A Messianic Jew Problem with Catholicism

I have recently watched a series of videos from this extraordinary Jewish Messianic ministry in Israel called, 'One For Israel'. Their staffs are dynamic and the quality of their message delivery is quite outstanding. This Christian ministry geared for the evangelization of non-Christian Jews is operated by Jewish converts to Christianity. By their own statistic of the year 2017, Messianic Jews (Israelite Christian) amount to only 0.3% of the Jewish population, which means they have approximately 50,000 Jewish Christians in the land of Israel. It is an extreme minority that is not always welcomed in the Country due in part by the opposition of Rabbinical Judaism (the predominant religion in Israel).

Despite the great work that "One For Israel" is doing, there is one particular feature of their work that tries to depict repeatedly Catholicism in the worst possible light. I think this may very well be due to the fact that One For Israel is a Christian organization run by protestant Christians trained at the Dallas Theological Seminary. This latter one is not known to being friendly to the Catholic faith as clearly articulated by David Currie. Due to the repeated comments against the Christian Catholic faith, I thought It would be useful if I put in this blog comments that I had put in the YouTubes where those issues were presented. I will focus on only two specific claims for now.

A. Is The Catholic Cross Problematic?

In a 2018 conference presentation by Dr. Eitan Bar about Jewish Evangelism in Israel which can be found in the following link (Click Here), Dr. Eitan Bar gave a message which can only be presented as being at the same time so encouraging in one hand and so disappointing on the other side. 

The disappointment comes from his repeated desire to divide furthermore the Christian Church founded by the Lord Jesus 2000 years ago with statements like this:

"We do not share [preach] the blond, blue eye gentile Jesus who is dead on a Catholic cross for 2000 years now. We share a Jewish, Israeli Messiah -Yeshua - who is not dead but alive and changing people's lives" (see comment in minutes 25:08).

Put aside the blond hair and blue eye comment which is inconsequential given that Asians depict him as an Asian, African depict him as an African, and Europeans depict him as a European for the simple reason that each world demography want to identify themselves with the Lord Jesus trans-ethnic work of salvation. None of these folks are saying with their images of the Lord Jesus Christ that he is not Jewish, or that he was not a Jew. This is not the point of the artwork. The art has an anthropological motif, not a historical motif!

Moreover, about the issue of the Cross of Christ in Catholic Churches, it is worth noting that St. Paul (a Jew himself) who was a witness of the resurrected Messiah spoke of the importance of a depiction of Jesus on the Cross:

A) 1Corinthians 2:2, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with youexcept Jesus Christ and him crucified."

B) Galatians 3:1, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified."

Clearly, St. Paul the apostle does not shy away from the thought of a Crucified messiah even though he knew very well that he was resurrected and sited at the right hand of God as Lord overall. Dr. Eitan simply brings his extreme prejudice against Catholicism in his theology, and this prevents him to fully appreciate why the Cross has been so central to the Christianity of history.

I love "One For Israel" ministry but their attitudes towards Catholicism are extraordinarily misguided! May the Lord Jesus' prayer to the Father for the unity of his Church be fully realized once again!

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that ALL OF THEM MAY BE ONE, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." - John 17:20-21 

B. Was Pope Pius XII Bad for The Jews?

In another video by Dr. Eitan Bar titled, "It is time to talk about Anti-semitism in the Church" (link here), he attacks again the Catholic church for what he perceives (incorrectly may I add) as the silent complicity of the Catholic Church in partnership with Hitler NAZI party for the killing of Jews during the Holocaust.

May I suggest a correction to the presentation of Dr. Eitan Bar? Since he repeatedly informed his listeners that he was once 'moved to jealousy by the truth' in his teenage years which inevitably led to his conversion to Christianity, I hope he can be again moved by jealousy for truth in his prime years as an important figure in Israel evangelism.

I take the liberty to replicate a small excerpt from a Protestant thinker about the significant role that the Catholic Pontiff - Pope Pius XII - played during the period of the holocaust in helping Jews. Since he might be less inclined to listen to Catholics (I presume), maybe listening to a fellow Protestant who ain't favorable to Catholicism would help him consider this point from a non-prejudicial place of thinking (Here is the link to the full source):

"For it was Pius XII, not the deceased Pius XI, who protested the October 1943 order from Berlin to arrest the 8,000 Jews in Rome. In a letter given to Obersturmbannführer Herbert Kappler, the SS Commander in Rome, the Vatican warned that the Pope would publicly denounce the planned arrests of all Jews of Italian citizenship if the Germans followed through with them. Adolf Eichman later wrote: "The objections given and the excessive delay in the steps necessary to complete the implementation of the operation, resulted in a great part of Italian Jews being able to hide and escape capture." 

Pius XII can also be confirmed to have vigorously and repeatedly protested the National Socialist actions through direct communications with the German government. The Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, testified at the Nuremburg Trials: "I do not recollect at the moment, but I know we had a whole deskful of protests from the Vatican. There were very many we did not even read or reply to."

Israeli sources report that papal relief programs saved more Jews than any other, an estimated 860,000. It is not an accident that 80 percent of Italy's Jews survived the war despite the German occupation, about four times more than survived the war in other occupied countries. Many important Jewish leaders of the era, including Israel's first president, first foreign minister, and chief rabbi were explicit in their gratitude towards Pius XII and the Catholic Church for their defense of the Jewish people.

Time Magazine printed a letter from Albert Einstein in 1940: "Being a lover of freedom, when the revolution came in Germany, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but, no, the universities immediately were silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks. . . . Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced thus to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly."

President Donald Trump and The Christian Dilemma

I was invited to share my view on a Facebook reflection about the current President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump. The Facebook reflection was more of a critic than a reflection. And though Trump was the visible subject of the post, Christians who have shown the modicum of support to him were the real target of the post. Since I am not an American, and that I live in Africa, I feel quite free to give my opinion on this matter since I don't have a bone to fight for on this matter, nor did the person who wrote the Facebook post since he is neither American and he also lives in Africa. We are both expressing our views since this is a free world (last that I checked!). Below are my thoughts on what I considered to be an incorrect appreciation on this matter on the part of the Facebook post writer. The Facebook post is in RED and my comments are in BLACK.


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Interesting post. However, I have mixed feelings about your take on this matter. I would agree with some points and disagree with others. Let me share briefly a few thoughts!

1) "One of the mistakes we make as Christians is to stand behind a political leader who claims to be a Christian or who proves to be friendly to Christianity; hoping that they will bring back Christian values in the nation,"

I do not see why you call this a mistake. Is there anything in scriptures or in Church tradition that says that standing for or supporting a political leader who 'proves to be friendly' to Christianity is a MISTAKE?

I do not see anything remotely similar to your value judgment in the Holy Scriptures (Bible). I think the scriptures on the contrary require us to show respect to authority, even non-Christian authorities. The Lord Jesus did recognize Governor Pilate's authority as coming from above (John19.11), and so did St. Paul with regard to all political authorities (Romans 13.1).

"Every person must be subject to the governing authorities, for no authority exists except by God's permission. The existing authorities have been established by God, so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves." - Romans 13:1-2 ISV

Those who believe that political authorities will bring or bring back Christian value to a nation are partly correct. In one sense, authorities can create a favorable atmosphere that allows godly values to be easily spread as St. Paul points out in 1Timothy2:1-4. But on the other sense, political authorities can not do anything beyond laying down a favorable condition that allows the gospel to spread, for the spreading of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the specific purview and role to be undertaken by believers and faith communities. Hence political figures, though imperfect, are simply regarded as allies for that purpose.

2) "and some even believe that they are serving the Lord by supporting such a person; and this, in my opinion, seems to be why American evangelicals support Trump."

Yes, your opinion on this is quite correct. Many Americans do support the current president of the United State, Donald Trump because they believe they are doing the work of the Lord by supporting someone who wants to prevent the unjust death of prenatal babies. You are right on the money on that!

3) "But this is one of the wrong ways to bring the Kingdom of God in a nation."

Actually, the scriptures seem to show the opposite. St. Paul has asked believers to pray for ALL those who are in authority so that citizens may live a peaceful life and that this will allow the spreading of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

"[pray] for kings, and for everyone who has authority, so that we might lead a quiet and peaceful life with all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to know the truth fully." - 1Timothy 2:2-4 MKV

4) "History proves that Christianity thrives where Christians are committed to a godly life, rather than loyalty to a political figure."

It is true that Christianity strives not because of political figures but because of Christians. And one of the godly things Christian can do is first to support authorities in prayers (1Timothy 2:1-4). The other thing could be not to stop those who help you gather for the Kingdom of God even if he is not part of your team (Luke 29.50).

In Luke 9:50, it is said, "Jesus told him, "Don't stop him! Because whoever is not against you is for you.""

It was true then, and it is true now. Christians shouldn't try to stop those who are not against them. Or to use your own expression, those who "who proves to be friendly to Christianity". If Trump has 'prove to be friendly to Christianity', as you pointed out, why would anyone try to disobey the word of the Lord Jesus by trying to stop him?

5) "To this, you add the fact that we have so many examples of people who come in a "Christian suit" and destroy lives and nations."

Well, this is true and it is sad. You find it in all strata of society: Police officers, Missionaries, Bible teachers, Theologians, Preachers, Pastors, Priests, Teachers, Scientists, Politicians, Businessmen, Parents, Friends, family members, Athletes, Judges, etc.

No one is perfect and we should be prompt to recognize it. And the very fact that we have multiple Church denominations within Christianity which contradict each other should be ample evidence that the malady is not on politicians solely, and we should thread the waters more carefully when we finger point obvious or imagined imperfection of others!

6) "It is beyond desperate, for Christians to think of having a political leader who's sympathetic to them as a win for Christianity."

Why think it to be desperate? Does the Bible tell us it is desperate and if yes, where is it written? As far as I know, the Lord Jesus said not to stop those who are with us, and we should heed his advice and continue to pray for all those in authority, including President Trump who is "sympathetic to them" according to your own words!

7) "Christian standards aren't based on who is being good to us, no matter how they treat everyone else, it is instead, about loving the Lord with all your heart, and loving others as yourself"

This is unnecessary to oppose these two important issues. Firstly, Loving the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul and loving others as our neighbors is a non-negotiable for Christian believers in the Lord.

Secondly, Those who are in authority must be supported through prayers and by avoiding to impede their works if those works (policies) are not against us (anti-abortions, etc). Moreover, those established in authority must be respected due to the dignity of their office. St. Paul wrote his letters in a time when Christians were persecuted both by the Jewish authority and the Roman authority and yet he admonishes believers to give honor to authority not to speak derogatorily to them. This is the Christian way as exemplified in the New Testament Church in Scriptures!

Romans 13:5, "Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, not only for the sake of God's punishment, but also for the sake of your own conscience."

"Romans 13:7, "Pay everyone whatever you owe them—taxes to whom taxes are due, tolls to whom tolls are due, fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due."