Portland Jews Brace for Assault by 'Jews for Jesus' (anti-Christian Bigotry Alert!)

Torah Atlanta ^ | 2002 | Paul Haist

[jstone78]

Portland Jews Brace for Assault by 'Jews for Jesus'

By Paul Haist, Jewish Review

Portland’s Jewish community has mobilized to resist a two-week assault by Jews for Jesus who will unleash a sizeable squad of trained proselytizers on the city at the beginning of June. A former Eugene rabbi who now specializes in combating Jews for Jesus returned to Oregon May 7 and 8 to help the Jewish community here prepare for the assault. The campaign is planned to coincide with the annual Portland Rose Festival when thousands of people will be on the streets and accessible by pamphleteers.

Rabbi Efraim Davidson is the director of Torah Atlanta, a counter-missionary group that serves the southeast United States. Davidson, who lives in Atlanta now, was a founder and the spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavas Torah in Eugene.

ANTI-'JEWS FOR JESUS' FLIER

The Jewish Federation of Portland and its Community Relations Committee have been aware for several months of JFJ plans to bring their crusade here now to take advantage of the large public gatherings that will occur during the Rose Festival.

Davidson said that the Portland campaign is part of a JFJ five-year program called “Behold Your God.” He has confronted similar JFJ campaigns in other cities, including Tampa, Fla., and Atlanta.

“Behold Your God,” is, according to Davidson, “a very well coordinated, multi-million-dollar campaign” focusing on 66 cities worldwide with Jewish populations of 25,000 or more.

He said that the Jews for Jesus use aggressive proselytizing to target disenfranchised or unaffiliated Jews, Russian immigrants and college students. He said their techniques are manipulative, deceptive and anti-Semitic.

Jews for Jesus have had some success in recent years. Davidson cited figures that show the group has grown from a mere seven U.S. congregations in 1975 to 478 today. There already are at least five so-called messianic congregations in Portland, according to the Web site www.missionportland.org, although Davidson identifies only three messianic congregations here.

Davidson added that in 1973 there were an estimated 10,000 born Jews in the United States who were practicing Christians. Today, 29 years later, he put that figure at about 250,000.

Davidson said the JFJ typically names a coordinator for a particular city that is part of its campaign plan. That person, who he identified as Sue Pearlman in Portland, does the groundwork for the upcoming campaign.

That groundwork includes, said Davidson, “hooking up with a messianic congregation and using it as the physical base for training.”

The coordinator also usually contacts local Baptist churches to recruit lay Christian volunteers. Davidson said the JFJ relies on the Baptists because they are “very motivated evangelicals.”

[ru4liberty]

What were religious Jews doing all day yesterday, that some noticed their conspicuous absence from the forum?

Through observance of the Commandments, repentance and prayer.

When were the blood sacrifices discontinued?

[Alouette]

When were the blood sacrifices discontinued?

When the Romans destroyed the Temple at Jerusalem (approx. 71 A.D.) Sacrifices can only be brought in the Temple. At that time the Rabbinical authority ruled that prayer would take the place of physical sacrifices.

[ru4liberty]

It would seem that if prayer alone was acceptable to God for the remission of sin, it was cruel for Him to require blood sacrifices in the first place.

[William Terrell]

It would seem that if prayer alone was acceptable to God for the remission of sin, it was cruel for Him to require blood sacrifices in the first place.

It would seem that sacrifices were originally ordained by the Rabbinical authority, the same "Rabbinical authority ruled that prayer would take the place of physical sacrifices."

Manmade laws and customs, they change like light and shadows on a cloudy day. I'd say that "through observance of the Commandments, repentance and prayer" was and is orgininally the root of it all.

Abraham instructed young Issac to pick the best beast to sacrifice, to give up to God, thereby proving a willingness to experience loss to worship His Holy name. And, none of this had to be done in a temple, another of man's arbitrary customs. I'd say that "Commandments, repentance and prayer" to most folks is a greater sacrifice in their lives today that a lamb or sheep at that time.

[pocat]

So, are you saying that Jews view Christians the same way that Christians view muslims (particularly here in present-day America)?

Generally speaking, that is. I'm getting that feeling from some of the comments on this thread.

Although I probably don't agree with some of the J4J group's evangelical techniques, at least they do it in what they believe is the most polite and compassionate way - unlike the muslim conversion traditions - by the sword. Your analogy is not very fair, unless the answer to my first question is "yes".

[William Terrell]

613 Mitzvot includes Temple sacrifices. From Torah; not Rabbinic.

Was not the Old Testament practices and prohibitions in Leviticus written by man according to Hebrew custom? And if they were ordained by God by being therein, how do Rabbinic authorities change them?

[DreamWeaver]

Bump

For later reading.

[John Lenin]

Sounds like a RAT trick to me.

[rdb3]

We can thank the KJV for bringing us the term "baptism." King James, because of the "sprinkle baptism" theology of the Anglican church, didn't want a literal translation of the Greek term of which "baptism" is basically a transliteration.

Interesting. Well, this particular Christian has never, does not, and will never believe in a "sprinkle baptism." In fact, I have never visited a Christian church where this was the method of baptism.

Since baptism is an example of dying and being risen again, sprinkle baptism doesn't hold to this notion at all. If one dies, he is buried. Therefore, the complete submersion of the body into the baptismal water. Then, he is raised from the "dead," which is the total coming out of the baptismal water.

I'd be interested in knowing which Christian denomination(s) you are referring to here.

[rdb3]

They are Christians, but believe that Mohammed superseded everything the Christians hold dear, so that the Christians need to accept Mohammed's teachings, or burn for an eternity in Hell.

"Christians" for Mohammed may use the name "Christian," but they are far from Christ if they state what you mentioned as an article of faith. And, no, they are not even Christians, I don't care what they call themselves.

CfM is about as "Christian" as the Ku Klux Klan was/is.

No, and I mean NO regenerate (born again) believer in Christ would even form his or her mouth to say such a thing.

Heresy, thy name is "Christians" for Mohammed.

[rdb3]

With the ultimate goal of hastening The End, no doubt. You do realise that this is an important, but little-advertised reason for our ardent support of Israel?Not the only reason for sure, but it's certainly there. It's certainly the only use some so-called "Christians" have for Jews - cannon fodder for the Apocalypse.

If there are Christians who believe this way, they sure are odd.

And this goes directly against what the Word tells us. The day and hour of Christ's return is known to no man. Also, it's the grandest form of chutzpah to think that mortal man can "force" the hand of the Almighty Father.

Now that's a trip.

As for me, and my strong stance with Zion, I do so because it is the right thing to do according to the Scriptures. The Father told Abraham that He would bless those who blessed him (through his seed of promise which was Isaac, not Ishmael, then Jacob who became Israel), and curse those who cursed him. The Father also said that through Abraham would all the families of the earth would be blessed.

I believe what the Father said here, verbatim.

Lastly, I look at Psalms 122:6 where we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

No "end times" prophecy here. It's not needed. Christ will move when it's His Time.

[rdb3]

All the people who think "Jews for Jesus" are such a bunch of great guys, how would they feel if a group calling itself "Christians for Mohammed" targeted all their churches for conversion to Islam?

How would I feel? I'd tell them the same thing I tell Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and the Nation of Islam: No, thank you.

[rdb3]

(note to self - why am I engaging in a disputation with a Lost Tribe acolyte...

Good question.

[babble-on]

That was just a hypothetical example, there is no such group, but your reaction is exactly what we Jews think of the Jews for Jesus. They are Christians, which is a perfectly fine thing to be, but in order to insinuate themselves they call themselves Jews, which they simply are not. They are a mislabelled faith.