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Christianity Today, February, 2009 |

The Ultimate Kibitzer

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein wants Jews to trust evangelicals, and evangelicals to love Israel.

John W. Kennedy in New York City | posted 2/24/2009 12:52PM

On a cold friday evening on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a crowd of 200 gathers to hear Rabbi Yechiel Z. Eckstein speak on the topic, "The Christian Right: Jews' Best Friends or Greatest Adversaries?" ...

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Ed	Posted: March 02, 2009 8:50 AM

I think Rabbi Eckstein is a great man and he may even have sincery intenctions, although I think he is just another religous humanist. What does it help when a Jew get´s a better Jew through good works and social justice (don´t get me wrong I am not against these things in the jewish or world wide community), but will be forever seperated from the living God? Rabbi Paul said, that Jews need more than zeal for God, but also the knowledge of Jesus as the Christ and saving faith in HIM. If Eckstein really want´s better Jews from the eternal Fathers standpoint have them understand Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.

Elizabeth

Posted: February 27, 2009 12:12 AM

I believe that many times Jews and Christians can be on a friendlier level if they both realize what they share. My daughter is at a state university that has some pretty radical "politically correct" required classes that are anti-Bible. She and another freshman girl spent several weeks talking together about the various anti-Bible things their professors said and became very good friends before they found out my daughter was Christian and her new freind was Jewish. They are still good friends (3 years later) and have gained a new respect and understanding for each other's beliefs and appreciation that both see the Old Testament as the Word of God. Don't know if Eckstein is truly a bridge builder or a user, but he has a point about what Evangelicals and Orthodox Jews have in common. After hundreds of years of antisemitism by those who claimed to be christians, the love of Christ has to be shown, bridges rebuilt, before we can become the olive tree Paul speaks of in Romans 11.

Joe Chip

Posted: February 25, 2009 3:44 PM

Surely there is a sucker born every minute. Eckstein, and by extension CT (in this woefully one-sided article) are bilking the ignorant faithful while cleverly avoiding any real hard questions. For example: Why should Christians give money to support a state that most of the world regards as a rogue terrorist nation? Would you give to Iran, to North Korea? Perhaps if they hired a "handsome, nattily attired, tanned, and 6 feet 2 inches tall" spokesperson? Eckstein does not believe that Christ is God, and therefore (as nice a guy as I'm sure he is) would seem to fall very low on the list of religious figures Christians should be giving money to. Would you give money to Rev. Moon? To Louis Farrakhan? To Richard Dawkins? They all have more in common with Eckstein than we do - namely, they deny the Deity of Christ. Oh well, so it goes.

scb	Posted: February 25, 2009 11:41 AM


OK, mea culpa, I did not read the whole article. However, I have noticed that from my limited exposure to the organization, it is pretty much a one-way street with all the appeal being to Christians to support Jews. I'd like to see more jewish support for Christians too.

Basil

Posted: February 25, 2009 10:16 AM


Does Eckstein realize that many of his 'Evangelical' friends embrace him because they believe that the Jews and Israel are pawns in their great eschatological scheme that will cost millions of Jewish lives? hmmmm

aftab

Posted: February 25, 2009 7:34 AM


Eckstein is just too clever! Moslems believe in the virgin birth of Christ. Does he? Does he not believe that Christ's father was a Roman soldier? Does he not believe that the Virgin was a woman of easy virtue? Whom is he trying to fool by speaking of thecommonality of Christian and Jewish beliefs?

pete Benson, editor UNITYINCHRIST.COM

Posted: February 25, 2009 6:23 AM

This is a white-wash article about Eckstein and his organization, as it fails in more than briefly mentioning that Eckstein and the organization he founded and runs is a very strong anti-missionary organization against Jews for Jesus and Messianic Jewish believers in Yeshua as a whole. Messianic Judaism started really booming, inspired by Jews, evangelizing to Jews. Gentile Christians who were interested have joined, but make up a smaller proportion of Messianic congregations and synagogues. Messianic Judaism has boomed and is booming primarily as a move of the Holy Spirit to recreate the Jewish branch of the body of Christ, which has essentially been dead for 1700 years, after the Roman Emperor Constantine snuffed out Judeo-Christians in Asia Minor after 325AD. Eckstein's anti-missionary stance against Messianic Jews is primarily against an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Christians have to realize this before ever contributing to them. Log onto: http://www.jewsforjesus.org .

Scott McCarty

Posted: February 25, 2009 5:13 AM

An excellent article about a very interesting personality who has a lot of charism. Eckstein seems to be the ultimate communicator. However, I able not able to reconcile the enthusiastic attitude and practices of American evangelicals toward Eckstein when compared with the attitudes and practices of the Lord Jesus Christ and the other Apostles as recorded in the New Testament, which at least for me is the standard for interpersonal relationships. I find disturbing to read that American evangelicals fund so heavily the IFCJ when hundreds of us evangelical missionaries have enormous difficulties living and feeding ourselves. Christ left us Matthew 28: 18-20 and Actes 1:8, and that is the STANDARD. Being a "Jew for Jesus" and okaying Jesus as only the Saviour of the Gentiles are intellectual and spiritual absurdities in violent contradiction with the New Testament. May American evangelicals soon learn what a disciple of Jesus Christ really means. Repentance for treachery is the call.

Paul Bond

Posted: February 25, 2009 4:36 AM

There was a debate in heaven as to the merits of the $400,000 a year Israeli fund raiser, Rabbi Eckstein and Brother Andrew who recently in Christianity Today was recorded as having asked, 'Have you prayed for Osama bin Laden today?' Problem is that the Freedom of Information Act doesn't apply and so we are left not knowing whose welfare we should seek - although I suppose the teaching of Jesus might give some pointers. Is this still available to Evangelicals?

Joseph R.

Posted: February 25, 2009 12:04 AM


A well written article. The reason why the author leaves Arabs out of it, is, that while we Christians pray for everybody, we are not going to pretend that the Arabs are our friends. As far as the Gaza "Masscre" in one of the comments, that was blaming the Israelis for what happened in Gaza.

Stephen C

Posted: February 24, 2009 10:24 PM


'... conservative Christians and Orthodox Jews share a common enemy: radicalized Islam'. Much as it is not trendy to believe, our common enemy is NOT Islam or Muslims ... it is the only thing we cannot save ourselves from, the only thing we need a saviour to deliver us from: our sinful human nature.

Jake	Posted: February 24, 2009 10:20 PM


There is some great truth in the article in that we as Christians are to love Jews and care for their needs. However, we are also called to seek justice for Palestinians, Iraqi's and Arabs globally. I am afraid the dispensational pre-occupation with the end times as it relates to Israel is drawing our focus away from 'making disciples of all nations.'

Dave N.

Posted: February 24, 2009 8:57 PM


Loving Israel does not necessarily equate to loving the Jewish people. This is a common error made by Evangelicals.

Dave	Posted: February 24, 2009 6:25 PM


Surely our Christian love must encompass Jew and Arab, as we embrace the horrible realities of both the Holocaust and Gaza massacre. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the basis of a message to all the nations, and 21st century realities force us to admit the need of each people, and each person, of the love of God.

Charitas

Posted: February 24, 2009 2:22 PM

A very refreshing and informative article and one of great importance especially regarding current events. For whatever reason gaining Jewish friends has always been easy for me. As a result I have found dialog to be very natural with little conflict. Yes I still speak about Jesus and that is understood, there is also great benefit in listening and learning. Learning about the feasts (especially Passover) amplifies Christian understanding of our faith. Also there is a joyous benefit in visiting a synagogue for Sabbath (wait until invited, don't just barge in). Observations: The Holocaust is solemn never speak of it lightly; identify in speech "Jewish people or friends" instead of just "Jews", afford them the courtesy of an elder cousin (we are somewhat related). Be a real friend and don't treat them as merchandise (i.e. arm twisting evangelization); help them, stand up for them especially when no one else will (which is often), and share with them your concerns as well.

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