I recently was in a social media dialogue where I was asked my definition of proselytizing.  I should preface this by admitting that Christians proselytizing to Jews is a red button issue that transforms me into a raging beast.

So, here it is:

In its simplest form, proselytizing is preaching to influence another person’s beliefs. Many Christians prefer the euphemism “spreading the gospel” since the gospel can be defined as “good news.” And who could object to spreading good news?

But what if, for 2,000 years, every time you were given ‘good news’ and weren’t happy about it, you were killed or tortured? What if rejecting the news as good, the bearer informed you that you were damned, or would be denied ‘salvation’, even if your belief in God had nothing to do with salvation? What if you firmly believed your faith in God required you to reject that ‘good news’?

And would it really make a difference if that person claimed they were forcing the good news on you because they loved you? It is a hated thing done in the name of love, though it is the opposite of love. True friendship means loving the other person because he is different from you.

Yes, Christians who claim to reject replacement theology still expect Jews to accept Jews still expect us to accept Jesus. They believe that we are still in the covenant…but cannot be fulfilled until we believe in Jesus. They don’t want to replace us…they just want us to become something different, something that looks like a Jew on the outside but on the inside is a Christian.

I harp on this a lot. I was ambivalent about Christian missionizing before I began reaching out to Christians in friendship. To be honest, it seemed silly. Not because Christianity is not wonderful, but because I knew in the deepest depths of my soul that I am a Jew and stood at Mount Sinai. I couldn’t believe in Jesus, and like all the Jews who were killed in the name of Jesus, I couldn’t deny it even if my life depended on it. Preaching the gospel to me was pointless. I will not, can not, accept Jesus. Ever. (I was recently told that this is deeply insulting to Christians, though for the life of me, I cannot understand why).

But I am now militant in my hatred of Christian proselytizing. Even the expectations expressed by Christians that I should, or inevitably will accept Jesus cause me to seethe in anger.  When the only thing at stake was my personal soul and salvation, there was no reason to get angry. But I now realize that the biggest obstacle to Redemption and the Messiah is Christians’ proselytizing, spreading the gospel, and preaching Jesus to Jews. 

Judaism does not proselytize. Indeed, halacha dictates strict limits on what Jews are allowed to teach Christians. In this regard, I have chosen to be a sinner. On the flip side, I am very stringent about discouraging people from the nations who want to convert to Judaism.

I believe that since the first followers of the Jesus movement were Jews, they did not preach the gospel to their Jewish neighbors. I believe this changed when the Jesus movement migrated to Rome. The first church, under Constantine and influenced by Roman culture, was, like its host culture, built on conquering and domination. In our times, ‘Jews for Jesus’ was begun as a rather nefarious and underhanded way to target Jews for proselytizing. But Jewish believers who live in Israel do not proselytize. They have reverted to the ways of the original followers of that Jewish rabbi from Bethlehem. 

I have a hidden aspiration as a journalist. I would like to compile data on how much money Christian organizations spend in Israel preaching the gospel to Jews through organizations like GodTV. Then, I want to divide that by the number of Jews they successfully convince to believe in Jesus. How much money does it cost to convince one Jew to accept Jesus? Is that really where they want to put their resources? Would (Jewish) Jesus really prefer that to other projects, such as helping the poor and needy?

But the situation is far from all doom and gloom. To counter my angry nature, Hashem has blessed me with amazing friends to guide me down the path to redemption. Replacement theology and preaching the gospel are hardwired into Christianity. Our dearest friends, the evangelicals, named their movement to prioritize the mandate to proselytize. Rejecting that mandate requires rewiring Christian faith.

But a few remarkable Christians have succeeded in precisely that. They are all learned, well-versed in Christian sources and theology, and deeply devout believers in Jesus. The only Christians who continue to preach the gospel at me have the appearance of devotion but little scholarship to back it up.

I am referring to my friend Bishop Jerry Bowers. He recently published an editorial in Israel365 News titled, “Why Christians Should Honor, Not Convert, the Jewish People.” He has managed to rewire his faith in a way that will bring the House of Prayer for All Nations, making God One and His Name One. We recently sat down and talked about the recent efforts to revive the mitzvah of the red heifer. Many Christians have rejected this and any efforts to restore the Temple service. They claim the Third Temple will be the “Temple of the Antichrist.” Bishop Bowers patiently explained Christian theology’s sources (or lack thereof) for this claim.

This was confirmed by a remarkable dialogue I was privileged to have with Pastor Mark Biltz. Pastor Biltz is intimidating. He thinks faster than anyone I have ever met and absorbs information at a rate and magnitude I cannot fathom. He is fluent in the Jewish sources as well as the Christian sources. He made the stunning statement that Jesus used the ashes of the red heifer to purify himself, especially since Jesus was in contact with lepers and frequently went to the Temple. Pastor Biltz is a strong advocate for the return of the Temple service, indeed more vigorous than most Jews. This led some viewers of the YouTube video to claim that Pastor Biltz was not Christian and was, perhaps, a rabbi posing as a Christian to mislead “true believers.” His understanding of Christian theology and Jesus, based in faith and scholarship, could not be reconciled with their beliefs.