January (Web-only) 2000

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For me as a Jewish believer in Jesus, one of the most encouraging occurrences in recent years is that Jewish evangelism has become an issue. While there have always been a substantial number of Christians concerned with bringing the Gospel to Jewish people, for the most part the topic was avoided. Perhaps until now many found the matter of Jews coming to Christ and the resultant opposition by the Jewish community too perplexing to discuss.Now it seems that some Christians are finding the courage to say what they have always believed—that Jews need Jesus as much as any other ethnic group. The ensuing clamor is bringing the realization that inevitably the Gospel is an offense to all who choose not to believe it. Thinking Christians are joining the issue and looking for new and better ways to convey the message of God's love in Christ.Yechiel Eckstein, an Orthodox rabbi, is best known for soliciting funds from such concerned Christians to benefit Soviet Jewry. In a recent ChristianityToday.com article, he wrote an article titled, " Witnessing vs. Proselytizing | A rabbi's perspective on evangelism targeting Jews, and his alternative."He has learned the language of evangelicals and knows how to sound like one of us. In fact, he does this so well that many Christians mistake him for the leader of a messianic congregation. Even those who know that Yechiel Eckstein is not a Christian feel that he is "very close" to believing, and this has given him special standing in the evangelical community.One might never suspect that Eckstein is against any concerted effort to bring Jews to Christ. He sounds virtually magnanimous as he states, "I wholeheartedly support the right of Christians—or members of any other faith—to share their beliefs ...