Promise Keepers

Among the big supporters of the Messianic movement is the Promise Keepers (PK), a evangelical Christian men's organization started by former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney. PK is one of the largest Christian organizations in the United States. Michael Walker is the PK Treasurer. He is the senior pastor of Church in the City and the "rabbi" of it's new Messianic congregation Beth Abraham. Jonathan Bernis, of Jewish Voice Ministries, is on the Promise Keepers Board. Jewish Voice Ministries spends more than $1 million per year in it's evangelical efforts toward the Jewish people. Bernis also refers to himself as a rabbi (as does the PK site) despite having no rabbinical degree, just like Walker.

Not satisfied to simply include Messianics on his board, the Promise Keepers created The Road to Jerusalem/International Coalition of Christians and Messianic Jews. This PK subgroup has the function of bringing the Messianics closer to the other evangelical Christians and helps in fund-raising for Messianic causes.

Guest Messianic speakers for PK include the Chernoff brothers (see my blog entry http://messianicjewish.blogspot.com/2009/07/chernoff-family.html for more details on their non-Jewish background) and Dr. Dan Juster, a Presbyterian minister who has been active in the Messianic movement for more than three decades.

The Promise Keepers are just one more example of a Christian organization which has embraced the Messianic movement in it's efforts to convert Jews to Christianity.