The Big Baptist Conspiracy
My Interview with Jews for Jesus's Founder About the Organizations Relationship with Baptists
This article was originally a blog entry.
I keep hearing that Jews for Jesus is a front group for the Baptists. Given that structure of Baptist churches is congregational (i.e. each church is independent) with multiple associations, this must have been one heck of a trick.
So who better to ask than Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus, who graciously answered some questions I posed to him.
Me: Could you please explain how the Baptists founded
Jews for Jesus?
Moishe: If they founded Jews for Jesus then we should be on the budget of some Baptist denomination. But the truth is that Jews for Jesus is too big for one denomination to support. We need 17 million dollars next year and no one group can afford that much.
Me: On a serious note, how did Jews for Jesus came to be?
Moishe: The story is well told in a book by Ruth Tucker, "Still Not Ashamed" published by Multnomah Press. But basically, I realized that most evangelistic efforts among the Jews was carried out by well meaning but easily ignored Christians. I studied the approaches of the Prophets and Apostles and realized the missing Dimension was confrontation. By nature most Christians are too polite and politically correct so that their proclamation is but a whisper when a shout is more appropriate.
Me: How did the conspiracy theory that Jews for Jesus is a front-group for Baptist churches come about?
Moishe: If it was started by a Baptist Denomination, why would it be a conspiracy? Some people who can't accept the message try to impugn the messenger. But if we were a Baptist group what would be wrong with that? Those who want to put us in an evil light will do so anyhow. When I look at the history of the Baptist Denominations I don't see anything which makes me to be ashamed.
Me: What do you make of conspiracy theories in general?
Moishe: The greatest conspiracy is between the Devil, the World, and the Flesh or human nature. But Jesus is the light that banishes that darkness.
As a side note, I have to include something Moishe wrote in his email before he started to answer my questions:
I guess that some think that John the Baptist founded Jews for Jesus. But he was martyred in 29 A.D. and we weren't founded till 32 A.D.
It's good to keep a sense of humor about conspiracy theories.
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