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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Tim,
Thanks for your intelligent response. I do apologize for the blanket statement about christianity in general. One tends to do that when having been in baptist, pentecostal and the calvary churches. So I do apologize for offending you as you seem to have a different opinion on the core issues. I do disagree about the issues you deem minor. I will explain myself further. If a pastor is in the pulpit and is teaching that (Jesus) Yahushua died on good friday and rose easter sunday, when the scriptures say as Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and 3 nights so will the son of man be in the heart of the earth. (I’m paraphrasing but most people should understand the scripture I am referring to.) If a pastor can’t count or understand the basics such as that, then how can or should they be trusted on the more weightier matters. Also for a pastor to stand and say we need to be in the Lord’s house on the lord’s day is a problem for me. I agree that we should be in fellowship and there is nothing wrong with going to a church on Sunday, it isn’t the Lord’s day. That is a big problem if someone isn’t well studied in the scripture they can be led astray. As I said before, we are commanded by Yahweh in the old testament what and how to observe him. When people take pagan holidays and traditions and twist them to observe Yahweh, I know he has a problem with it. That’s not how he wishes to be served. It is written so. The early christian church was faithful to it’s Hebrew roots and there are remnants as well as an awakening today of those who desire to do so. As far as the discrepancy issue in Matthew, I am aware and understand. The point I was trying to make, was (without trying to broadly paint all in the same picture) that a huge majority of christians today aren’t even aware of it. I in no way was trying to disparage you, I realize by your last name that you are jewish or of hebrew descent. And to all that i may have offended, I do apologize. I do however stick by the my statement with a minor adjustment. The majority of the churches and the “Brand” of christianity they are espousing, does not agree with what the scriptures say. And as a final note, The new testament is good for reading and studying, however nothing in the new testament should replace what Yahushua taught. Remember, he quoted and taught from the old testament. If there were to be new revelations I think he would have revealed it then.
Steve,
I am not pushing any brand of anything. I unfortunately in my foolish zeal (as we all can be guilty of) made a blanket statement about the state of modern day christianity. I in no way am preaching to the Jews. I respect the Jews and sympathize with them and if one asks me what I believe I tell them. At the last trump, we all will have to answer to him for what we have and haven’t done and/or believed. And as for you having a problem with anything scriptural or having to do with religion on this site then you are free as an american to not visit the site. If you didn’t read the headline of the story on this site it reads: Sarah Palin’s Looming Pastor Problem. I for the life of me can’t see how you wouldn’t think that there would be religious information on it. I am glad that we live in the USA where we can have disagreements, however I am not glad that in the USA every minority group (ie...atheists, homosexuals, greenpeace advocates and other groups in this mold) scream for equality and rights and such, but let someone of christian faith speak and they are basically told to shut up. I will not shut up. If you do not like statements on this site then leave. I do not like certain things on the internet, radio, or tv. Do i visit them? No I move on. Steve, I ask Yahushua to bless you and keep you. But it’s time to move on out of here.
Natan:
I wasn’t referrring to Palin or any speaker at her church, who were subjects of a news article, but to posters in this discussion. What do you make of this latest from Tim? “What are you afraid of, Yael? Could it be that you have built your house of cards on lies? Could it be that your brand of “Judaism” is a lie? Yes, indeed Yael, that is most certainly the case.”
That’s not offensive?
Tim:
You wrote “For the record, you continue to try to defend yourself from THIN AIR. I imagine it goes without saying, but that is NO DEFENSE AT ALL. Hyperbole also is not a defense.”
I’m not defending myself, I’m attacking your wild confabulations, and slanders of Jews and the Jewish religion.
“And, you claim you have seen my web site. Really? For the record, what site is that, Steve? (I ask because I think you are lying on this point too.)”
I clicked your link.
Carl:
You wrote, “the scriptures say as Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and 3 nights so will the son of man be in the heart of the earth.”
The Hebrew Scriptures don’t say that.
“(I’m paraphrasing but most people should understand the scripture I am referring to.)”
That’s not a paraphrase, it’s a lie. I’ve read Jonah. Maybe you should too.
“If a pastor can’t count or understand the basics such as that, then how can or should they be trusted on the more weightier matters.”
If a pastor, or you, can twist our scriptures, why should we trust that pastor or you?
“If you do not like statements on this site then leave.”
That is not yours to command.
“I do not like certain things on the internet, radio, or tv. Do i visit them? No I move on.”
That, however, is your right.
“Steve, I ask Yahushua to bless you and keep you.”
Not interested.
I think this is just the beginning. During the Wright saga, did anyone doubt that extremist views are preached on the left and right? Each day there is more and more material that just may end the Palin honeymoon. If some of this gets linked directly to Palin, there will be no repairing the damage.
SARAH PALIN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT SOME WACKY GUY HAS TO SAY ABOUT RELIGION THIS CRAP IS NOT THE SAME AS HUSSEIN OBAMA HE HAS BEEN LISTENING TO THAT NUT CASE FOR 20 YEARS SO IN THAT CASE HUSSEIN IS AS CRAZY AS THAT PREACHER ,BUT SARAH WAS NOT IN THE CHURCH FOR 20 YEARS LISTENING TO THE CRAZY PREACHER SO IS NOT THE SAME YOU JUST KNOW THAT SHE WILL BE THE VICE PRESIDENT THERE WILL BE NO TOKEN PRESIDENT IN THE WHIT HOUSE BUT THERE WILL BE A WOMAN VICE PRESIDENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE SARAH PALIN
It’s funny… it’s so TYPICAL for racist whites start acting like Pee Wee Herman when called out on their racism, or issues dealing with race. You see, the same sort of “reverse racism”, “black racist” accusations made by these racist right-wing bigots are nothing but the same old “I know you are but what am I…” retort popularized by the Paul Reubens character and childrens TV show.
Statements on Israel from Obama’s pastor, Jeremiah Wright:
“Israel - I say that dirty word again”
“we ignore the real enemy in this ‘war of terrorism!’ We don’t want to tell the truth about Israel as a country. We don’t want to be honest as to what caused the attacks on 9-11-01.”
“Divesting dollars from businesses and banks that do business with Israel is the new strategy being proposed to wake the world up concerning the racism of Zionism.”
Examples of anti-Israel hate that Wright published in his church bulletins:
By Ali Baghdadi: “Israel was the closest ally to the White Supremacists of South Africa...Both worked on an ethnic bomb that kills Blacks and Arabs...Arnold Toynbee, the world renowned historian, stated that what the Zionist Jews did to the Palestinians is worse than what the Nazis did to the Jews.”
By Hamas: “Why should anyone concede Israel’s “right” to exist, when it has never even acknowledged the foundational crimes of murder and ethnic cleansing by means of which Israel took our towns and villages, our farms and orchards, and made us a nation of refugees?”
This is from Louis Farrakhan, said a few days before Wright honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award last November: “Do you know some of these satanic Jews have taken over BET?… Everything that we built, they have. The mind of Satan now is running the record industry, movie industry and television. And they make us look like we’re the murderers; we look like we’re the gangsters, but we’re punk stuff.”
Obama said he never heard or read any comments like these in the 20 years he went to Wright’s church.
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CH Klaver
09/08/08 04:44 PM
Personally, I have more of a problem with those who believe that <I>Obama is the new messiah <I>, the Black Jesus coming to save them from the evils of the whites. And the fact that Obama said that his church and teachings of his pastor were part and parcel of the Black church, and to reject his pastor for his “racism” was to reject the Black church as a whole. Moreover, Obama equates the “racism” of his white grandmother with that of his pastor, a spiritual leader and representative of God’s word. The Rev Manning makes some very salient points about this.
It is a sad state of our society that an election has come down to which church is more racist than the other for a benchmark on voting for a candidate. This is not the word of God that I was taught.
Obama will be the one candidate who can play our religious prejudices off of one another with great effect, making us believe that he represents us all—Jews, Christians, Muslims. When who does he actually represent?