Governors for Jesus, against Jews

The front cover of today's Times has an article on yesterday's signing of anti-abortion and anti-gay legislation by Texas governor Rick Perry at an evangelical school in Fort Worth, Texas. While the entire scene - the need to "celebrate with Christian friends" over the signing of legislation whose secular purpose seems dubious to begin - was distubring, of particular note is Perry's decision to have "Rabbi" David Stone, minister of the Beth Yeshua Messianic Jewish Congregation of Fort Worth offer the closing benediction among protestations by the Perry camp that the event was "open to people of all faiths."


The local Messianic Jewish congregation is part of an initiative is often known by its best-funded and most visible organization, "Jews for Jesus," one of the leading pioneers in the succesful exploitation of the Comic Sans Font to produce whimsical-looking pamphlets. Whatever the differences between the varying forms of Messianic Judaism, they have two things in common: One, a desire to succeed where crudades, inquisitions and dis-enfranchisement failed and convert the stubborn Jews; and two, a lack of faith in the ability of a straight-forward presentation of the merits of Christianity in getting the job done. Thus "Messianic Jewish" congregations retain the ritual trappings of Judaism (down to a Hebraicized Bet Yeshua/House of Jesus) but in fact espouse the Christian doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ.


While many of my co-religionists are deeply troubled by any evangelizing of Jews (believing understandably that given the general way its been done in the past 2000 years, we deserve a milenium or so break from prostelyzation), part of being in America is for everyone to be exposed to the marketplace of competing religious ideas. Further, I understand the central role witnessing plays in the religious lives of evangelicals - they believe they have a divine obligation to spread what they believe to be the "Good News." Such witnessing provides no threat to any truly secure Jewish identity - there is no reason to slam the door on a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon who doesn't get the hint that mezuzah on the doorpost is a signal to pitch their spiritual wares next door.


Jews for Jesus and its ilk is another story. Support for Jews for Jesus is fundamentally inconsistent with respect for Judaism and evangelicals should be ashamed of their support for it. To have the chief executive of one of the most important states in our union endorse such degredation of the Jewish faith is unacceptable. Governer Perry needs to get the message loud and clear that he has deeply offended the American Jewish community and he accordingly not deserving of any support, even from the minority of Texas Jews who do vote Republican. Further, the GOP needs to get the message that there is a limit to what even hawkish, Israel-centered Jews will put up with when it comes to pandering to the religious right. And that Governor Perry, by endorsing a movement created for the sole purpose of readicating the Jewish faith, has just crossed that line.