Here’s a quote from G.K.Chesterton:
So far as a man may be proud of a religion rooted in
humility, I am very proud of my religion; I am especially proud of those parts of it that are most commonly called superstition.I am proud of being fettered by antiquated
dogmas and enslaved by dead creeds (as my journalistic
friends repeat with so much pertinacity), for I know very well that it is the heretical creeds that are dead, and that it is only the reasonable dogma that lives long enough to be called antiquated.
G. K. Chesterton, from The Autobiography of
G. K. Chesterton (1936)
In an age where Jesus is repeatedly reinvented and the gospel is presented in the media with, in some cases , breath taking bias ,witness the recent Channel4 program by Howard Jacobson called: ‘ Christianity: A History’.
According to this program Christians are antisemitic as the New testament is full of anti-Jewish rhetoric, encouraging hatred and antisemitic attitudes.I didn’t recognise anything in the program that in any way accurately represented Christianity as I have known it .
I found this program amazing and perplexing , I’ ve been a Christian for over 25 years and have never come across antisemitic attitudes amongst Christians in the UK,or anywhere else I have been.
In fact the situation from my point of view is the exact opposite, for instance on my bookshelf is a book by Edith Schaeffer called ‘Christianity is Jewish’ which expounds on the Jewish roots of Christianity.
Also I have several journals regarding the Jewishness of Christianity some authored by, most notably, Dr David H Stern who produced the the Complete Jewish Bible as well as the excellent book ‘Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel: A message for Christians ( Stern is part of the Messianic Jewish movement in Israel ).
From the the Times article regarding Jacobsons Program:
‘ “That’s a wonderful way of putting it,” said Dr Karen Maitland, of the Jewish Community of Lincoln, when told by her interviewer (Jacobson) that Christianity’s relationship with Judaism was Oedipal: a younger religion in terror of a cruel parent religion.’
This Oedipal religion is not the Christianity I have known.In fact a Pastor in my old church and good friend is a Jew.
There’s no denying the historic use of the Gospel as a justification ,however tenuous, to antisemtic behaviour on the part of some, but this is not part of good news Christ brought.
Biblical Christians realise as Paul said that they have been grafted into Israel; Romans 11 :
‘I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.’
Howard why didnt you quote this in scripture in your program ?
