Hi there! I’m going to answer this way more simplistically than the topic deserves; I invite Jewish persons or people of any non-Christian faith, or atheists, to offer more comment if they desire.
To begin with, my post on why I am a Christian was purposefully worded to describe why I, personally, am a Christian – I believe many other Christians likely can relate to what I wrote, but I have no desire to impose my feelings around the matter on others of any faith. I believe that other faiths offer other persons and groups access to a full, abundant life and to the Divine – I do not personally hold that Christianity is the “Only Way,” even while I admit that my personal suppositions regarding divinity as well as life after death are through a Christian lens.
It is a complicated balancing act to hold one’s own natural beliefs that their faith hold something special or unique (that’s why we choose the faith we do, whatever that is!) while respecting other faiths, particularly when we find ourselves a part of a culture’s privileged religion – as Christianity is in my country. I talk about that balancing act a little bit in my Youtube video with Leah.
So I personally do not advocate for trying to “convert” persons of just about any faith to Christianity, unless the person approaches me first (i.e., they seem interested, they have questions they’d like me to answer, they’d like my advice and support, etc.). The attempted conversion of Jewish persons in particular is highly problematic in the worst way.
For starters, Jewish persons already have a faith that offers them a beautiful relationship with God, with humanity, and with all Creation. It is a great disrespect to their faith to try to “save” them and “bring them to God” when they already have God. I am not going to try to force them into my faith when Christians doing that to Jewish persons has caused horrific harm and attempted genocide over the past two millennia.
It is antisemitic to try to convert Jewish people to Christianity because two thousand years of attempts have born terrible fruit.
For a small example: as a hospital chaplain last fall I was taught to approach Jewish patients with the ultimate sensitivity due to the fact that many of them are extremely wary of Christian chaplains because we used to try to baptize them sneakily, without their consent!!! while they were in the hospital, a very vulnerable place!!!! not too many decades back!!!
For a larger example: in many cultures across Christian history, Jewish persons were forced to choose between conversion and either execution or expulsion. I commend to you this wikipedia article and the links therein for more on that history.
I take my cue regarding this topic from Christian denominations as varied as PC(USA) and the Methodist Church and the Roman Catholic Church. These denominations have all “entered into dialog with American Jews, while discontinuing any efforts to convert them. They have gone beyond rejecting anti-semitism, and beyond simple tolerance. They now value Judaism as a “sister” religion with whom they have much in common, and from which they have much to learn. The dialog is conducted between the two religions as equals in a spirit of honest seeking” (source).
The Catholic Church also issued a document several years back called “The Gifts and Calling of God are Irrevocable” solidifying the post-Vatican II decision that "the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews” (source).
I wrote a post on more of my thoughts around evangelism a couple years ago.
I also appreciate this article on Christian privilege that states that one can follow Jesus’ Great Commission without trying to assimilate the whole world to Christianity:
Not only do we as Christians benefit from Christian privilege, we’re actually proud of it. We tout it as a victory. The more that culture becomes “Christianized” the more we’ve accomplished our mission.
What’s stunning is that this is the furthest thing from what Jesus taught, hoped for, or embodied.
Jesus never called for his disciples to Christianize culture. To make every aspect of culture about Christianity, and to marginalize and minimize those who were not Christian.
He didn’t even call us to convert everyone to a new religion called Christianity - that’s not what the Great Commission is all about.
No, Jesus called us to go into the world and proclaim good news - news of liberating love for everyone - and to make disciples, or in other words, invite people to follow in the example of Jesus. To emulate the life Jesus lived and work to create the world he dreamed of.
And did you know that you can do that without ever making someone a Christian? In fact, did you realize that when Jesus told his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel, there was no such thing as Christianity - it didn’t exist. He wasn’t telling them to make people Christian.
…He wasn’t asking them to ask anyone to convert from their religion, or their culture, or their social setting. Rather, he invited everyone in every culture and context to embrace a path of self-sacrificial love for the good of their friends, neighbors and enemies.
People of all faiths, as well as atheists and agnostics and “the nones,” can and do live into this Good News we are called to share, regardless of where they see it as coming from. Liberation and love, justice and peace, are for everyone, not only those who identify as Christian.
cryptidanomoly
