Rabbi warns: Some Christians are attempting to convert Jews

PJ Star.Com (Journal Star) ^ | April 1, 2003 | Sarah Okeson

[ComtedeMaistre]

Rabbi warns: Some Christians are attempting to convert Jews

Speaker says congregations should watch out for Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God

April 1, 2003

By SARAH OKESON of the Journal Star

PEORIA - Jews believing in Jesus as savior, says Rabbi Michael Cook, makes about as much sense as an International Society of Vegetarians for Meat.

"How can you eat meat and still be a vegetarian?" Cook asked.

Cook, perhaps the only rabbi in the United States with a Ph.D. in the New Testament, talked to about 60 people Monday at the synagogue shared by the two Jewish congregations in Peoria.

Cook, a professor at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, said some Christian denominations have stepped up their efforts to convert Jews in the belief it will help bring about the second coming of Christ.

"They believe the only way that glorious end of the world can happen is if enough Jews move to Israel first or accept Jesus," Cook said.

He predicted Jews have about three more decades of strenuous conversion efforts to suffer through because the last time this happened - after the first millennium - efforts to convert Jews didn’t die out until 1035.

"We have 32 years of missionary fervor to get through," Cook said.

In the meantime, Cook ran through a list of believers to watch out for including Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God, Jews for Jesus and Messianic Jews.

He said Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God are sometimes misleading in their efforts to convert Jews and that Jews for Jesus was founded by a Baptist minister.

"Their big desire is to convert Jews without Jews knowing they are leaving the Jewish fold," Cook said of Jews for Jesus.

The rabbi said Catholics and liberal Protestants stopped trying to convert Jews after the Holocaust and said Jews had a convenant with God and didn’t need to worry about being saved.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

12 tribes, 12 disciples, etc. A number that appears often when God "chooses" something, considered with 3, 7, and 40 to be the "perfect" numbers.

[Quix]

WELL SAID IMHO.

[FITZ]

Blast it man, that's what evangelical christianity is supposed to do!!!!!!!!

I guess when you look at how some other religions have converted people --now or in the past, the evangelicals seem quite tame. They don't really torture anyone. Mostly they just invite people into their group and try to convince them once they're there. You can decline the invite or you can go and see what it's about but still make up your own mind.

[Quix]

I do think

God is OFTEN

LIBERAL *AND* SYMBOLIC

ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

[ApesForEvolution]

The opportunity to sit and listen to messianic Jews is a rare treat.

[F16Fighter]

"Give me a break! Let's throw a few imams in your neighborhood and try to convert a few Christians to Islam. I'ld like to see YOUR reaction then."

And of course, the legacy of our Founding Fathers, AND the promotion of religious tolerance was founded by Muslims?? Your analogy fall flat, pardner.

Quite frankly, if NOT for a bunch of Protestants from England -- NOT Catholics, Muslims, NOR Jews -- the system of liberty we ALL enjoy today would not have come to fruition in the first place.

BTW -- HEY, WELCOME TO AMERICA -- the land of FREE SPEECH and choice to REJECT the message of those you desire to censor.

[Quix]

The balanced, sane, healthy, good, kind, loving Believers do so.

Actually, I think the wiser ones Love people into the Kingdom and THEN invite them to a group.

AND they realize that someone persuaded against their will is of the same opinion still.


AND PERSONALLY,

At some point, I'm not satisfied until the individual

HAS BEGUN TO HEAR GOD THEMSELVES AND FOUND GOD REAL IN THE NITTY GRITTY OF *THEIR* DAILY LIVES IN PRACTICAL, MIRACULOUS WAYS.

[DensaMensa]

}I'm not too sure that the Scripture really says what tribe each one came from.

Years ago I chased that down and think I found all but maybe one or two. Should have kept that list. {ggg}. Found the preponderance of Benjamites among the Apostles to be interesting, but never quite knew what to make of it.

[BrooklynGOP]

And of course, the legacy of our Founding Fathers, AND the promotion of religious tolerance was founded by Muslims?? Your analogy fall flat, pardner.

You missed my point.

[Gurn]

Very true. One of my dearest friends is a Jew, the son of a Holocaust survivor. He's also a political advisor to Bibi Netanyahu (whom I got to meet once -- shameless name-drop there.)

He, like many Zionist Jews, knows that the best friends they have are found in Evangelical congregations.

And forget whatever motive or conspricacy theory you ascribe to for the moment: I would challenge any Jew to find supporters of Jews and Israel in any greater number than conservative Christians.

They can't do it.

I just wish all of them realized it's out of love.

[ApesForEvolution]

This man would make a great Pharisee...or is that Sadyousee?

[F16Fighter]

"I am just thankful I upped my donation to Jews for Judaism."

Gee, I hope you won't mind my jacking up MY donation to 'Jews For Jesus.'

[Bella_Bru]

Of course not.

[DensaMensa]

}Of course, by that point in history, the relevance of that data was not exactly critical; seeing tht He was taking a people for Himself from every tribe and tongue.

I'm not sure I agree with that negative assessment. The use of Apostles from different tribes, mostly Benjamites, not Judahites, may have been part of some broader plan.

[HiTech RedNeck]

With insults and denigration.

Christians who are getting dissed for doing something Christian, are doing something right.

[Auntie Dem]

God is OFTEN LIBERAL *AND* SYMBOLIC ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

Say it isn't so! God would never be a liberal!

However, the Bible is often literal and symbolic.

[F16Fighter]

"You missed my point."

No, I didn't, but you missed my point.

[power2]

...It is HUMAN to have emotions--even strong ones. It's more of a hazardous aberration to be without them--certainly psychologically--but also in my experience sociologically and philosophically.

I agree totally that having emotions is human, being "emotional" is normal, and in many cases having these emotions is good. However, in some cases, acting on emotions is bad. Feeling grief for the loss of a loved one is good, feeling love for a spouse is good, etc.. However, wanting to "sleep" with a girlfriend your in love with and attracted to is bad. But yet, emotionally, it "feels" like it is the right thing to do; it "feels" right. Letting "emotions" run your spiritual life is wrong, and dangerous. As I think you would agree, Satan can tempt us through our emotions.

"Truth" is truth, whether I "feel" it or not. Pre-Marital sex is wrong, whether I "feel" it or not. Killing a Jew is wrong, whether I "feel" it or not.

IMHO

[Mo1]

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