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'''Jews for Jesus''' is a [[Christian]] [[Evangelism|evangelical]] organization based in [[San Francisco]], [[California]], whose goal is to [[religious conversion|convince]] [[Jew]]s that [[Jesus]] is the [[Messiah]] and [[God]]. It also promotes awareness of the Jewish roots and heritage of the Christian faith to non-Jewish Christians. While ''Jews for Jesus'' says that its followers are "living out their Jewishness" <ref name=judaica>http://www.jewsforjesus.org/judaica Jews for Jesus - judaica</ref> and self-identifies as Jewish, <ref>http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/NEWS02/607160324/1018 The Journal News, "Jews for Jesus spread spiritual message in region"</ref> all [[Jewish denominations]],<ref>*"There is virtual unanimity across all denominations [of [[Judaism]]] that Jews for Jesus are not Jewish." (Kaplan, Dana Evan. ''The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism'', Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, pp. 139-140).</ref>Jewish groups,
'''Jews for Jesus''' is an [[Evangelism|evangelical]] organization--vastly considered [[Christianity|Christian]] (even by themselves)--based in [[San Francisco]], [[California]], whose goal is to [[religious conversion|convince]] [[Jew]]s that [[Jesus]] is the [[Messiah]] and [[God]]. It also promotes awareness of the Jewish roots and heritage of the Christian faith to non-Jewish Christians. While ''Jews for Jesus'' says that its followers are "living out their Jewishness" <ref name=judaica>http://www.jewsforjesus.org/judaica Jews for Jesus - judaica</ref> and self-identifies as Jewish, <ref>http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/NEWS02/607160324/1018 The Journal News, "Jews for Jesus spread spiritual message in region"</ref> all [[Jewish denominations]],<ref>*"There is virtual unanimity across all denominations [of [[Judaism]]] that Jews for Jesus are not Jewish." (Kaplan, Dana Evan. ''The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism'', Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, pp. 139-140).</ref>Jewish groups,
<ref>Jewish groups:
<ref>Jewish groups:
*"For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. Jews for Jesus and other Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews". (Kaplan, Dana Evan. ''The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism'', Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, p. 9).
*"For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. Jews for Jesus and other Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews". (Kaplan, Dana Evan. ''The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism'', Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, p. 9).
Line 32: Line 33:


==Beliefs==
==Beliefs==
{{Christianity}}


A summary of ''Jews for Jesus''' beliefs, according to an article on Jews for Jesus by B. Robinson of [[Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance]],
A summary of ''Jews for Jesus''' beliefs, according to an article on Jews for Jesus by B. Robinson of [[Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance]],

Revision as of 22:27, 27 September 2006

Template:TotallyDisputed

Jews for Jesus is an evangelical organization--vastly considered Christian (even by themselves)--based in San Francisco, California, whose goal is to convince Jews that Jesus is the Messiah and God. It also promotes awareness of the Jewish roots and heritage of the Christian faith to non-Jewish Christians. While Jews for Jesus says that its followers are "living out their Jewishness" [1] and self-identifies as Jewish, [2] all Jewish denominations,[3]Jewish groups, [4] national Jewish organizations, [5] the State of Israel, [6] and many others disagree and regard the group as Christian. [7][8][9][10]

Beliefs

A summary of Jews for Jesus' beliefs, according to an article on Jews for Jesus by B. Robinson of Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance,

Their doctrinal statement[11] is basically indistinguishable from Evangelical and other conservative Christian groups. It includes the following beliefs:

  • in the divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Old and New Testaments, as originally written.
  • God the creator exists as a Trinity, is perfect, all wise, all powerful and all loving.
  • Jesus is the Messiah, the second person of the Trinity, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for the sins of all humanity, rose again, and is co-equal with God. Jesus will return to earth in the near future.
  • People are saved through a belief in Jesus as savior and an acknowledgment of their sins; not by their achievements.
  • Heaven is a reward for those who are saved; Hell is a place of "everlasting conscious punishment" for the vast majority of humanity.

They differ from some Evangelical Christian groups in their belief that Israel continues to exist as a chosen people. They also integrate some Jewish customs and use Hebrew and Yiddish in some literature.[8]

Incompatibility with Judaism

One of the most important Jewish principles of faith is the belief in one God and one God only with no partnership of any kind, and all mainstream Jewish organizations and denominations therefore consider it impossible to profess Judaism and also believe in the divinity of Jesus.[12] [13] [14] [15]In his book A History of the Jews, Paul Johnson describes the schism between Jews and Christians caused by a divergence from this principle:

To the question, Was Jesus God or man?, the Christians therefore answered: both. After 70 AD, their answer was unanimous and increasingly emphatic. This made a complete breach with Judaism inevitable.[16]

Jews for Jesus believes it is entirely compatible with the view of God presented in Jewish scriptures.[17] Jews for Jesus believe that the doctrine of the Trinity, fundamental to the Christian faith, is not entirely alien to Judaism: "While it is true that the Old Testament portion of Scripture does not present as clear a picture of the three-in-one/one-as-three Godhead, there are indications of the plurality of the Godhead in the Hebrew Scriptures." [18]

According to Rabbinic Judaism, these "indications" are based on mistranslations [19] [20] and the vision of God as a compound unity is a deviation from monotheism and therefore is rejected. [21] [22] [23]

America's Religions. An Educator's Guide to Beliefs and Practices contains "[a] note about Jews for Jesus, Messianic Jews, Hebrew Christians, and similar groups: Jews in these groups who have converted to Christianity but continue to observe various Jewish practices are no longer considered part of the Jewish community in the usual sense." [24]

Core values

Jews for Jesus describes its core values in the following way:

We commit to:

  • Direct Jewish evangelism as our priority
  • An apostolic lifestyle of availability, vulnerability and mobility
  • Striving for excellence in all that we do
  • Deploying only front-line missionaries who are Jewish or married to Jews
  • Principle-based operations and practice
  • Accountability to our mission family and the body of Messiah
  • Integrity and faithfulness
  • Creativity in our staff
  • Stepping out in courageous faith and taking risks for God. [25]

Understanding that we:

  • are under the authority of God and His word
  • desire to honor Messiah Y'shua and
  • are dependent upon the enabling power of the Holy Spirit

Leadership, funding and outreach

The organization was founded under the name Hineni Ministries in 1973 by Moishe Rosen, an ordained Baptist minister[26] who was born Jewish but converted to Christianity at 17. [27] Rosen remained its executive director until May of 1996 when he was replaced by David Brickner, [8] who, though having some Jewish ancestry, is not Jewish according to Jewish Law. [28]

The group's financial support largely comes from a variety of Christian churches, "a number of Bible schools, and individual Christian donations..." It has "a full-time staff of 150 employees running branch offices in nine cities across the United States.[8] There are also branch offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada (Montreal, Toronto), France, Germany, Israel, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Ukraine (Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Kiev, Odessa). In addition to English language, the group runs websites in Hungarian, Persian, Italian, Spanish, and Korean languages. [29]

According to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, the group's total income in FY 2005 was $17,523,386. [9]

Aims and organization

Jews for Jesus' official mission statement is "to make the Messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide." They claim that belief in Jesus as Messiah is a fulfillment of the prophecies of Hebrew scripture. Rosen argues that Christianity is the fulfillment of scriptures. Through media advertisements, production and distribution of literature, producing music and organizing person-to-person evangelism, the organization asserts that "a specifically Jewish mission" is necessary, as "Jewish people tend to dismiss evangelistic methods and materials that are couched in Christian lingo, because they reinforce the assumption that Jesus is for 'them' not 'us.'"[30]

Jews for Jesus also seeks to educate non-Jewish Christians regarding Jewish culture and beliefs, and especially the Jewish heritage of the Christian faith. Their website contains brief descriptions of Jewish festivals,[1] and also runs programs for non-Jewish Christians explaining the significance of Passover, Tabernacles and Hannukkah, explaining messianic elements and how they believe they are related to Jesus.

Methods of evangelizing

Large mailings and pamphleteering are the main methods used by Jews for Jesus. The organization uses colorful pamphlets and T-shirts to get their message across and is known for targeting vulnerable populations of Jews, such as immigrants, college students, senior citizens and interfaith couples. Evangelists are trained to recite phrases from the Hebrew Bible and to use Yiddish words in order to convince potential converts that Jews for Jesus maintain Jewish traditions. [27] [31]

Membership

Statistics of membership numbers for the Jews for Jesus movement are not known. Since those born as gentiles are active in the movement, having established it and continue to fund it, the true number of people who are known to have been born Jewish and have become full-fledged members of the movement is unknown.

Stan Telchin, formerly associated with Jews for Jesus, wrote in Messianic Judaism is not Christianity:A Loving Call to Unity [32] that 80 percent of those who attend Messianic Synagogues are not Jewish. An official figure quoted to counter it pegged the number at 50 percent.

Opposition and criticism

Jewish opposition

All mainstream Jewish groups oppose Jews for Jesus and many see its proselytizing activities as a thinly-veiled attack on Judaism. [13] [14] [15] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39]

In 1993, the Task Force on Missionaries and Cults of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY) issued a statement which has been endorsed by the four major Jewish denominations: Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations. [5] Based on this statement, the Spiritual Deception Prevention Project at the JCRCNY stated:

On several occasions leaders of the four major Jewish movements have signed on to joint statements opposing Hebrew-Christian theology and tactics. In part they said: "Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not ... It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance ... as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism ... Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people. They have crossed an unbridgeable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former co-religionists."

[40]

The director of a counter-missionary group Torah Atlanta Rabbi Efraim Davidson stated that "the Jews for Jesus use aggressive proselytizing to target disenfranchised or unaffiliated Jews, Russian immigrants and college students" and that "their techniques are manipulative, deceptive and anti-Semitic." [41]

In his 1997 book The Vanishing American Jew: In Search of Jewish Identity for the Next Century Alan Dershowitz wrote: "In America, and in other nations that separate church from state, one's Jewishness is a matter of self-definition ..." but notes: "I do not mean to include former Jews who practice Christianity under the deliberately misleading name Jews for Jesus. A Jew for Jesus already has a name: a Christian." [42]

The author of the book Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History David Klinghoffer expressed his concern in The Jewish Journal: "When Jews accept Jesus, they marry other Christians or their children do, thus disappearing into the Christian population." [28]

Concerning Christian-Jewish reconciliation and Christian missions to the Jews, Emil Fackenheim wrote:

"... Except in relations with Christians, the Christ of Christianity is not a Jewish issue. There simply can be no dialogue worthy of the name unless Christians accept — nay, treasure — the fact that Jews through the two millennia of Christianity have had an agenda of their own. There can be no Jewish-Christian dialogue worthy of the name unless one Christian activity is abandoned, missions to the Jews. It must be abandoned, moreover, not as a temporary strategy but in principle, as a bimillennial theological mistake. The cost of that mistake in Christian love and Jewish blood one hesitates to contemplate. ... A post-Holocaust Jew can still view Christian attempts to convert Jews as sincere and well intended. But even as such they are no longer acceptable: They have become attempts to do in one way what Hitler did in another."

[43]

Christian opposition

Some Christian churches see Jewish religious practice as valid in and of itself and thus object to evangelizing Jews. [36] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48]

The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, an umbrella organization that includes Muslims, Jews, and church groups from the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches, has condemned Jews for Jesus as promoting activities "harmful to the spirit of interreligious respect and tolerance." The conference is also opposed to religious proselytizing in general. The conference also denounces the group's "deceptive proselytizing efforts", stating that when practiced on "vulnerable populations" such as the young or the elderly, these efforts are "tantamount to coerced conversions." [36] The Rev. Clark Lobenstine, a Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister and executive director of the Conference, has stated that his group condemns Jews for Jesus and other messianic Jewish groups by name because they "go beyond the bounds of appropriate and ethically based religious outreach." [49] Rick Ross, a self-declared "cult expert", has been critical of the organization as well and has included them on his website. [50]

The Board of Governors of The Long Island Council of Churches, a group that is opposed to proselytizing of Jews in general, voiced similar sentiments in a statement that "noted with alarm" the "subterfuge and dishonesty" inherent in the "mixing [of] religious symbols in ways which distort their essential meaning", and named Jews for Jesus as one of the three groups about whom such behavior was alleged. [36]

Roman Catholic leaders have also spoken out against singling out Jews for conversion. In August 2002, the U.S. Bishops Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious affairs declared that the "evangelizing task no longer includes the wish to absorb the Jewish faith into Christianity and so end the distinctive witness of Jews to God in human history. Thus, while the Catholic Church regards the saving act of Christ as central to the process of human salvation for all, it also acknowledges that Jews already dwell in a saving covenant with God. ... The distinctive Jewish witness must be sustained if Catholics and Jews are truly to be, as Pope John Paul II has envisioned, “a blessing to one another.”" [51] The Pope spoke out against targeting Jews for conversion in 1996.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with Jewry, stated in November 2002: "This does not mean that Jews in order to be saved have to become Christians; if they follow their own conscience and believe in God’s promises as they understand them in their religious tradition, they are in line with God’s plan, which for us came to its historical completion in Jesus Christ." [52]

Christian denominations that have issued statements criticizing evangelism of Jews include the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church USA, which said in 1988 that Jews have their own covenant with God. [53]

Support

Jews for Jesus defends its actions against these charges, stating:

"If a person believes the Bible and believes that Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:9,10) and then that person declines to tell a Jewish friend about Christ, it indicates one of two things. Either that person has decided that the Jews are not worthy of the gospel, in which case he would be a racist, an anti-Semite and a hater of people instead of the lover of people that God wants him to be. Or perhaps he has judged the gospel as being unworthy of the Jews in which case he has trivialized the passion of Calvary and the awesome significance of Christ's resurrection."

[54]

Jews for Jesus is a member of numerous evangelical Christian groups: The World Evangelical Alliance, [55] Canadian Council for Christian Charities, [55] Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association, [55] [56] Evangelical Alliance of Great Britain, [55] the National Association of Evangelicals, [55] [57] the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, [55] [9] Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism, [55] the Internet Evangelism Coalition, the World Evangelical Fellowship, the Evangelical Federation of France, [55] the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, [58] and the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa. [55]

Jews for Jesus also notes the lack of consensus on many issues in Judaism, and claims that due to the seemingly unusual assuredness of most Jewish groups that Jews for Jesus' beliefs are incompatible with Judaism, that this represents a double standard. [59]

Litigations

1987 - Jews for Jesus sues for freedom of speech

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jews for Jesus in a 1987 suit it filed against the municipal agency in charge of Los Angeles International Airport that had barred the group from distributing leaflets at the airport as part of a larger ban on what they described as "First Amendment activities." Jews for Jesus challenged the airport's right to institute such a sweeping ban. [6]

1992 - Jews for Jesus sues for civil rights violations

In 1992 New York Supreme Court ruled against Jews for Jesus in a suit the organization brought against the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY), an umbrella group representing 60 Jewish agencies in the metropolitan New York area. The case addressed the JCRCNY's 1985 warning to Long Island rabbis that Jews for Jesus was seeking a venue to conduct a Passover seder. Jews for Jesus sued the JCRCNY for violating its civil rights; the decision upheld a lower court ruling that the JCRCNY communication did not "go beyond the proposal stage" and that there was no evidence that any of the Long Island rabbis had actually contacted establishments for the purpose of discriminating against Jews for Jesus.

In a 1992 lawsuit brought by Jews for Jesus against the JCRCNY, a United States Court of Appeals ruled that the efforts of the JCRCNY urging Jewish organizations not to patronize a New York country club because it allowed Jews for Jesus to hold its annual convention on its premises were not protected as an exercise of the JCRC's First Amendment rights. [6]

1993 - Israel refuses citizenship to couple affiliated with Jews for Jesus

In 1993 the Supreme Court of Israel, in a case involving a couple affiliated with Jews for Jesus, ruled that Jews who adhere to the Christian beliefs are regarded by Israeli law as "members of a different faith," and are not eligible for the automatic citizenship that Israel grants Jews. In its summary of the ruling, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the belief that Jesus is the Messiah "cannot be reconciled with Judaism" and "marks the clear separation between Judaism and Christianity." [6]

1998 and 2005 - Misuse of Jews for Jesus name online

Jews for Jesus has been involved in litigation regarding Internet use of its name. In 1998 they sued Steven Brodsky for cybersquatting for registering the domain name jewsforjesus.org to use for a site criticizing the organization; [6] the domain now belongs to Jews for Jesus and is used for their main site.

In 2005 Jews for Jesus sued [60] Google for allowing a Blogspot user to put up a site at the third-level subdomain jewsforjesus.blogspot.com. That lawsuit appears to have settled, as the blog now is operated by Jews for Jesus.

2006 - Jewish comedian sues Jews for Jesus for misusing his name

In 2006, comedian and actor Jackie Mason filed a lawsuit against Jews for Jesus, alleging that they unlawfully distributed a pamphlet which used his name and likeness in a way that suggested he was a member of the group. In fact, Mason is a member of the Jewish faith and not associated with Jews for Jesus. [61] Jews for Jesus has issued a detailed response to the allegation on their website. [62]

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.jewsforjesus.org/judaica Jews for Jesus - judaica Cite error: The named reference "judaica" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/NEWS02/607160324/1018 The Journal News, "Jews for Jesus spread spiritual message in region"
  3. ^ *"There is virtual unanimity across all denominations [of Judaism] that Jews for Jesus are not Jewish." (Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, pp. 139-140).
  4. ^ Jewish groups:
    • "For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. Jews for Jesus and other Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews". (Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, p. 9).
    • "To make the record clear, Jews for Jesus is a Christian missionary organization – period." Jews for Jesus: Jewish or Christian? You Decide, Jews for Judaism website, retrieved September 11, 2006.
    • "Messianic Jewish organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, often refer to their faith as fulfilled Judaism, in that they believe Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. Although Messianic Judaism claims to be Jewish, and many adherents observe Jewish holidays, most Jews regard Messianic Judaism as deceptive at best, fraudulent at worst. They charge that Messianic Judaism is actually Christianity presenting itself as Judaism." (Balmer, Randall. Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, Baylor University Press, Nov 2004, p. 448).
    • "I do not seek, of course, covertly (as sometimes Jews for Jesus do) or overtly, to convert myself, or any other Jew to Christianity..." (Boyarin, Daniel. Border Lines: The Partition of Judaeo-Christianity, University of Pennsylvania Press, Jul 2004, p. xii).
    • "Certain Christian missionary groups have now set up a front organization called "Jews for Jesus," through which they entice naive Jews to Christianity..." (Stolper, Pinchas. "Was Jesus The Messiah? Let's Examine The Facts", in Kaplan, Aryeh. Aryeh Kaplan Anthology: Volume 1, Mesorah Publications, Aug 1991, p. 293).
    • "Even as I write, I fear that Christian missionaries or, even more insidiously, Jews for Jesus—people who (unlike the redeeming avante-garde of Christianity) believe that Judaism is superseded, and Jewish have no right to exist as Jews any more—will misuse my words. These people, who believe that Christianity has taken over Judaism like some succubus that must now govern the behavior of its host body, seek to abolish the Jewish religion." (Greenberg, Irving. For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter Between Judaism and Christianity, The Jewish Publication Society, Oct 2004, p. 97).
    • "It should now be clear to you why Jews have such a problem with 'Jews for Jesus' or other presentations of Messianic Judaism. I have no difficulty with Christianity. I even accept those Christians who would want me to convert to Christianity so long as they don't use coercion or duplicity and are willing to listen in good faith to my reasons for being Jewish. I do have a major problem with those Christians who would try to mislead me and other Jews into believing that one can be both Jewish and Christian." (Lotker, Michael. A Christian's Guide to Judaism, Paulist Press, Mar 2004, p. 35).
    • "Evangelical Christians are engaged in aggressive and extensive missionary activity among Jews. Among other results, this has given rise to groups of 'messianic Jews', of which 'Jews for Jesus' is the most outstanding example. These are actually Jews who have adopted the evangelical Protestant faith and its precepts." (Wistrich, Robert, Terms of Survival, Routledge (UK), Mar 1995, p. 343).
    • "Messianic Judaism is a Christian movement that began in the 1970s combining a mixture of Jewish ritual and Christianity. There are a vast and growing numbers of these groups, and they differ in how much Jewish ritual is mixed with conventional Christian belief. One end of the spectrum is represented by Jews For Jesus, who simply target Jews for conversion to Christianity using imitations of Jewish ritual solely as a ruse for attracting the potential Jewish converts. On the other end are those who don't stress the divinity of Jesus, but present him as the 'Messiah.'" "Messiah Truth. Messianic Judaism: A Christian Missionary Movement".
  5. ^ a b Meeting the Challenge: Hebrew Christians and the Jewish Community Template:PDFlink by Lawrence H. Schiffman
  6. ^ a b c d e Legal Cases Involving Jews for Jesus (ADL)
  7. ^ Others who do not recognize the Jews for Jesus as a Jewish group:
    • "Today, many evangelical Christian-Protestant groups are spending between 100,000,000 and 150,000,000 dollars a year to transform Jews into Christians. The best known of these organization is Jews for Jesus...". (Berkley, E. George. Jews, Branden Books, Feb 1997, p. 129).
    • "Thirdly, there is Jews for Jesus or, more generally, Messianic Judaism. This is a movement of people often of Jewish background who have come to believe Jesus is the expected Jewish messiah... They often have congregations independent of other churches and specifically target Jews for conversion to their form of Christianity." (Harries, Richard. After the Evil: Christianity and Judaism in the Shadow of the Holocaust, Oxford University Press, Aug 2003, p. 119.)
    • "...Jews for Jesus (Jews converted to 'born again' Christianity who are seeking to make more such converts...". (Marty, Martin E. When Faiths Collide, Blackwell Publishing, Jan 2005, p. 35).
    • "Jews for Jesus, the leading organization dedicated to converting Jews to Christianity, has long been a concern because of its aggressive proselytizing with a deceptive message: that Jews who accept Jesus as the son of God and their savior remain Jewish." Jews for Jesus: Targeting Jews for Conversion with Subterfuge and Deception, Anti-Defamation League, August 27, 2004, retrived September 11, 2006.
    • "Jews for Jesus is a sect of a very different nature. This group... has a sole motivational goal of converting Jews to Christianity." Fogel, Keith and Marian E. Conversos of the Americas, Xlibris Corporation, Apr 2004, p. 169).
  8. ^ a b c d Robinson, B. Messianic Judaism. Jews for Jesus, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, October 29, 2001.
  9. ^ a b c Jews for Jesus. Financial information for FY2003-2005 (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)
  10. ^ Ex-Jews for Jesus:
  11. ^ Statement of Faith (Jews for Jesus) written January 1, 2005
  12. ^ "For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. Jews for Jesus and other Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews". (Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, p. 9).
  13. ^ a b This July, Hebrew-Christian groups such as Jews for Jesus will work to convert Jews to another religion. The Jewish Response to Missionaries (NY Board of Rabbis)
  14. ^ a b Judaism and Jesus Don't Mix (foundationstone.com)
  15. ^ a b Jews believe that "Jews for Jesus," "Messianic Jews," and "Hebrew Christians" are no longer Jews, even if they were once Jews (whatjewsbelieve.org)
  16. ^ Johnson, Paul (1987). A History of the Jews. HarperCollins. pp. p.144. ISBN 0060915331. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  17. ^ http://www.jewsforjesus.org/answers/theology/believeinthreegods
  18. ^ The Trinity in the Old Testament by Catherine Damato. (Jews for Jesus) June 1, 1987
  19. ^ Why did the majority of the Jewish world reject Jesus as the Messiah, and why did the first Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah? by Rabbi Shraga Simmons (about.com)
  20. ^ Michoel Drazin (1990). Their Hollow Inheritance. A Comprehensive Refutation of Christian Missionaries. Gefen Publishing House, Ltd. ISBN 965-229-070-X.
  21. ^ Response - Reference Center - FAQ - Proof Texts - Trinity (Jews for Judaism)
  22. ^ The Trinity in the Shema? by Rabbi Singer (outreachjudaism.org)
  23. ^ The Doctrine of the Trinity (religionfacts.com)
  24. ^ Benjamin Hubbard (1997). America's Religions. An Educator's Guide to Beliefs and Practices. Teacher Ideas Press, a Division of Libraries Unlimited. pp. p.100. ISBN 1-56308-469-4. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Core values (Jews for Jesus) January 1, 2005
  26. ^ http://torahatlanta.com/articles/The%20Real%20Jews%20For%20Jesus.htm "The Real Jews for Jesus" By Jason Levinson (Torah Atlanta)
  27. ^ a b Jews for Jesus: Targeting Jews for Conversion with Subterfuge and Deception. Methods (Anti-Defamation League)
  28. ^ a b A Tenuous Claim as a Jew for Jesus by David Klinghoffer. (The Jewish Journal) 2006-03-3
  29. ^ About Us (Jews for Jesus)
  30. ^ What We Do (Jews for Jesus)
  31. ^ Jews for Jesus by Stephanie Persin (Jewish Virtual Library)
  32. ^ Book Claiming Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity Stirs Controversy By Nancy Justice (February 2005 Issue of Charisma Magazine)
  33. ^ A Special Place in Hell. Why 'Jews for Jesus' is evil By Bradley Burston (Haaretz)
  34. ^ When converting a Jew to Christ By Bradley Burston (Haaretz) May 31, 2006
  35. ^ Jews for Jesus offend Jews and Christians By Ethan Frenchman and Seth Mayer (Chicago Maroon, University of Chicago) October 3, 2005
  36. ^ a b c d Jews for Jesus: Targeting Jews for Conversion with Subterfuge and Deception. Christian Response to Jews for Jesus (ADL)
  37. ^ Can a Jew believe in Jesus? By Aron Moss (Chabad. Judaism 101)
  38. ^ Presbyterians target Jews by Eric J. Greenberg (New York Jewish Week) October 24, 2003
  39. ^ Outreach Judaism Responds to Jews for Jesus
  40. ^ Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrew-Christian Missionaries & "Jews for Jesus" Template:PDFlink Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Spiritual Deception Prevention Project
  41. ^ Portland Jews Brace for Assault by 'Jews for Jesus' By Paul Haist (Jewish Review) May 15, 2002
  42. ^ Dershowitz, Alan (1997). The Vanishing American Jew: In Search of Jewish Identity for the Next Century. Little, Brown; 1st ed. pp. p.324. ISBN 0316181331. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  43. ^ Fackenheim, Emil (1987). What is Judaism? An Interpretation for the Present Age. Summit Books. pp. p.249. ISBN 0671462431. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  44. ^ Should Christians Attempt to Evangelize Jews? Israel's Covenant with God Remains Valid by Allan R. Brockway
  45. ^ Policies of mainline and liberal Christians towards proselytizing Jews (religioustolerance.org)
  46. ^ What about Christian Jews or Jewish Christians? by Fritz Voll (International Council of Christians and Jews)
  47. ^ Ecumenical Considerations on Jewish-Christian Dialogue (World Council of Churches)
  48. ^ The Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations: "Christians should not target Jews for conversion". The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College. September 1, 2002
  49. ^ Conversion Outreach Plan Stirs Outrage. Jews for Jesus Trains 600 for Street Work By David Cho (Washington Post) August 17, 2004
  50. ^ Jews For Jesus (rickross.com)
  51. ^ Reflections on Covenant and Mission Consultation of the National Council of Synagogues and the Bishops Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. August 12, 2002 (International Council of Christians and Jews)
  52. ^ "Nostra Aetate", Forty Years After Vatican II. Present & Future Perspectives Conference of the Holy See Commission for Religious Relations with Jewry, Rome, October 27, 2005
  53. ^ "Jews for Jesus to hit streets of D.C.", The Washington Times, August 10, 2004
  54. ^ Why emphasize witnessing to Jews? (Jews for Jesus)
  55. ^ a b c d e f g h i Associations (Jews for Jesus)
  56. ^ Members (Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association)
  57. ^ Current NAE Members (National Association of Evangelicals)
  58. ^ Affiliates (Evangelical Fellowship of Canada)
  59. ^ Judaism Teaches …or Does It? by Moishe Rosen (Jews for Jesus) March 1, 1997
  60. ^ Google Sued for Trademark Infringement Based on Third-Level Subdomain by Eric Goldman (CircleID) December 30, 2005
  61. ^ Comic sues Jews for Jesus
  62. ^ Press Release: Jews for Jesus and Jackie Mason (Jews for Jesus) August 25, 2006

See also

Further reading

  • Sentenced for Life: A Story of an Entry and an Exit into the World of Fundamentalist Christianity and Jews for Jesus by Jo Ann Schneider Farris (Writers Club Press, 2002) ISBN 059524940X
  • Hawking God. A Young Jewish Woman's Ordeal in Jews for Jesus by Ellen Kamentsky (Sapphire Press) An excerpt
  • Evangelizing the Chosen People: Missions to the Jews in America, 1880 - 2000 by Yaakov Ariel (The University of North Carolina Press, 1999) ISBN 0807825662
  • Smashing the Idols: A Jewish Inquiry into the Cult Phenomenon by Gary D. Eisenberg (Jason Aronson, 1988) ISBN 0876689748
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