Call against anti-Semitism
Given the constantly growing anti-Semitism in Germany and Europe, the amzi emphatically distances itself from all variants of old and modern hatred of Jews! We call on political and social leaders to oppose this development with all the means at their disposal under the rule of law and to declare “Never again!”! We support the following declaration of the European Evangelical Alliance and its call to action:
A statement by the European Evangelical Alliance
EEA Office Bonn
Hatred against people because of their ethnicity or religion is on the rise across Europe, a fact that Christians should not ignore. The European Evangelical Alliance is publishing this statement on anti-Semitism together with a statement on anti-Muslim hatred. In its broadest sense, anti-Semitism involves hatred of the Jewish people or their unjust treatment.
A call to action
With anti-Semitism on the rise across Europe, the European Evangelical Alliance believes that action is needed.
It calls on evangelical Christians to
● to condemn and reject the accusation of the murder of God and the false teaching that the Jews alone were responsible for the death of Christ;
● to condemn all anti-Semitic acts committed in the past, especially by men and women who claimed to be Christians but whose words and actions contradicted the teachings of Jesus and the Bible;
● to be aware of the Jewish community in their surroundings and to pray for them: Neighbors, colleagues, synagogues and local Messianic congregations;
● to be aware of incidents of anti-Semitism in their surroundings and in the news and to pray about them;
● to look for opportunities to make friends with Jews and Messianic Jews (often referred to as Jewish believers in Jesus or Jesus-believing Jews);
● To show solidarity with the Jewish people and stand by them when they themselves or their property are attacked, and to be ready to give them refuge when the situation becomes serious.
Furthermore, the European Evangelical Alliance calls for the message of the Gospel of God’s love to be communicated clearly, respectfully and with mercy to all people, including the Jewish people.
Anti-Semitism – a deplorable past
The history of European anti-Semitism goes back at least to Roman times (Acts 18:2). Tragically, much of this history is linked to the church. Even though individuals protected Jewish people from danger and sometimes paid a high price for doing so, many were complicit. Within the church, massively anti-Jewish statements by big names such as Ambrose and Martin Luther led to the demarcation between Jews and Christians. Most devastating was the extermination of some six million Jews, including Jewish believers in Jesus, during the “Final Solution” of the Second World War. Of the nine million Jews living in Europe at the beginning of the war, only three million survived the end of the war.
An ominous past
Unfortunately, hatred of the Jewish people is not a thing of the past. Today, religious, racist and political anti-Semitism have often merged. Horrific acts of violence against the Jewish people continue to occur: from Holocaust denial to demonization of the state of Israel that goes far beyond reasonable criticism, to bans on Jewish lecturers at universities, to variations of the hashtag “Hitler was right” (over 17.000 in one week in 2022), to indiscriminate stabbings on the street, to murderous attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools and to blanket calls to boycott all Jewish products and businesses – anti-Semitism remains a virulent, dangerous reality in the present day. Anti-Semitism is on the rise again and is comparable to the 1930s. And let’s not forget that Jewish believers in Jesus are also under attack, with Messianic congregations being vandalized and swastikas smeared on walls.
What does the Bible say about hate?
We serve a God of love who has loved, cared for, and provided for us from the beginning of our existence. (Deuteronomy 7:9) Loving and serving God means following his example and loving all of his creation, whether easy or difficult (Matthew 5:43-45). Hatred or the desire for the destruction of any people group, including the Jewish people, clearly violates God’s commandment to love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham (Mt 1:1). He died for their sins and rose from the dead. He longs for them (as well as everyone) to be saved (Mt 23:37). Not only Jews were present at Jesus’ death, but also Romans and other Gentiles. Nevertheless, Jesus died for the world’s sins, so that all people are responsible for his death (Acts 4:27; Romans 5:6; 8). To accuse the Jewish people of the murder of God and make them the only ones responsible for Christ’s death contradicts basic biblical truth. Yes, the book of Acts records how Jewish leaders fought the early church, but the latter was of course led by Messianic Jews. There is no excuse for anti-Semitism.
What does the Bible say about the Jews being chosen?
In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to leave his family and go where God leads him. With this call, God makes a series of promises to Abraham. God chooses to bless Abraham and his family (including his future family) in a very special way – and he is to be a blessing. Those who bless Abraham (and his family) will be blessed, and those who curse them will be cursed, and eventually, all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. God’s blessing was, therefore, not intended for Abraham’s benefit but to be a blessing for others. Even though Israel did not always use its position to bless the nations around it, God remained faithful to His promise, and the whole world was blessed through Abraham’s family with the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world from sin. The call to the blessing that Abraham received has now been extended to the church as adopted members of Abraham’s family. All of us are responsible for blessing the nations with the good news of Jesus. Christians are not enemies of the Jewish people; we are one family. Ultimately, anti-Semitism is an attempt to thwart God’s plan for the redemption of fallen humanity, which he sent his Son to save. Through the Jewish people, God gave the world the written Word (the Holy Scriptures) and the Word made flesh (the Redeemer).
The Christian response to anti-Semitism
When the country of Israel is mentioned in conversation, it is sometimes said that criticism of the current Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians is anti-Semitic. Others claim the opposite. Of course, questioning developments in the state of Israel should never turn into anti-Semitism. At the same time, affirming the right of the Jewish people to live peacefully in the land of Israel does not justify “actions that contradict biblical ethics and constitute oppression of people groups or individuals.” (Lausanne Willowbank Declaration)
Non-Jewish Christians and Jesus-believing Jews are brothers and sisters in Christ. It is time for us as believers in Jesus, whether Jews or non-Jews, to stand together against the hate-motivated and terrorist acts of our day directed against Jewish people. Jesus is the only way of salvation for all people, including his fellow Jews (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 1:16). It is, therefore, unloving to withhold his message of salvation from people (Jn 3:16).
Time to act
We encounter anti-Semitism in Europe in the form of words, boycotts and attacks on property and people. The European Evangelical Alliance calls on its members not only to be aware of it but also to take action.
German translation: EEA Office Bonn
Abbreviation: amzi
