The JT News - Voice of Jewish Washington, Seattle
March 2, 2007
Viewpoints, page 3
Conversion Overlooked
It’s “interesting” that the JT News editors would print a front-page article about fundraising by evangelical Christians “friends of Israel” without once mentioning the unprecedented success these Christian leaders, churches and organizations have in converting Jewish youth and young adults to Christianity (“Christians unite – for Israel,” Feb. 16).
Shalom (hello!) Christian gelt and shalom (goodbye!) Jewish young people!
Many of us in Seattle’s Jewish community wish for balanced coverage of news stories pertinent to our diverse theological, political, Israeli, Mideast and social-welfare concerns. By failing to present balanced reporting on such an incendiary topic as this, what kind of journalism is this? It is as prejudicial and one-sided as liberals and progressives think of when they hear Fox TV news and right-wing “Israel right or wrong” types perceive about BBC news.
Of Rabbi Lapin of Mercer Island: he should decide if he’s a Jew or a Christian. Even though his church brethren fervently believe one can be a Jew and a Christian, Jewish perspectives say otherwise. Where does Lapin stand? America’s Jews would love to know and he’s right here in Mercer Island!
If he’s a Christian, he can follow the role model of his colleague Archbishop “Aharon” Lustiger of Paris. A self-described “Completed Jew,” at one point in his career Lustiger left the church, went to Israel and soul-searched his faith. Returning to France, he resumed the priesthood to become the most powerful Catholic clergyman there.
The relevant question for JT News readers is why any Jews, rabbis among them, would believe it’s great for “convert the Jews” Christians to give millions of dollars to Israel while “conveniently overlooking” the huge success these churches have now in converting us from the faith of our our parents, grandparents and those who preceded them.
If Lapin and his Christian minister friends have their way, Israel (and America, Canada, Britain et al) in a few years hence will have thousands fewer Jews. Where will they go? There will be more Jews than ever worshiping “Yeshua” in Christian church-run “Messianic synagogues.” Other converted Jews will worship as Christians in evangelical, Lutheran, and other mainstream churches whose main theological mission is converting Jews.
In an article Elie Wiesel wrote for Parade magazine in 1996, he said “No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.”
If we in the Jewish communities were to raise an amount of money equivalent to that raised by Lapin’s Christian friends “for Israel,” does anyone truly believe we could “buy back all the Jewish youth” (in the Diaspora and in Israel) who are victimized and fall prey to CUFI, Jews for Jesus, Trinity Broadcasting, Christian Friends of Israel UK and worldwide, Promise Keepers, the Southern Baptist Convention, and all the other church groups that are so successfully targeting us?
Akiva Segan
Seattle