An evangelical alliance reserved the right to refer to Jewish converts as “Jews” as a means to proselytize other Jews.
“We deplore the use of deception in evangelism,” said the full-page ad in Friday’s New York Times. “However, we reject the notion that it is deceptive for followers of Jesus Christ who were born Jewish to continue to identify as Jews.”
The ad, signed by an array of evangelical leaders under the aegis of the World Evangelical Alliance, recognized “that it is good and right for those with specialized knowledge, history and skills to use these gifts to introduce individuals to the Messiah, and that includes those ministries specifically directed to the Jewish people.”
The Anti-Defamation League condemned the ad. The ad “is offensive and insulting to the Jewish people and brazenly dismisses Jewish self-definition,” said the ADL statement. “Instead of validating God’s irrevocable covenant with the Jewish people, and ongoing Jewish covenantal life, themes also found in their Scripture, this group of religious leaders does the opposite.”
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