Messianics and the N Word

As someone who has been involved in countermissionary activity for many years, I have heard many bizarre comments. Everything from claims that the Rabbis changed the Bible to denying affiliation in a Christian demonination, despite being in the demonination's official church directory. However, I recently received a comment that is head and shoulders above any comment I could have imagined.

Steve Gilberston is the Pastor of a Colorado Messianic congregation called Yeshua Light of the World, which was formerly known as Kehilat Sha'arit Yisrael. Pastor Gilbertson holds a Master's in Divinity from the Denver Seminary, which is an evangelical Christian seminary. For eight years he was the pastor of a Baptist chuch. His wife is a trained Christian missionary. Clearly, he is a practicing Christian. In fact, this congregation was formerly run by another Baptist minister by the name of Rick Trimble.

In an e-mail to me (an exchage which started with his missionary wife e-mailing me), Pastor Gilberston said:

calling me a Christian is like calling me a "nigger"

I was absolutely taken aback by the comment. I never used any racial insults to him or his wife. Racial insults are not part of my vocabulary. In fact, this is the first communication I had with him since previously I had only heard from his wife. That a leader of a congregation, no matter what it's affiliation, could use such abhorent language is horrific.

Obviously, he is factually wrong in his claims. He really is a practicing Christian. Baptist churches only hire in Christians. The Denver Seminary is a Christian seminary. The entire movement of "Messianic Judaism" is a Christian creation to evangelize Jews. But to use such inappropriate language was a shock to me, even beyond the normal absurdity and lies that I am used to receiving from members of the Messianic movement.