Finding Uncommon Ground

Jewish World Review ^ | 08 December, 2005 | By Adam Dickter

[Salem]

Jews and Evangelicals explore the boundaries of their relationship at New York conference.

At the end of his presentation last week in a panel titled "Christian America?" Rev. Richard Cizik, an Evangelical lobbyist in Washington, was confronted with an unexpected question: Does he believe Jews go to heaven?

Caught off guard, Cizik, who is vice president for governmental affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals, said his practice was to "do my best to avoid answering that question because it leads us to a place where we don't necessarily need to go."

The question — prompted by the 2002 declaration of James Sibley, head of the Southern Baptists' Mission to the Jews, implying that Jews can only reach heaven through Jesus — may have seemed awkward and the answer evasive, but both were in the spirit of the two-day conference on Jews and Evangelicals that took place last week at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Participants said it was important to outline issues on which they could not agree in an effort to define the boundaries of their relationship.

Set against the backdrop of recent negative pronouncements by national Jewish leaders about what they term the dangers of Evangelical groups who support Israel while seeking to convert Jews, the forum, titled "Uneasy Allies," analyzed the growing ties between the two groups and took aim at mutually held stereotypes.

[Salem]

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[dennisw]

Since conservative "Evangelicals" support Israel I have no problem with their beliefs about Jews going/not going to heaven or being saved. First things first

[Liberty Wins]

There is one group of people who unconditionally love Jews and the Land of Israel.

. . . the overwhelming majority of Christian conservatives in America act with astounding goodness, generosity, and friendship.

The Christian right believes all who disagree with them are going to hell?

Even if some believe this, so what? Does our Constitution guarantee freedom of belief only to secularists? I am always amused by those who are most indignant that some Christians have this belief but are themselves secularists who firmly announce their disbelief in heaven or hell in the first place. Why should they care if someone else believes they are going somewhere they don’t believe exists? Go figure.

For me personally, it bothers me not at all that many of my Christian friends believe I am headed to hell. Frankly I am deeply grateful to be living among such wonderful Christian neighbors who do absolutely nothing to accelerate my arrival there. Does the phrase “Spanish Inquisition” mean anything to you?

- - - - - Rabbi Daniel Lapin

[MarkL]

Do Evangelical Christians believe that Jews go to heaven? No, I don't think they do. Of course, I'm not an E.C., so I'm just going by what some friends of mine who are have told me. And they're upset by the fact that they don't believe I am, since I haven't accepted Jesus as my Savior.

And I'm rather touched by the fact that they care for me that much.

On the other hand, there are an awful lot of "Jews" and other secular leftists who use that to try to claim that "those awful christians (small c)* don't think that Jews are worthy of going to heaven!" And of course, that's just plain "un-christian" (again, small c *) THey use it to claim that those mean old christians (again, small c *) are trying to keep the Jews out of heaven! How dare they! The fact is, that the E.C. doctorine states that you can't get to heaven by deeds, only by accepting Jesus as your Savior. That's not being mean, or exclusionary. That's just the way their religion says that things are. I haven't heard those same secular leftists complaining that muslims are keeping the Jews out of heaven: Or any other religion, for that matter.

It's simply their hatred of Christianity, and especially Evangelical Christians, that they even bring up this nonsense. Oh, that and to try to destroy the friendship between Jews and their greatest friends and supporters.

Mark

*- Many of these secular leftists claim that if you're "Christian" you have to give everyone a pass

[hocndoc]

It would be more interesting to hear the Rabbis' answers to "Do you believe any Christians will go to heaven?"

Thank the Lord, He'll decide.


He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:8 ESV)


Who is a G_d like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
(Micah 7:18 ESV)

and we Christians have our hope

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 ESV)