Your Turn - The Jewish Response To A Christian Challenge

by Rabbi Michael Skobac

If you are Jewish, you're a target. Millions of evangelical Christians in North America are passionately committed to converting us to their faith. They fund over 1,000 different missionary organizations to spearhead this effort. These include groups like Jews for Jesus and Chosen People Ministries, as well as hundreds of Messianic congregations reaching out to Jews of all stripes.

Many of these organizations encourage and train ordinary Christians to share their faith with Jewish friends, neighbors, and business associates. When they want to begin a discussion with us, what will they speak about? They realize, of course, that it will have to be something that is relevant to us and that we are concerned about. While many Jewish people don't spend much time thinking about Biblical issues like the Messiah, we are all sensitive to our failures and shortcomings in life. There just may be something to all those jokes about Jewish guilt. We let others down, disappoint them, and sometimes hurt them. Often, this is most true for those closest to us. And we certainly don't always live up to God's expectations. We may not usually speak using terms like sinning, but all this word really means is falling short of how we should be living. We know what we need to do for our friends to forgive us, but what about our relationship with the Almighty?

When they want to begin a discussion with us, what will they speak about?

They realize, of course, that it will have to be something that is relevant to us and that we are concerned about. While many Jewish people don't spend much time thinking about Biblical issues like the Messiah, we are all sensitive to our failures and shortcomings in life. There just may be something to all those jokes about Jewish guilt! We let others down, disappoint them, and sometimes hurt them. Often, this is most true for those closest to us. And we certainly don't always live up to God's expectations. We may not usually speak using terms like sinning, but all this word really means is falling short of how we should be living. We know what we need to do for our friends to forgive us, but what about our relationship with the Almighty?

While many Jewish people don't spend much time thinking about Biblical issues like the Messiah, we are all sensitive to our failures and shortcomings in life. There just may be something to all those jokes about Jewish guilt. We let others down, disappoint them, and sometimes hurt them. Often, this is most true for those closest to us. And we certainly don't always live up to God's expectations. We may not usually speak using terms like sinning, but all this word really means is falling short of how we should be living. We know what we need to do for our friends to forgive us, but what about our relationship with the Almighty?