In my undergraduate, we were required to complete a major paper of some 12,000 – 14,000, with my subject of choosing being, The Impact of Christian anti-Semitism on Jewish Evangelism. With the odd possible exception, when I have informed people of the subject matter, at the time some five years ago, and subsequently, there has generally been a rather pained expression in response, with a verbal rejoinder that such was indeed quite an intense topic! When I was to share this at our Chapel service, the recounting of these details was literally overwhelming, as I had to work hard to keep it together, as the litany of disturbing statement after statement, setting forth such history in explicit detail was too much to bear.
If your present response is one of pained perplexion, as you begin this journey with I am Jonny King, then your perception will be proven to be akin to a historical reality, because the christian witness to this ungodly reality is both prolific and, sadly, not exceptional. In fact, church history is replete with too numerous witnesses who have so deviated from the Pauline witness to the Jewish people [Romans 9:1-4] that the following quotation from a well-known scholar is tantamount to the record of official charges for the indictment of such a long and sordid history.
Here are the words of Franz Delitzsch [of Keil and Delitzsch fame]. Read reflectively…
The church still owes the Jews the actual proof of Christianity’s Truth. Is it surprising that the Jewish people are such an insensitive and barren field for the Gospel? The gospel itself has drenched it in blood and then heaped stones upon it. [Emphasis Mine]… [Quoted by Fred Wright, Father, Forgive Us: A Christian Response to the Church's Heritage of Jewish Persecution, 67].
That is a loaded statement, and it is pointing in our direction, which tragically, history will affirm.
When an understanding of the role that Christianity has played in the development of an anti-Semitic attitude in the centuries following the birth of the Church that normalized a certain perception and understanding of the Jews, which saw an ultimate expression, taken to its logical conclusion, this sad history is made even clearer.
The Context of this Study
In these posts, based on much of the material in this major paper, I will seek to explain and highlight numerous examples of the occurrence of Christian anti-Semitism that has impacted upon the Jewish people, from its beginnings, post the biblical period, to its Everest in the Final Solution.
However, while this material will be numerous, it must be limited in three ways. First, the subject matter that we will cover will be limited to focus on some of the main individuals throughout church history. Second, we will not be dealing with the positive impact between Christians and Jews, which saw many examples of those in Christendom practice their faith in the Second World War period, in particular. Third, this blogger is an evangelical Christian, who affirms that each and every individual needs salvation through Yeshua HaMashiach [Jesus the Messiah], in light of Acts 4:12, for example.
The previous point should introduce you to one of the reasons and goals of such a study!
The church, which is made up of individuals like you and me, needs to accept the role that it has played throughout the centuries in fomenting this practice. For this to happen, this subject must be understood, and for this to happen, it must be disseminated. While we may want to defend ourselves and affirm that we are not directly culpable, our message is, and while previous generations still speak, we must speak louder still. Second, as Christian anti-Semitism has had a long and consistent impact on the Jewish people, anyone who has a desire to be involved in Jewish evangelism, needs to have an understanding of this subject and think through a response. In light of the fact that the church is supposed to be made of up JEW as well as Gentile, this motivation should be true for all followers of Christ, as it is an outworking of the mandate of Matthew 28:19-20. Third, there is a growing profusion of anti-Jewish or anti-Israel sentiment, which is a dangerously growing phenomenon. The counter charge to this, by those who do not perceive their actions as such, is that the Holocaust should not be allowed to limit a truthful response to what these Christian opponents view as injustices on the part of the Jewish nation.
While the sentiment of affirming that Israel and Jewish people, per see, are not above legitimate criticism, as any individuals from any societal context, where it is indeed appropriate, the desire to contextualise out of such a reality, where the church was guilty of so much, in this bloggers opinion, is in poor taste to say the least, and something more sinister in its extreme. One wonders why there is such a compelling need for such a presentation. Is such a witness indicative of Delitzsch’s memorial accusation, and not more proof that Christianity still owes the Jews a witness to its truth?!
Sadly, while there has also been evangelical affirmations expressing grief, remorse and culpability for what has taken place, there has not been the type of community-wide recognisable repentance that signals that our tradition has sufficiently grasped the scope of what has taken place. Maybe, these posts can be another small stone in such a witness!
In the context of criticism of Israel, the words of Thomas Friedman, which have been quoted before, are worthwhile, where he says the following in a New York Times article:
Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, and saying so is vital. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanctions – out of proportion to any other party in the Middle East – is anti-Semitic and not saying so is dishonest.
As I am Jonny King has said before, if such is a correct proposition, then many in my team are guilty!
Important Concepts In This Study
Finally, before we get to this history, it is important to define what we mean by the term anti-Semitism. Here are a number of possibilities that help to shape this concept:
Jean Paul Satre defines it this way:
The attributing of all or part of one’s misfortunes, and those of one’s country’s, to the presence of Jewish elements in the community, and proposing to remedying this state of affairs by depriving the Jews of certain of their rights; by keeping them out of certain economic or social activities, by expelling them from the country, by exterminating them, etc. [Jean-Paul Satre, Anti-Semite and Jews, cited by Christian Action for Israel, Definitions of Anti-Semitism,1].
Crosser and Halperin put it like this:
Attitudes and actions against the Jews based on the belief that they are uniquely inferior, evil, or deserving of condemnation by their very nature, or by historical or supernatural dictates. [Crosser and Halperin, Anti-Semitism: The Causes and Effects of a Prejudice, cited by Christian Action for Israel, 1]
Rydelnik offers this more simplistic definition:
A nineteenth-century term coined to describe ‘hatred of the Jewish people’ and does not apply to racism against any other people group, even those speaking ‘Semitic’ languages. [Michael Rydelnik, Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 15].
Finally, a definition by Fruchtenbaum:
The hatred and persecution of the Jew. To dislike a person who merely happens to be Jewish is not anti-Semitism. To dislike a person because he is Jewish is anti-Semitism. It could be passive or active, mild or severe. [Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology, 836].
Some Final Introductory Thoughts
The stage has now been set for us to launch into our historical survey next time, which will merely be a beginning.
I trust that you will join me in this survey and examine this history on its own terms, based on the words from many of these sources, that still speak today.
May we have conviction to silence their impact.
If you join me, then you will be their judge!
Until Next Time
I am Jonny King
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