I have received the following comment on the post "Gates of Hell".
I am a staff worker with the Jews for Jesus organization. Most blogs and news services have quoted the same snippet of the 30-minute message that David Brickner of Jews for Jesus delivered at Sarah Palin’s church, giving the false impression that he believes that terrorist attacks are God’s judgment on Israel for not believing in Jesus. Please read or listen to the entire message for yourself at www.jewsforjesus.org/blog/20080817 so that you can hear Brickner’s remarks in context. Please also take a look at Brickner’s comments concerning his message at Wasilla Bible Church, as well as interviews by Christianity Today and MSNBC with Brickner about this issue, at www.jewsforjesus.org/blog/20080912. Among other things, Brickner says, "The comments attributed to me were taken out of context. In retrospect, I can see how my rhetoric might be misunderstood and I truly regret that. Let me be clear. I don’t believe that any one event, whether a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, is a specific fulfillment of or manifestation of a biblical prediction of judgment. I love my Jewish people and the land of Israel. I stand with and support her against all efforts to harm her or her people in any way."
Dear staff worker, I read the transcript of the Wasilla address. Brickner says the conflict throughout the Middle East is a an ongoing reflection of judgement. He says again and again and again that Jesus talked about judgement, that people cannot escape the judgement until they acknowledge that Jesus has come and he's the Messiah. To quote Brickner: "When Isaac was in Jerusalem he was there to witness some of that judgment, some of that conflict, when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment—you can’t miss it." Brickner created the context of an inescapable judgement, citing the Middle east conflict, to place his revelation that Jesus is the Messiah and the only salvation. Coming back later to say things were taken out of context is the oldest trick in the book. It's what people do when they can't "unsay" things, when they've had a bad episode of foot in mouth syndrome.
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Just out of curiosity, please visit their website and read their Statement of Faith, go through all their staments, have a good look around.
Correct me if I'm wrong: a group of people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah and his message the one that reflects true faith is not a group of Jews, it is a group of Christians, regardless of how they try to dress it.
As I understand it, Christians have not repudiated the Old Testament, they take it in conjunction with the New Testament. Together they constitute the Christian bible, which is the basis for what they believe and follow.
The Jewish faith does not incorporate the New Testament as the basis for their beliefs and teachings.
I have no religion, but I believe that religions should be able to co-exist peacefully. Faith is a very personal matter and cannot be imposed. Either you have it or you don't. Either you believe in one thing or you believe in another. There's no need to fight about it or to place one faith above the other. I repeat: it's a deeply personal choice. If we are to believe what many churches preach as absolute truth, that those who don't follow their teachings to the letter are going to hell, then we're ALL in big trouble! They have already condemned each other and the rest of humanity to eternal damnation...
Now, why do Jews (Christians) for Jesus, whose aim is to frighten Jews into embracing Jesus Christ, feel the need to go to Sarah Palin's Wasilla Bible Church to preach to the converted?
Jews for Jesus
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