Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a regular on cable television, had a message this weekend for scandal-plagued U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, which he sent, quite naturally, via Twitter, according to USA Today:
"Dear Congressman Weiner: There is no effective "treatment" for sin. Only atonement, found only in Jesus Christ."
Weiner is Jewish.
This isn't the first time that Mohler has spoken strongly of his belief that Jews need Christ to be saved. He once compared Judaism to a tumor that needed to be removed. EthicsDaily.com reported in 2003:
While Jewish evangelism is controversial today, Mohler said Christians do Jewish people a disservice by failing to confront them with the gospel. He compared it to a person with a potentially deadly tumor, who would rather have a doctor give a truthful diagnosis than say all is well to avoid offending him.In the same way, telling a Jewish person she is in danger of hell "is the ultimate act of Christian love," Mohler said. ...
In addition to his comments about the Jewish religion, Mohler has also described Catholicism as "a false church" teaching "a false gospel." He says liberal Protestants have abandoned the Christian faith. ...
Mohler isn't the only Southern Baptist leader holding such views. Strained relationships between Southern Baptist and Jewish leaders date back decades to SBC president Bailey Smith's infamous 1980 quote, "God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew."
Mohler's views are not shared by all Christians. In 1987, The United Church of Christ adopted a resolution that stated in part:
We in the United Church of Christ acknowledge that the Christian Church has, throughout most of its history, denied God's continuing covenantal relationship with the Jewish people expressed in the faith of Judaism. This denial has often led to outright rejection of the Jewish people and to theologically and humanly intolerable violence. The Church's frequent portrayal of the Jews as blind, recalcitrant, evil, and rejected by God has found expression in much Christian theology, liturgy, and education. Such a negative portrayal of the Jewish people and of Judaism has been a factor in the shaping of anti Jewish attitudes of societies and the policies of governments. The most devastating lethal metastasis of this process occurred in our own country during the Holocaust.Faced with this history from which we as Christians cannot, and must not, disassociate ourselves, we ask for God's forgiveness through our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for divine grace that will enable us, more firmly than ever before, to turn from this path of rejection and persecution to affirm that Judaism has not been superseded by Christianity; that Christianity is not to be understood as the successor religion to Judaism; God's covenant with the Jewish people has never been abrogated. God has not rejected the Jewish people; God is faithful in keeping covenant.
Mohler's advice to Weiner reminds us that there is still a powerful divide between some Christians and Jews. Christians like Mohler see their faith as superior to the Jewish faith and the Hebrew Scriptures of lesser value and importance than the Christian New Testament. When figures on the religious right like Mohler align themselves politically with Israeli hardliners opposed to peace negotiations with the Palestinians the motive is theological: They hope to usher in the end times by bringing war to Israel to fulfill their fundamentally flawed understanding of biblical prophecy. Likud Party officials court these figures because of their ties to GOP politicians despite the view held by Mohler and others who make up the religious right that the Second Coming of Jesus which would occur during the Armageddon would throw all Jews (and other non-born again Christians) into eternal damnation. Talk about strange bedfellows.
Mohler's view of Judaism is obscene. But what do you expect from a man who compares judges who rule in favor of gay marriage to the 9/11 terrorists? Maybe he can join Weiner in a treatment program for wayward Twitters.
Follow Rev. Chuck Currie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RevChuckCurrie
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This is not hate speech, these are the words of Christ Himself. No one, not Jews or anyone else can else, can come to the Father except through Christ. Christ is the Messiah, promised to the Jews throughout the Old Testament. The first Christians were Jews. There is no salvation without Christ, and that is from the teaching of Christ Himself. Any teaching that is contrary to this is therefore not Christian.
I am glad that you're strong enough to speak the truth adn go against the flow. What we are seeing are Christian ministers doing their part to promote liberla Chritianity because they are afraid that no one will like them...or buy their books. Money is a root of all kinds of evil and promotes compromise of one's beliefs.
The pastor spoke the truth and should not be condemnded for it. He was brave enough to recommend that rabbinic teaching aboout good works isn't going to cut it with God. In your walk with Jesus, I pray that you remain strong when you are challenged about John 14:6, John 3:16 and Hebrews 11:6. The Apostasy is increasing. We can't save the world, but stay strong and guide those who recieve what you are saying to the Light.
Peace,
Doc
The trouble is - they are exporting these horrendous views to India (backed by many Republican (and some democratic) politicians) and causing enormous harm to local communities. All under the cover of "freedom of religion". What a menace.
Your hubris is beyond imagination.
- Christopher Hitchens
http://www.jewishjournal.com/opinion/article/religion_the_first_and_worst_explanation_20081022/
god has covenants with selected people? again a god made in the image of humans.
this appears to be common among all religions except maybe buddhism that religions make a god in the image of man. to keep their mangod image the christians made jesus god that way they have their human god made in the image of themselves to worship.
BUDDHISM: If bad things happen, it isn't really bad.
HINDUISM: This bad thing happened before.
ISLAM: If bad things happen, it is the will of Allah.
PROTESTANTISM: Let bad things happen to someone else.
CATHOLICISM: If bad things happen, you deserved it.
ATHEISM: Bad things happen and religion is to blame for it.
AGNOSTICISM: We will never know why bad things happen.
SPIRITUALISM: Evil spirits cause bad things to happen.
JUDAISM: Why do bad things always happen to us?
the last one is I suspect has weiner thinking a lot about these days.
I liked that very much!
Doc
WRONG. Even though I am an atheist and I do not give a fig about people's sacred cows, I have met many, many Christians in my life who are paragons of decency, love, virtue, and kindness. Rarely am I called upon to defend Christians, but in this case I will not sit by and let an entire religious group all be tarred with the same brush.
Lord Jesus Christ! I Pray To You, Please Never Take You’re Loving Grace away from me, because if You remove You’re Grace and Presence from me, I will perish and fall back into darkness. I cannot survive or exist Without You’re Grace Lord!
-Matthew (at least the version we have) was written in Greek. Papias of Hierapolis is responsible for the idea that it was written in Hebrew, and there might have in fact been a Hebrew version. However, this Hebrew version has not been discovered and the Greek version that we do have does not appear to have been translated from Hebrew.
-In regards to the divinity of Jesus, we'll use Matthew (which you consider authoritative) for the following verse:
"But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:63-64
Jesus didn't claim to be God, but did claim to be the exclusieve Son of God and the Messiah. He either was this or was a liar. If he was a liar, then he is certainly not a Jewish role model.
I think that the better question is why do you apply a standard to Christians that you don't apply to Jews? Why is it shameful for Christians to believe that salvation comes only through Christ, yet it is commendable that Jews believe they are God's only chosen people?
I think the real issue you have is that you don't like Christians.
So, in disregarding Orthodox/Catholic teachings, Protestants should really just call the dude Josh.