Third Dimcniion
thurcday, cctcbcr 23, 1970
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A csisvsn of persons csUinj themselves Jews fcr Jesos recently
stopped in Lincoln. Coming onto csnspus snsidst the pcliticd
campaigning, they almost seemed to be part of that handing out
their fliers. A Lincoln rahhi ssid he doubted the visiters from
California had much impact here. Here's what they say.
Two weeks ago a van labeled "Jews for Jesus" traveled
through Lincoln. Their singing group, called The
Liberated Wailing Wall, gave a song-and-dance
performance at the First Baptist Church. Perhaps you saw
them. Or perhaps on your way to class you received one
of the many pamphlets proclaiming that some Jewish
people have accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
Their stop in Lincoln was like many the Jews for Jesus
clan has made throughout America since the movement
began in the hippie culture of Haight-Ashbury, San
Francisco in 1966.
By about 1970 some 67,000 Jews were reported
turning to Christ. Moishe (Moses in Jewish) Rosen is the
national Jews for Jesus leader. He incorporated the organ
ization in California after 17 years on the staff of the New
York-based American Board of Missions to the Jews.
Jews for Jesus sounds like a paradox. The idea is to be
come a "completed Jew," not a "reformed Jew,
followers say. They basically have kept their Jewish tra
dition and culture but have embraced Christian beliefs.
In 1973 ;'Rosen was baptized. Rosen, 44, was then
trained at Northwestern Bible College in New Jersey as a
Baptist minister. ;He and his wife are of Jewish descent.
." "The term Christian' has come to mean non-Jewish
today," Rosen said. "All the apostles were Jews but did
not give up their Jewish worship when they followed
Christ.
The break in the Jewish and Christian communities
came about 1030 A J)., when the messianic Jews believed
in Jesus. The "medieval logic" of Aristotle divided every
thing into categories he said, including Jews and
Christians. ' -
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"The early Church was Jewish, but there was room for
paradoxes," he said. "God was loving and good and he
was also stern. The Bible and religion has many para
doxes .
Jews for Jesus shouldn't confuse anyone, he said.
"When I becaue a Christian, I didn't give up my Jewish
folkways or (eating habits) I had a loyalty to my own
people," Rosen said.
"I was overwhelmed when I realized how prejudiced I
was against Christ (before baptism)."
"It was between God and me," he said of his final
acceptance of the Bible and of Jesus of 2,000 years ago as
the Savior.
Jews for Jesus has caused consternation among the
"regulars" of the Jewish faith. Rabbi Robert Kaiser of the
South St. Temple Congregation in Lincoln said he thought
it is "a little bit silly. But the free society of America is a
xrondrrful thing, you can leave or choose to join any re
ligion you want."
The idea of Jews accepting Jesus Christ as their
perrons! savior has been tried before, Kaiser ssid, and was
net successful. About 1 ,000 Jews live in Lincoln, he said,
and it is hard to tell if any of them were affected by the
Jews for Jesus visit.
Jewish students at UNL hold a dim view of Jews for
Jesus.! Larry Marcus, president of the all-Jewish fraternity
Scsa Alpha Mu, said, "We don't approve of them at all."
Speaking for himself and his 25 fraternity brothers, he
soli they thought Jews for Jesus was "asinine.
"The Jews for Jesus-just by their name-show they are
Jews that have accepted Christ as Lord. (But) the main as
pect of being Jewish is not to recognize anyone over God.
We believe in one God. Jesus-he is just another Jewish
prophet in the Old Testament. We dpn't believe in the
New Testament, just the Old Testament. To us their
(the Jews for Jesus) attitude is absurd."
Although none of the Sammies (Sigma Alpha Mu
members) did not talk to the Jews for Jesus when they
were in Lincoln two weeks ago, Marcus said some of their
pamphlets were passed around the fraternity house.
"Maybe we're close-minded about it . .we don't have
any thing to do with them."
While Jews for Jesus emphasize they have kept their
Jevriii culture while accepting Christianity, Marcus
said, the main aspect of Judaism is the religion, not the
' culture."
Kaiser said The liberated Wailing Wall singing group
did not ask to perform at his synagogue during their week
long stay in Lincoln. But he said he would have let them,
had they asked.
However, Wesley Hustad, paster of the First Baptist
Church in Lincoln, invited the mobile evangelistic team to
give a concert at his church.
"It took 18 months to get them here," he said.
The Liberated Wailing Wall combines "Jewish Gospel
singing, with lyrics taken from scripture. They also
perform Jewish folk dance and drama.
"They were fantastic," Hustad said.
"Being Jewish is mostly cultural," Rosen said. This is
where the misconception comes in.
"Modern society makes Judaism and Christianity mu
tually exclusive. But neither Jesus nor the apostles ac
cepted that."
Rosen said both Jews and Christians often ignore his
group.
Jews for Jesus has 59 field workers who spread the
word via pamphlets and rap sessions with Americans.
They have no membership program per se, Rosen said.
But newsletters are sent to some 96,000 Jews for Jesus
followers and sympathizers.
The operate on an annual budget of $75,000 mostly
donations received at their San Rafael, Calif, office.
Pamphlets explain their position colorfully and clever
ly. There are 1 ,000 different titles altogether. Among
them: "Jesus made me Kosher." Christmas is a Jewish
Holiday." "Happy Yom Kippur ." "What's A Nice Four
letter Word You Can Say to God's Face?" "Graduate."
And even "Mary Hartrnan Mary Hartman," a spoof on the
TV show. The latter caused an alleged suit against Jews
for Jesus brought by the program's producers. The
pamphlet said Mary Hartman needed to repent, to repent,
because she had sinned, sinned.
A pamphlet titled "Everything you always wanted to
know about Jesus, but were afraid to ask your rabbi,"
summarizes their beliefs:
"We say that the main thing you ought to know about
Jesus is that you can and should believe in him. His is the
promised Jewish Messiah. His is the ultimate sacrifice by
which men can be justified and through whom Jews and
Gentiles can return to God. And about this we're
serious."
A Jew was one who followed the covenant supposedly
made by God with Abraham, Moses and David. The cove
nants provided for a promised land and a privileged re
lationship with God and gave Jews the mission to
proclaim the one true God to the world.
...
A New Covenant was promised in Jeremiah 31:33,
outlining how a person would become a Christian:
"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel. After those days, says the Lord, I will
put my law in their inward parts, and write it on their .
hearts, and I will be their God, and they shell be cay
people." -
Modern Jews for Jesus have been charged with disturb
ing the peace and littering by policemen in Chicago,
Rosen said. They have been spit upon, laughed at.
Once in Chicago, a "Gay raie" group rallied around .
them. A former homosexual Jews for Jesus member re- -portrily
silenced the mob by saying, "Gay meant
anything but happy. To be gay meant to be miserable."
They go on. Traveling to Philadelphia, New York and
'Lincoln. .
Rosen said in his recent newsletter:
"Everywhere we go, we meet Jews. who are eager to
talk about Jesus and Christians who are sensitive to the
Jewish people. . . .The ministry has been sowing seed.
Now we hope to begin waterirg. . . .and we believe we are
standing on the edge of the harvest."
Rosen has written several books, among them,
OvrKeszzik Mizzon. the Sayxs cChnrtcn fcois.
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F DIMENSION
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