Can Gentiles Understand The Missionary Threat?

Jewish evangelism is an affront to the memory of all who were martyred in the name of Christianity — from the days of Constantine to the Holocaust and beyond. 

Shortly after Mike Huckabee was approved as US Ambassador to Israel, a colleague asked me whether I thought his appointment would be a good thing considering his record of support for the Jewish State. I responded that it was too early to tell, and that the answer would ultimately depend on whether — although his pro-Israel stance is steadfast — as an ordained Baptist minister, he would use his office to enable Christian evangelism in Israel or instead respect Israel’s sovereign right to protect the religious and cultural heritage of her people free from theological harassment. The issue is both timely and critical.

The Ambassador’s recent criticism of Israel’s visa vetting process, however, did not allay Jewish apprehension concerning evangelical excess in Israel, where many missionaries profess love for the Jewish people as subterfuge to try to seduce unsuspecting Israelis away from the faith of their ancestors and into avodah zarah (strange worship). If these Christians were truly philosemitic, they would respect the integrity of Jewish belief and practice – and perhaps learn some real Torah instead of their adulterated “Old Testament.”

While many Christians support Israel and her people for reasons of history and justice, others are driven by a doctrinal compulsion to coopt the Jewish spirit. And they justify this spiritual predation with verses from their own scripture, e.g., Romans, 1:16 (emphasizing the need to preach “first to the Jew”), Matthew, 10:6 (targeting the “lost sheep of Israel”), and 1 Corinthians 9:20 (wherein Paul states: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews…”).

Mr. Huckabee weighed in on the process used to identify those who visit Israel to engage Jews in unsolicited evangelism. In particular, he decried the Interior Ministry’s heightened scrutiny of missionaries applying for A3 religious worker visas, the justification for which should be self-evident given the increase in evangelism targeting Jews in Israel and worldwide.

Regarding the vetting process, he wrote: “We feel we are being treated as adversaries…It would be very unfortunate if our Embassy were to publicly announce throughout the United States that the State of Israel is no longer welcoming Christian organizations.” He went on to identify affected organizations and denominations, including the Baptist Convention of Israel, Christian Missionary Alliance, and Assemblies of God, all of which happen to promote Jewish evangelism. But Israelis are rightfully concerned about missionaries who deceptively misquote Hebrew Scripture or legitimize “messianic Judaism,” which theologically is not Judaism but rather evangelical Protestantism with a meaningless overlay of Jewish customs, traditions, and symbols.

If some evangelicals feel they are being treated adversarially, it may be because of their off-putting insistence on badgering Israeli Jews with religious doctrines that contravene Torah. Moreover, Jewish evangelism is an affront to the memory of all who were martyred in the name of Christianity – from the days of Constantine to the Holocaust and beyond.

Those who come to Israel with a conversionary agenda are like dinner guests who insult their host by putting their feet on the dining room table. The Hebrew term “Derech Eretz” means “way of the land,” though more broadly it implies the ethical importance of acting with decency and respect. The doctrinal harassment of Jews, however, displays neither and demonstrates profound ignorance of Jewish scripture.

The usual jumping off point for missionary dissimulation is the claim that we all believe in the same bible. We do not. The Hebrew Bible is called Tanakh – an acronym for Torah, Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings) — which Christians believe to be sacred and inspired, though few actually read or understand it. Conversely, Jews reject Christian scripture, which diverges significantly from Tanakh by, among other things, mistranslating, misstating, or misconstruing text and manufacturing quotes and citations that do not exist. Indeed, the “Old Testament” they claim is synonymous with Tanakh contains a plethora of Christological references found nowhere in the original Hebrew text.

During a recent speaking engagement, I demonstrated this to an evangelical guest after he stated that Christians and Jews believe in the same “Old Testament.” I responded by asking whether he could name the last section of the Hebrew Bible, which he identified as the Book of Malachi. He was surprised to learn, however, that Tanakh actually ends with Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles), the last portion of Ketuvim. I then explained the chronological structure of Tanakh, starting with Torah (which conveys G-d’s law), followed by the Prophets (who warn about the consequences of deviating from the law), and concluding with Writings (including Psalms, Kohelet, and Chronicles, which instruct us how to better ourselves, achieve repentance, and attain closeness to Hashem).

The authors of Christian scripture, however, had to change this order to suit their disparate theological worldview.

Malachi was the last of the “minor” prophets, who scolded the people thus: “If you do not heed, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My Name, says the Lord of Hosts, I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have [already] cursed it, for you do not take it to heart…Behold! I rebuke the seed because of you…” (Malachi, 2:2-3.) The Sefer ends with the Prophet foretelling the return of Elijah before “the great and awesome day of the Lord,” (Malachi, 3), which Christians wrongly identify with the coming of Jesus.

The Christian authors chose to conclude the “Old Testament” with Malachi because (a) their theology precluded them from ending with Ketuvim, particularly those sections showing that atonement comes through human repentance, and (b) they needed to portray the Jews as spiritually deficient and in need of a divine “messiah” for heavenly salvation. They also needed to ignore those sections of Ketuvim (and, for that matter, Nevi’im) identifying Mashiach as a mortal (not divine) descendant of King David, who will come after national repentance (not before), fear G-d (not be G-d), and serve as both political leader and teacher (not sacrificial atonement or conduit for forgiveness).

My new friend was shocked to learn that Tanakh does not track what he learned in bible school. I then explained that it differs from “Old Testament” the same way a firsthand account deviates from an “as told to” summary of the same event. Nothing can be more accurate than the original, especially where translations are concerned.

Though Rishonim disagreed on whether Christianity constitutes idolatry for Gentiles, they all concurred that it is avodah zarah for Jews. As discussed by Rambam (Maimonides) in the Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim), even monotheists can descend into idolatry by using objects to assist in the worship of G-d, because material objects (or even abstract concepts) can become focuses of prayer or substitutes for true worship. According to traditional sources and as further elucidated by Rambam, idolatry encompasses the act of worshipping through manufactured things or substituting alien precepts for Torah principles. The Talmud in Tractate Avodah Zarah includes within this definition any practice or belief that interferes with or disrupts a Jew’s relationship with the Almighty.

The worship of a triune godhead, for example, places an artificial layer between man and G-d and violates the second of the Aseret Ha-Diberot (“Ten Commandments”), which states “lo yihyeh lecha elohim acheirim al-panai…” (“You shall not have the gods [or divinities] of others upon My face [or presence].”) The Torah is quite explicit that G-d is indivisible and does not rule in partnership with any other deity, entity, or personality.

Then there is the use by many denominations of statues, icons, or images, which certainly constitute alien worship according to Torah. And though many post-Reformation sects eschew such practices, they still believe in the “incarnation” (i.e., the doctrine that G-d took on human form), which conflicts with the explicit words of Torah, to wit: “G-d is not a man that He should lie, nor is He a mortal that He should relent…” (Bamidbar (Numbers), 23:19.)

Though definitely considered avodah zarah for Jews, some authorities hold that Christian beliefs are permissible for Gentiles because they expose adherents to Torah concepts (albeit in highly attenuated form) that may ultimately lead them to pure monotheism.

Many Christians are indeed sincere in their support for Israel and the Jewish people because of G-d’s words to Avraham: “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you.” (Bereishit (Genesis), 12:3.) However, those who use the pretense of friendship to lead at-risk Jews astray are more analogous to “he who misguides a blind person on the way…” (Devarim (Deuteronomy), 27:18.)
And there is no blessing for leading Jews into strange worship.

We are confident that we can rely on the most respected and honorable Ambassador Mike Huckabee to ensure that the Jewish religion is respected as well as Israel’s Zionist ideals.

©2025 Matthew Hausman, J.D. All rights reserved.