We certainly understand that the apostles and Christ were of Jewish lineage and that the church in its infancy experienced a time a transition as it attempted to deal with its very sensitive conscience and its understanding of its freedom in Christ’s fulfillment of the old covenant rituals. However, they were encouraged to put such things away, and to embrace their freedom. The gentiles were simply told not to lord their freedom over their Jewish brothers while they transitioned. I do not see this as being parallel to either unbelieving Judaism, which keeps certain aspects of the old covenant laws purly out of unbelief. The Lord most certainly hates that. Further, much of what passes for messianic judaism is little more than jewish Christians who want to lord their heritage over the gentiles and maintain a jew/gentile distinction that at times seems tantamount to reconstructing the wall torn down in Ephesians 2. This too the lord hates. Those messianic jews who do not wish to lord their jewishness over gentile Christians simply need to grow up. We should be willing to let them do that, but that doesn’t seem to be the thrust of messianic judaism, and it certainly isn’t the thrust of apostate judaism.

I maintain the continuation of the old covenant rituals manifests at least some level of unbelief if only that inherent in the immaturity of a new Christian who has come from a jewish background. We can afford such a person time to grow up in the faith if that is their desire. My concern is when that is clearly not the attention.

Open to correction,

Granted all races bring their culture into the church (black churches are nothing like white churches), but the liturgical celebration of ceremonies is an issue beyond cultural accidentals. It is about the regulative principle, and the precedent phenomenon that that Jew is always a Jew first.

Wouldn’t the continued celebration of at least certain (I was thinking all) old covenant feasts (in a “Jewish” manner) equate to a denial that Jesus was [is] the Christ?

I know that that ceremonial law continues, but we keep it entirely in Christ (thus the particulars are, Bahnsen used the phrase, “put out of gear.”) The particular administrations have in that sense been abolished. Thus, its conitnued observance would seem to be a denial of the very gospel itself.

With regard to guilt by association I just become concerned by your strong language. If you do a cursory study of Jewish persecution in the last 2000 years or so you will find some abominable things that have been done against Jews by so called Christians. Luther himself published a track against Jews calling for them to be made second class citizens and subjected etc… which was used by Hitler. Chrysostrom’s rhetoric against Jews was one of the some of the strongest language ever used against the Jews (I confess that upon looking at the eight homilies I’m not exactly ready to stomach reading them). With regard to the Jews crucifying our Lord I’m pretty sure we all are aware that we are no better than them by nature without the grace of God would be worse perhaps. We all have to admit that we all crucified our Lord by our sin anyways. “Twas my sin that put him there, I nailed him to the tree, I crucified the Christ of God, I joined the mockery.”

With regard to hatred for Judaism: perhaps I should have been more specific. Of course we as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus hate blasphemies against him and any denial of who he is. However there has been an undue hatred against the mere trappings of Judaism throughout church history. An example is that at the Council of Nicea, I believe, a law was passed that no christian could celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the passover week in a Jewish fashion. None of this is warranted by scripture since as we all know the OT believers practiced Jewish rituals and we can see how they point to Christ. God hates legalism, salvation by works, and a denial of Jesus’ deity and the need for atonement Jesus but he does not hate Jewish feasts etc… is my point and your sarcastic comment against Kosher laws I think are a bit well, focusing on the wrong area. If you are convinced that Jews are a bad influence then, ok I need to do more study, but you seem to be needlessly ridiculing parts of Jewish religion that do not appear to be a problem. It’s poisoning the well and it obscures your point.

Again I appreciate your taking the time to post Mr. Butler and I dare to read more of your blog to try to understand your point of view better. BTW thank you for your article on the transcendental argument for God. I am currently writing a paper on it and it has been helpful. Blessings.

A few responses to your comments.

“Many of your comments really do sound similar to the arguments advanced by Hitler and the Nazi’s prior to the holocaust.”

(1) Please tell me what these arguments are, especially their conclusions.

(2) Arguments apart, perhaps some of my comments sound similar to Hitler’s. So what? The Hitler/holocaust rhetoric does not work here.

(3) If you are going to try to show my guilt by association, I demand that that you broaden the field of men you quote from. Here are some for starters.

“Shall I tell you of their plundering, their covetousness, their abandonment of the poor, their thefts, their cheating in trade? the whole day long will not be enough to give you an account of these things.” -Chrysostom

“Reasons of race and religion combine to make any large number of free-thinking Jews undesirable.” -T. S. Eliot

“Whenever you see or think about a Jew, say to yourself as follows: Behold, the mouth which I see there has every Saturday cursed, execrated, and spit upon my dear Lord, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed me with His precious blood; and also prayed and cursed before God that I, my wife and children, and all Christians, should be stabbed and perish in the most miserable manner —— and would like to do so himself if he could, that he might come into possession of our goods …… Should I eat, drink with, or speak to such a Devilish mouth? …… I would partake of all the Devils who live in that Jew, and would spit upon the precious blood of Christ —— God keep me from doing that.” -Luther

“[Your comments] sound bitter as if John Hagee was not a true believer.”

Bitterness is neither here nor there. On whether Hagee is a Christian see comment #29.

“This comment seems to me to be filled with a hate for judaism”

Of course I hate Judaism. I am a Christian. I hate all systems of thought that teach blasphemies against Jesus Christ.

As for proving a Jewish conspiracy, read all the posts under the category Judaica and after that, stick with us over the next year.

If I may jump in while we’re waiting for MRB to reply, I have a few points and one question.

When one studies the behavior, rather than the status, of the jew as a culture influencer he discovers anything but a righteousness that we would expect from one living out “God’s calling”. I’m afraid dietary laws are the least of their problems.

A Christian’s first concern about the Jew with whom he shares a culture should not be to see him converted; rather he should be calling on the Jew to quit practicing anti-gentile behaviors that his religion calls for. I am glad to hear that you recognize the influence of the jews who “are in government, hollywood, and hold economic power”. The next step is for you to study what they are doing with it. This leads to my question.

Hypothetically, if the Jew does [possess] a “special providence to engage in areas of common grace” could you list some of the positive, common-grace fruits produced by these people?

Consider this a friendly challenge from which we all may learn.

Why don’t you just pray for me rather than writing comments on this blog? You are being inconsistent with your version of Christianity.

True Christianity calls for both prayer and action. Perhaps I am wrong about the jews. I am open to argument. Please provide me with one.