Post by Michael on Oct 12, 2007 13:02:40 GMT -5
Should Christians Attempt To Convert Jews to Christianity?
By Agnes
The statistics as regards the conversion of Jews to practising, Bible-based Christianity reveal one [true follower of Jesus] per hundred (1%) by A.D. 1430, two per hundred by A.D. 1790, three per hundred by A.D. 1940.1 Considering that Christians have been trying so hard to convert Jews to Christianity since the Church began, we seem not to be doing as well as might be expected. We need, therefore to examine our methods of Evangelism to discover what will be the better way to bring the Good News to Jewish people. While doing so we will also be examining the historical and sociological background and theological assumptions going along with these methods for their appropriateness to a mission to Jews. There are four approaches to evangelism that we will be examining:
I. Evangelism: Sharing with people within one’s own culture.
This type of evangelism is a witness to people who share ones own language and cultural background, and especially it is a way of bringing up a young generation which has grown up going to church, hearing the Gospel and reading the Bible. We may call them “Christianized” but without the experience that Jesus referred to in John’s Gospel Chapter Three as being born “again” or “from above”. This type of evangelism is perhaps the simplest. But its simplicity is not in itself the assurance to those people who are truly saved.
Are we able to reach out effectually to those Jewish people to whom this type of evangelism would apply, i.e. those participating with us in Christianized environments? We can not deny that some Jews come to know Jesus as their Messiah during their attendance at Christian based school and college. It is however a very small minority . But we need to remind ourselves though some Jews “converted” to Christianity with insincere motives, this does not negate the fact that true conversions took place as well. They often are rejected by their own people because their conversion. A primary reason for opposition to such missions lie in the examples of those educated or religious Jews who, to make possible the holding of high political or social office in the past (for example Benjamin Disraeli) or for monetary gain or because of social pressure appeared to convert to Christianity (whilst often still continuing privately to hold to their original faith). Jewish people are therefore convinced that this conversion had nothing whatsoever to do with appreciating reasonable arguments or forming honestly held theological convictions. We saw two [true followers of Jesus] per hundred by A.D. 1790 (1 to 49 after 360 years)
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1 Michael L, Brown, Let No One Deceive You: Confronting the Critics of Revival, Shippensburg, Destiny Image, 1997, Page212
Rest of article at: oawitness.angelfire.com/jewchristian.pdf
By Agnes
The statistics as regards the conversion of Jews to practising, Bible-based Christianity reveal one [true follower of Jesus] per hundred (1%) by A.D. 1430, two per hundred by A.D. 1790, three per hundred by A.D. 1940.1 Considering that Christians have been trying so hard to convert Jews to Christianity since the Church began, we seem not to be doing as well as might be expected. We need, therefore to examine our methods of Evangelism to discover what will be the better way to bring the Good News to Jewish people. While doing so we will also be examining the historical and sociological background and theological assumptions going along with these methods for their appropriateness to a mission to Jews. There are four approaches to evangelism that we will be examining:
I. Evangelism: Sharing with people within one’s own culture.
This type of evangelism is a witness to people who share ones own language and cultural background, and especially it is a way of bringing up a young generation which has grown up going to church, hearing the Gospel and reading the Bible. We may call them “Christianized” but without the experience that Jesus referred to in John’s Gospel Chapter Three as being born “again” or “from above”. This type of evangelism is perhaps the simplest. But its simplicity is not in itself the assurance to those people who are truly saved.
Are we able to reach out effectually to those Jewish people to whom this type of evangelism would apply, i.e. those participating with us in Christianized environments? We can not deny that some Jews come to know Jesus as their Messiah during their attendance at Christian based school and college. It is however a very small minority . But we need to remind ourselves though some Jews “converted” to Christianity with insincere motives, this does not negate the fact that true conversions took place as well. They often are rejected by their own people because their conversion. A primary reason for opposition to such missions lie in the examples of those educated or religious Jews who, to make possible the holding of high political or social office in the past (for example Benjamin Disraeli) or for monetary gain or because of social pressure appeared to convert to Christianity (whilst often still continuing privately to hold to their original faith). Jewish people are therefore convinced that this conversion had nothing whatsoever to do with appreciating reasonable arguments or forming honestly held theological convictions. We saw two [true followers of Jesus] per hundred by A.D. 1790 (1 to 49 after 360 years)
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1 Michael L, Brown, Let No One Deceive You: Confronting the Critics of Revival, Shippensburg, Destiny Image, 1997, Page212
Rest of article at: oawitness.angelfire.com/jewchristian.pdf
