MY IGNORANCE OF JEWS AND CHURCH HISTORY

By Carol Swain, CP Op-Ed Contributor Tuesday, February 13, 2024 This photograph taken on October 11, 2023, shows protesters gathering near the European Parliament in Brussels as they take part in a rally in solidarity with Israel following the October 7, 2023, surprise assault on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. | KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images 

I don't know much about Jews and church history.

Sometimes we have to face what we don't know. There is no weak-hearted person to face his own ignorance. You have to be ready to be vulnerable and let the skeptical world judge you.

I am a Christian Zionist, so I do not know about the history of the church. I thought it was stupid until the recent rise of antisemitism in America that prompted me to study Church History and understand why there are so many Jewish atheists in academia, some of whom are considered antisemitic and anti-Israel. Why?

I am ridiculous for never taking the time to really reflect on the well-known fact that six million Jews died in Christian Europe during the Holocaust. I began to think about how the Jewish followers of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, allowed such evil to happen around them. For what reason do the majority of Protestant and Catholic churches dislike Jews? For what reason were Dietrich Bonhoffer and Martin Niemoller assigned to set off the alarm? Why didn't the Jews like Martin Luther, Saint John Chrysostom, and even Saint Augustine? Is that because of the verse Romans 13: 1 (NIV), which reads, "Let every man be subject to governing authority, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The existing authority has been established by God"?

It turns out that the culprit was and continues to be "Replacement Theology", which argues that the Christian Church replaced the status that the Jews once had. According to this theory, the Jews rejected and killed Jesus, and in turn, Jesus rejected the Jews and replaced them with the Christian Church. Over the years, this theory has become the most popular belief in Western countries, although there are many contradictions in it. It is not surprising that the majority of Christians have rejected "Replacement Theology" and instead adopted the concept of dispensationalism in opposition to it.

The teachings of John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, a movement that began in 1827, fostered dispensationalism, which gradually replaced the antisemitism inherent in replacement theory. However, some American Christians continue to believe that Israeli Jews are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. People who oppose Israel are quick to defend Hamas, sympathize with Palestinians, and ignore Jews wherever they live.

Thus, I found that I qualified as a Christian Zionist because my love for Israel and Jews increased as a result of my appreciation of the Judeo-Christian Bible. Having a Christian faith encourages me to love and pray for Jews. In Psalm 122: 6 (NIV), we are told to "pray for peace in Jerusalem."I wish everyone who loves this city to enjoy prosperity.I pray not for Prosperity, but because Israel is the apple of God's eye (Zechariah 2: 8), and in my heart I have always had a relationship with the Jewish people. If I can do it, I also want to be a descendant of Abraham.do it, and keep my Christianity.

As I write these words, I wish Christian churches made more history in their teachings, especially at a time when this great crisis is unfolding. We must stand with Israel because they are our friends in the Middle East. To stand tall, we must learn more and better understand God's plan for Israel and the world.

Dr. Carol M. Swain, a senior fellow at the Institute for Faith and Culture, wrote a book called the Adversity of Diversity: how the Supreme Court's decision to remove race from college admissions criteria will destroy diversity programs.

News Sources : https://www.christianpost.com/voices/my-ignorance-of-jews-and-church-history.html