Sarah Palin’s looming pastor problem?
The 2008 campaign has already offered one object lesson in what happens when the press starts looking into your pastor's sermons. Now it's Sarah Palin's turn to come under the microscope.
Less than three weeks ago, on Aug. 17, Palin's church, Wasilla Bible Church, hosted a talk by David Brickner of Jews for Jesus (audio here, transcript here).
Palin's pastor, Larry Kroon, introduced Brickner by calling Jews for Jesus "a ministry that is out on the leading edge in a pressing demanding area of witnessing and evangelism." Jews for Jesus is the same group the ADL accused of "aggressive proselytizing with a deceptive message: that Jews who accept Jesus as the son of God and their savior remain Jewish."
Brickner then spoke for about 30 minutes about his group's successful effort to introduce Israelis to Jesus. More on that in a second.
After Brickner's talk, the congregation took an offering for JFJ, and then Pastor Kroon offered this prayer:
We stand before you as a people who've experienced your grace, and we acknowledge that that grace was first extended to our people through your people, the Jews; that there is not a one here in this room who would know Jesus and serve him if there had not been a Jew, generations ago, that spoke Jesus' name to our people. Father, that comes full circle and we wish to extend your grace back to your people. And we pray and we ask that as a result of this time here, and as a result of this offering, there will be people among the Jews today who come to say the name "Jesus" with faith.
On the surface, not all that different from the Catholic prayer for Jewish conversion, whose revival aroused great concern in the Jewish community and nearly railroaded Pope Benedict's recent visit to New York City. In the end, he visited a synagogue and the Vatican gave some signals that this was a wish for the end of times, not the beginning an evangelical effort aimed at Jews.
It's going to be near impossible for the Palin camp to follow that road map after listening to Brickner's sermon, with its effusions over his group's success in Israel.
Here's his description of playing music in Jerusalem with his evangelical band The Liberated Wailing Wall:
Now, most Israelis are secular. And they were drawn by the music, and we had t-shirts on that said "Yehudim L'man Yeshua" (Jews for Jesus), so they knew who we were; but that was ok. They were enjoying the music; some were clapping. There were some that were even dancing off to the side. I thought to myself, "Boy, this is great! We're preachin' the gospel right here on the streets of Jerusalem."
Brickner talks about what he calls the "Jerusalem dilemma," essentially the apparent conflict between the fact that Jerusalem has been the site of so much religious revelation and also the nexus of so much war and bloodshed. The reason? Israel's rejection of God's messenger:
But what we see in Israel, the conflict that is spilled out throughout the Middle East, really which is all about Jerusalem, is an ongoing reflection of the fact that there is judgment. There is judgment that is going on in the land, and that's the other part of this Jerusalem Dilemma. When Jesus was standing in that temple, He spoke that that judgment was coming, that there's a reality to the judgment of unbelief .... And Jesus' words have echoed down through the centuries. Not a generation after He uttered this promise, Titus and his Roman legions marched into that city and destroyed both the city and the temple ... Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. It's very real. 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.
Isaac is Brickner's son, who just came back from a proselytizing trip to Israel and India. In India, he targeted Israeli backpackers on holiday after completing their army service. For Isaac, it was life-changing:
And for me, that personally has changed my life, making me realize how much God has a plan for each and every one of us, and how much we all need to witness to our fellow unbelievers; and for me, as a Jewish person, to my fellow unbelieving Jewish family.
No word yet on whether Palin was present in church on Aug. 17, but we'll find out. We're also trying to find out more about Pastor Kroon's apparently long connection to Brickner – Kroon says the pair go back to the 1970s – who was making his second appearance at the church. In his first appearance, in 2004, Kroon said: "If it were not for Jews for Jesus, I would not be standing here."
ADL chief Abe Foxman – whose organization has criticized Jews for Jesus as "deceptive," who called on Barack Obama to confront his "black racist" minister, and who called the Catholic prayer a "body blow" to relations with the Jews – told JTA Tuesday he didn't have much problem with Palin's pastor. For one, evangelicals, unlike Catholics, never promised to renounce proselytizing. For another, they don't have the same sort of history of violent persecution of Jewish non-believers. For one more, there's no evidence Palin knows or shares those views.
"If you could tell me that she approves of this guy, she invited him, I'm not aware of any of that," Foxman said. "The fact that she belongs to a church that believes in it, I don't have a problem."
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Is it any wonder why people question christianity? They have robbed the scriptures and created their own ideas. Yahweh is faithful, just, and true. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But somehow the Baptists have the answers.. No wait the Catholics are telling the truth… No wait it’s the Pentecostals… No wait it’s the Protestants. See what I am getting at? God doesn’t change. But somehow to get “saved” you have different churches with different teachings and beliefs. Yahshua (who christians call Jesus) is Jewish. He taught the old testament. Something rarely done in christian circles today. He observed the feasts of Yahweh. Something christians don’t do. He observed the sabbath. Christians absolutely don’t do this. Instead they adopt holidays with known pagan beginnings and observe them and worship how they see fit. Doesn’t the scriptures in i think Leviticus say “learn not the way of the heathen! Do not inquire about their gods so that you may serve me.” Ask any Pastor or theological teacher and they will tell you christmas is pagan. But everyone will say “But that’s not what it means to me!” It doesn’t matter what it means to you, it goes against everything Yahweh declared. Yahshua didn’t teach from the new testament!!!! It didn’t exist. Does that mean they aren’t relevant? No they are good for learning. Everything that Yahweh wanted us to know and observe is in the old testament. The ten commandments are still in effect. Yahshua (Jesus) said love god and your neighbor. Those weren’t new commandments! If you understand the 10 commandments, the first 4 show how Yahweh wants to be loved and worshipped, the last 6 show how to love your neighbor. It’s not hard to understand. It’s time to get back to the Hebrew roots of what christianity is supposed to be. And in case people don’t know his name isn’t Jesus. It’s Yahshua. I may be misspelling it as there are many variations of it that have surfaced through history. But study and you will find that Hebrew names have a meaning. Example Yah=god Shua=saves meaning god saves. Jesus means nothing in Hebrew. It has no Hebrew roots. I am not Jewish, but I love them and sympathize with them. Christians have taken Yahshua, who is the Hebrew messiah and turned him into Greek Jesus and destroy everything he taught. I once used to listen to the pastors in the pulpit and said to myself “yeah that sounds right.” But if you read the bible for yourself, you will find that everything is twisted by christianity. It is a false religion. Unfortunately, millions are waiting for a rapture that will not happen and be destroyed. May Yahweh open people’s eyes in the end times!
the church is the harlot.. the real BRIDE will be spotless, and while honoring Jewish feasts, is quite unwilling to celebrate the pagan holidays of christmas, easter, etc. there will THE BRIDE at the wedding (read Revelation) as well as guests. Last days, folks!
The most sickening thing I took away from all of this is all these self-professed preachers whoring for Jesus on this thread. All of you fake Jews, J4J’s, Baptists e.t.c. As a Jew I will NEVER EVER EVER bow down to your greek godman whether you call him Jesus, Yashua, Yahshua or Bubba
Got that?
Good
May G-d keep me far far away from fanatics like you.
People such as yourself make Torquemada look sane....
Tim:
Yes, I’m angry. No I made no erroneous statements. The rest of your comments are your own fantasy, irrelevant to what I actually wrote, and deserving no further response.
I only write this so that silence will not be taken as any kind of assent to or agreement with your twisting and total lack of respect for Jewish law and belief, or as any kind of acceptance of your fantastical theology that tries to prove I shouldn’t exist, therefore I don’t.
Sarah Palin is a member of the Pentecostal Assembly of God church (or AG as they refer to themselves). I was raised this religion from birth and attended regularly through my teen years. From my first hand knowledge and experience, I can tell you that those who attend that church are extreme fundamentalists.
They believe that Jews and people from all other religions other than some protestant faiths will go to hell. This includes Catholics. (They believe that Catholics worship idols, which is a sin.) They will cover up this fact during this election, but what I’m telling you is the truth.
My family left that religion because they do indeed preach hatred, as seen in their harsh judgment of others. I now teach music at a catholic school and attend a non-denominational church, but it is NOT pentecostal. My brother converted to Catholicism and my parents attend his parish.
It frightens me and my family that this woman (or anyone from AG) has been nominated and could potentially be in the most powerful position in the world.
Please, please...don’t let one single issue be your deciding factor. I don’t believe in abortion either, but this election is truly about much, much more than that.
I suggest that each one of you attend a Sunday morning church service at an Assembly of God church. Don’t tell anyone who you are or why you’re visiting. Just quietly sit in the back and watch. You will understand why I wrote this.
Really, Billy?
So her equating the war in Iraq as “GOD’S WILL” is cool with you as long as she doesn’t say anything ‘hateful’?
When did pastor WRIGHT say anything hateful? Again, I stress “SAY”. Let’s dig into BLACKWATER, the religious right death-machine that actual performs hateful duties by executing babies and women in Iraq in the name of God. They will surely double or triple in strength with an evangelical baby like Palin as second in command.
YOU PEOPLE (yep, I said it) kill me with you nonsensical attacks on what you interpreted as hate. Whenever a Black man says anything for our people, you cry “HAAAAAAAAATE”. Whenever our agenda does not involve whites it’s “HAAAAAATE”. See, the problem is we talk to damn much when we should be more like the liars you admire. silently forcing our way upon the world with a smile and a teachers hairdo with glasses to give us a warm fuzzy while eating our moose pie.
You, my friend, are forgetting PALIN actually stood on that pulpit spewing that crap about “God willing” a $30 BILLION DOLLAR pipeline that will reek havoc upon God’s environment. How about PALIN HERSELF (NOT pastor Wright or her pastor) telling ministry students that the Iraq war is a “task from God”. That kind of talk frightens me more that Wright saying that 9/11 was an USA government/Bush Administration attack. IT WAS. ‘CUI BONO?’
Don’t be a blind crying Jew. Be an intelligent human being.
Uh-no. We won’t go to a fanatical Christian Church. You can quote your Bible all you want. Thump on it until the cows come home! Every year, every generation, there have been nutballs preaching the ‘End of Days’ hoping that they’ll be ruptured on up to heaven. Hasn’t happened. Nor has anyone come back. You know very little about your Christianity just as you know nothing of Judaism. You’re scared to learn. You’re terrified of the Dead Sea Scrolls! You know why? Yep. Because it proves that Jesus was just another Jew and not the Messiah. Only Paul came up with this idea of Jesus being the Messiah. Only Paul. Not Jesus. It terrifies you because Judaism requires so much more of you! Keep hoping for your rapture and in the meantime, waste your life. Good luck. Again- Read ‘Why the Jews Rejected Jesus.’ You won’t even be able to argue against it. You’ll simply be confused. The world for which you hang your hat of hate will be destroyed by historical reality. You can find the book on Amazon. BTW: Your ‘End of Days’ crap is a very new concept started by a crazy fringe Protestant! It’s never used in Orthodox Christian Liturgy. Original teachers of Christ and the Orthodox Church (the ones closest to Paul) wouldn’t and still don’t go near this! They knew it was written under duress! It has nothing to do with the future!!!!! And has no place in the present. It’s a man being tormented by the Romans! Your belief in the New Testament as ‘literal’ if frightening. But your lack of historical knowledge is typical. If I’m going to listen to any Christian, it will be those closest to its beginnings and not some uneducated Americans. I suppose you think that every translation, every word written is the original word of God? Really? How amazing that only YOUR version is the truth! Please-stop insulting us with your cult! Here.. how about this: The Bible= Divinely ‘inspired’ perhaps but MOST DEFINITELY WRITTEN BY THE EVER SO FLAWED AND CORRUPT MAN! And FYI: There is much more to Judaism than just the ‘Old Testament.’ The TRUTH is that Jesus would be appalled by both your behavior AND MOST DEFINITELY BY YOUR IGNORANCE OF JUDAISM! He wanted you to be a good Jew. Nothing more! A better Jew! If anything, you are the opposite of what Jesus was teaching. So shame on you! Your Messiah would reject you. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t come back!:)
To the man calling me/us liberal Jews. Think again my friend. I know what Pro-Life means. I live by this word. You are the ones who eat animals indiscriminately and justify the death penalty! Jesus would never support such ‘evil’ behavior. Never. Look at yourself and know your faith. What you follow now has very little to do with the the teachings of Rabbi Jesus. And that should frighten you.
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Tim Cohen
09/04/08 05:32 PM
Hi Steve,
I detect considerable anger in your response, and not a little error.
You assert that “conversion” to Christianity means that the convertee is no longer whatever he or she was ethnically before conversion; in this case, you assert that an Israelite who comes to faith in Yeshua as The God, Messiah, and Savior of Israel, is no longer a genetic (ethnic) Israelite. Whatever gave you such a silly notion--other than a rabinnical community that has intentionally misinformed you? Is an Ethiopian who becomes a Christian no longer an Ethiopian? Is a Persian who becomes a Christian no longer a Persian? Well, you should get the point.... An Israelite who believes in Yeshua (Jesus) remains genetically and thus ethnically an Israelite.
And, Steve, if you are trying to argue from a religious and spiritual standpoint, you are equally misinformed and deceived. In that case, the only JEWISH thing to do is accept and believe in Yeshua as your God (He is YaHWeH), Savior (Moshiach), and Messiah (Mashiach). Why would I say such a thing, Steve? It’s simple, really: Christianity is BIBLICAL (SCRIPTURAL) Judaism, meaning that ANY Israelite ("Jew") who knows (has read and studied) and believes the Hebrew scriptures of the JEWISH Bible (i.e., the Hebrew Old Testament), likewise has no rational or logical choice other than to receive and believe in Yeshua, as I and countless other Israelite Christians DO.
Steve, the truth is that Christianity is nothing more and nothing less than SCRIPTURAL JUDAISM, and this is apparent when Christians are themselves faithful to the scriptures they say they believe. (Please bear in mind, Steve, that there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who proclaim the name of Christ, who SAY they are Christians but who in reality are NOT; they are counterfeit or fake Christians, and you must learn to distinguish one from the other on the basis of SCRIPTURE.)
Now here’s the rub for you and all other Israelites who do not yet believe in Yeshua, Steve: you are following a version of RABBINIC Judaism (there are a few as you know) that is NOT biblical, NOT scriptural, and therefore WILL NOT lead you to The God of Israel nor to a saving relationship with Him. So, Steve, unbelieving Israelites are in truth NOT “Jews” spiritually speaking, but counterfeit “Jews” following a counterfeit (NOT FROM YHVH) Judaism. Get this Steve: True Judaism = True Christianity AND True Christianity = True Judaism! That’s the real truth, Steve. And, therefore, it is the BELIEVING (Messianic or Christian) Israelites who are the true “Jews,” Steve. We, the true Yehudim ("Judaens" or “Jews") are those who give genuine and real praise to the real God of Israel, as opposed to a counterfeit, made-up God of Israel. What is a “counterfeit, made-up God of Israel,” you may ask, Steve? This: a “God of Israel” in which Yeshua is not His Son, in which Yeshua is not our Savior and Messiah, in which Yeshua is not The Word or Deber of YHVH incarnate, in which Yeshua is not YHVH Himself, Second Person of the Triune Godhead, YHVH.
So, Steve, in “converting” to scriptural Judaism and receiving Yeshua as your God, Savior, and Messiah, you would not be abandoning your “Jewishness” nor separating yourself from Israel ethnically, genetically, or spiritually. Quite the opposite, Steve: you would be more Jewish than ever, and a “completed” Israelite who is saved, one who actually knows the God he claims to serve. Now doesn’t that sound just wonderful to you, Steve? It absolutely SHOULD. Think about it.