary sense of Jew or Moslem includes a very specific rejection of Christ. However, that “chosen” aspect remains.
I guess I was just hoping for a more definite “yes/no” answer. But given that the mystery remains somewhat in Scripture itself, I suppose this was an unrealistic hope. We can simply pray that all be saved.
May 27th, 2010 | 4:38 pm
Mr. Skeptic,
Your claims about Evangelicals being motivated by hatred are wrong and seem to be motivated by the sort of ignorance that you denounce. Instead of denouncing some fictional pastor and congregation that you have conjured up, how about learning about Billy Graham and the ways in which he actively combated the bigotries of his time (for which he is still reviled by some Fundamentalists)?
Still, you’re on to something about Evangelicals loving “Jews” (usually assumed to be Israeli and/or Orthodox) and not having much regard for the type of people (urbanites, liberals, intellectuals) who happen to make up a large proportion of American Jews.
May 27th, 2010 | 4:40 pm
Dear Mr. Skeptic: Regarding your desire for “decent data”: Please go to your computer’s Internet search engine and type in:
attitudes of evangelicals toward Jews
Then read the first ten or so sites listed, which include Jewish journals, professional pollsters, and USA Today.
The subject of Jewish attitudes toward evangelicals, which is not nearly so favorable, is also explored.
No need for you to apologize for your outburst. As Christians, we are constrained by love and forgiveness.
May 27th, 2010 | 4:43 pm
Taking stock and changing course…
I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…
May 27th, 2010 | 5:19 pm
TO: STEVE
1. sorry, but I remember VERY WELL seeing all those southern pastors ranting about black people and what the bible allegedly said about them, in the latter part of the ‘fifties and early part of the ‘sixties. Fundamentalists and evangelicals have attempted to cover their tracks on this matter, but even some fundamentalist or evangelical leaders acknowledge it.
2. Re BillyBob Graham, do you recall his infamous agreements with Nixon, in the oval office, when Pres. TrickyDick Nixon was ranting about Jews? If not, do some research. BillyBob was caught on tape agreeing with Nixon’s idiotic, anti-Semitic observations.
Some years ago I wrote to BillyBob’s outfit (I think in Minneapolis) to ask about that, and I got a thoroughly evasive (that is, dishonest) response.
THIRD, also re Pastor BillyBob Graham, please read what Martin Luther King said about him. King wrote that he BEGGED Graham to issue a statement condemning racism and segregation, but Graham ignored him.
Gee, do you think that could have something to do with Graham’s North Carolina roots?
TODAY, fortunately, evangelicals and fundies are moderating some of their old hatreds. But as long as they continue to hate gays, “liberals”, and so on, anyone with any knowledge of human behavior will understand very well what they are all about.
May 27th, 2010 | 5:27 pm
TO: Craig Payne
You said “… As Christians, we are constrained by love and forgiveness.”
1. It is true that evangelicals /fundies have lots of forgiveness for their fellow evangelicals and fundies. Anyone aware of the news knows that such “love and forgiveness” is almost always in rather short supply when it comes to those they perceive as their opponents.
2. I know a fair number of Xians–tho, sadly, not enough. I am in awe of them. One of the interesting things about (true) Xians is that they NEVER have to tell others that they are Xians. It is obvious from their behavior: non-judgemental, accepting of others, and so on.
May 27th, 2010 | 5:44 pm
Dear Wild Rock Honey: At this point you may want to re-consider…. :)
May 27th, 2010 | 6:07 pm
Mr. Skeptic has some good points. These are two communities that normally wouldn’t have much to do with each other. And yet the evangelicals’ rather shallow theology convinces them that they are great friends of the Jews. Very strange!
May 27th, 2010 | 6:40 pm
Melchizedek was not Jewish; he was not a member of Israel; he predated it by about half a millennium. There were attempts in midrash to make him a Hebrew retroactively, or make him a sort of honorary Jew, but they’re pretty thin. Catholic propositions that the Church as the body of Christ predates and subsumes Israel are more convincing.
Ancient Israel, Christianity and Islam all recognized worshipers of the one, true God outside of their religions and communities. That Jesus Christ is “high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek” implies that this is superior to the Levite priesthood and therefore an expansion and transcendence, effected by Jesus Christ, for all those who cleave to him, of ethnic, cultural and religious identities.
Why Christians seem generally to be unaware of the precisely described present status of the Jews before God is probably because, after all this time, they still don’t scrutinize scripture for answers. The Jews are “beloved on account of the patriarchs”, for the sake of God’s holy name, not for their own sake.
They have failed in keeping their end of the covenant, as God, at the very moment it was made, said they would (Deuteronomy 28). The purpose of the covenant was that the Jewish nation, the people of Israel, be a light to the nations and draw them all to God. They no longer occupy this office. It’s occupied by the Church, which has been doing an iffy job, to say the least. But while they are no longer exemplars, the continued existence of the Jews is a sign of God, not of them, of his existence, a means to declare and define himself to all human history. The Jews are going to be what God promised Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David whether they like it or not.
Israel was also offered Jesus Christ first and as a nation rejected him and his apostles, also as predicted. If any other group of people had been selected to be the Jews, they would have failed in pretty much the same ways Israel did.
As for hating Jews, in addition to Paul’s admonition to gentile Christians not to feel superior to them, (which should end the matter entirely despite early Jewish persecution of Christians, despite Maimonides labeling them idolaters deserving of death, etc.) Israel is all of us and we all would act just as they have, from then to now, under their circumstances. God’s choosing them is what made them. Some of them cling, in various ways, to the belief that something intrinsic about them drew God to them, but this is unsupported in scripture, and those who persist in it have a chicken-and-egg problem they avoid. The mechanisms of Israel’s failures, presumptions and sins are those of common human nature.
As for persecution of the Jews, this was also predicted in Deuteronomy. Israel brought it upon themselves by disobedience, and all those who commit it against them condemn themselves. For Christians ever to have been proud against, on the one hand, or adulatory and circumspect, on the other, of Israel is not scriptural and not according to the tenets of Christian witness and behavior towards others. To have thought about, talked about, encouraged and actually murdered Jews is, simply, to have been murderers, whether called “Christian” or not, even though God predicted it would occur. If the Jews had been us, and we them, they would have murdered us in the same way.
(Does even need to be stated that there was never to be physical punishment for apostasy from or resistance to proselytizing of the Gospel? It sure could have been, to centuries of European Christian emperors, popes, bishops and priests.)
The only thing a Christian should have that Jew might be interested in is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to be submitted to him, to allow him to display himself, his favor and power, in individual believers and in the body of Christ, to the “children of Abraham after the flesh”. If Christians aren’t pursuing this, above being neocons, Catholics, tea partiers, Christian Zionists, Protestants, Pentecostals and culture warriors, they’re committing spiritual suicide and will fail at most of their distractions anyway.
There is nothing intrinsically special about Jews or Gentiles, only about God. And the failures of all were always going to happen, so that God could show mercy to all. Why did God create a tree of knowledge of good and evil in the first place? This is how God chose to derive a creature in his image and likeness; as painful as it’s been, it always had to be this way. The story doesn’t begin with the Jews and then pencil in the Christians. It begins with the first Adam and ends with the last; it’s his story.
May 27th, 2010 | 7:00 pm
Dear Feeney: You wrote, “These are two communities that normally wouldn’t have much to do with each other.”
Again, I think you are perhaps thinking of conservative Christians as over against secularized North American Jews. I agree that those two communities would probably not have a great deal in common.
However, if we are simply talking about Judaism and Christianity as such, then what they have in common is substantial: the Bible, the Abrahamic covenant, and the One whom Christians believe to be the Jewish Messiah and Savior of all the world, for example.
May 27th, 2010 | 7:05 pm
Dear Mr. Skeptic: You originally asked for empirical data regarding evangelical attitudes toward Jews. Have you looked up those web sites yet?
Or are you not really too interested in the actual topic of the thread?
Regarding the charge of hatefulness, judgmentalism, and so on: I’ll offer you a challenge. Go back through this entire thread and re-read (or read for the first time) every post. Take special note of the posts that seem hateful, judgmental, and mean-spirited to you.
You might be surprised a bit. They all seem to come from the same person. :)
May 27th, 2010 | 8:43 pm
[...] 27, 2010 Joe Carter of First Things examines why evangelical Christians love the Jews. That’s an interesting question, and Carter’s [...]
May 27th, 2010 | 8:57 pm
To: C4raig Payne
1. I have not yet had a chance to check out the references you suggested.
2. I will not have a chance to do so until Monday or Tuesday.
3. Regarding mean-spiritedness and so on, all I am doing is pointing out FACTS–facts that are a matter of record. Fortunately, you have not tried to refute my facts; I suspect you know better than to try that.
IAC, perhaps YOU regard it as “mean spirited” and “judgemental” to point out unpleasant or unflattering facts about inerrantists, fundamentalists, evangelicals, et al. I do not.
May 27th, 2010 | 9:46 pm
Dear Mr. Skeptic: I agree that all human beings are sometimes “driven by hatred,” as you put it, and that in the history of Christianity this sometimes occurs. Christians repent (or not, in some cases), and the majority moves on with its good work.
To brand evangelicalism as such with this hatred, however, is bigoted and, yes, hateful. (By the way, not that it matters, I myself am not an evangelical, so I am not defending evangelicals out of personal offense.) When you use phrases like “driven by hatred,” “Please, people, do not make yourselves look foolish by disputing [my claims],” “actually ignorant,” “dogmatic,” “authoritarian,” “literal (wooden) reading” of the Bible, and so on, you disqualify yourself as a worthwhile interlocutor. Notice that the other posters on this site do not try to win arguments with a sneering tone and hostile vocabulary.
Your first words were, “I would sure like to see some decent data” regarding Joe Carter’s article. However, I suspect that what you really wanted to do, you’ve already done. So farewell for tonight, and may God bless us, every one.
May 27th, 2010 | 10:34 pm
Mr Skeptic, There’s a difference between facts and personal anecdotes about southern pastors amalgamated into one “billybob.”
May 28th, 2010 | 12:12 am
Rev. Bailey Smith once said “God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew.” He is also quoted as saying “I don’t know why God chose the Jews. They have such funny noses.”
Jerry Falwell for his part was quoted as giving his theological views on the anti-Christ as follows: “[Is the Antichrist] alive and here today? Probably, because when he appears during the tribulation period he will be a full-grown counterfeit of Christ. Of course he’ll be Jewish.”
He is also quoted as saying, “Jews can make more money accidentally than you can on purpose.”
The Nixon tapes capture the following exchange:
Graham: A lot of the Jews are great friends of mine. They swarm around me and are friendly to me, because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth. But they don’t know how I really feel about what they’re doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them.
Nixon: You must not let them know
[Conversation continues about supposed Jewish control of the media]
Nixon: You believe that?
Graham: Yes, sir
Nixon: Oh, boy. So do I. I can’t ever say that, but I believe it.
This isn’t exactly philo-Semitic stuff.
May 28th, 2010 | 10:44 am
As a member of the dying breed of pro-Israel liberal Jews, I’m fine with believing you. But I’m only marginally happier when people irrationally love Israel than irrationally hating it.
In the end, I wish there was more appreciation of how Israel took a historically downtrodden, improvished people and created a flourishing democracy in a region where such examples are thoroughly lacking.
May 28th, 2010 | 11:58 am
I appreciate this discussion. I am a Catholic. I have never understood the nature of the special affection evangelicals have for Jews. It strikes me as a bit irrational. This article and most of the comments are helpful. I am not a theologian. I have a basic understanding of the history and basis for the various strains of dispensationalism. To the extent I understand the theology behind these views, I respectfully disagree. It seems to me that Jews, like all others, are redeemed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, not through some separate covenant or through a special relationship with God unique to them. Also I have found no convincing basis in any part of the bible for the claim that the descendants of the ancient Jews today have a superior claim to a certain property in the middle east as opposed to any other group. Even during Old Testament times God did not always want the Jews inhabiting the promised land. How can we be sure he wants them there now? Can’t we leave this up to Him, rather than promoting a goal which may be inconsistent with His will? Also I don’t see how we can treat the geographic space of Israel as set aside for the Jews when it was promised to the decedents of Abraham, and Arabs are descendants of Abraham. Also as a Catholic and a Christian, I have a concern about humane treatment of all children of God, and I am against any human rights violations in the State of Israel regardless of who commits them or who they are committed against. I do not accept Zionism as an excuse for mistreatment or abuse of anyone. I reject the view that Jews should be allowed to take whatever action is necessary in pursuit of their providential claim to this real estate. Also I have a sense that many Palestinians affected by the State of Israel are Christians and may be descendants of the first converts to Christianity. I am particularly concerned about such individuals being mistreated in the birthplace of Christianity. These geopolitical questions should be resolved based on concerns of justice rather than based on what we think God wants today based on an Old Testament covenant.
May 28th, 2010 | 12:07 pm
I’m a Catholic who occasionally likes watching TBN and Daystar and I am always struck by how TV preachers like John Hagee will use the word religion as a epithet but then will cover themselves in a Jewish tallit and have life size mannequins dressed as temple priests in the background and are fascinated with the Jewish festivals. I wonder if, for at least some Christians, the attraction to Judaism isn’t a way for them to have a liturgical spirituality in a “low church” setting.
May 28th, 2010 | 5:29 pm
For my own account of evangelical Judeophilia, on the “Spengler” blog, see http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/spengler/2009/07/27/salvation-is-of-the-jews/ .
May 28th, 2010 | 6:44 pm
“Why do evangelicals love the Jews?” The answer is: “They don’t”. They love their own specious eschatologies, which just happen to involve the Jews.
May 28th, 2010 | 9:24 pm
Dear Feeney: That might be right; it seems right to me.
May 29th, 2010 | 8:31 pm
It’s called false consciousness, I think.
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