Southern Baptist Messianics
There is an old joke that it is not called paranoia when others really are plotting against you. The Southern Baptist Convention has been extremely active in attempting to convert Jews to Christianity using the Messianic movement. Specifically, the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship is their evangelical branch to the Jewish people. Below is point 3 from the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship May 29, 2010 news update, documenting a major meeting between multiple Baptist and Messianic organizations to co-ordinate conversion of the Jewish people.
For sake of ease, let me review the acronyms that they use:
SBMF = Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship
SBC = Southern Baptist Convention
NAMB = North American Mission Board, an umbrella body of the Southern Baptist Convention's evangelical outreaches to various groups
UMJC = Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations
SWTS = Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Below is the aforementioned point 3. This is their exact words:
#3. The SBMF Leadership Team And Several Members Meet With Other Messianic Ministries In A Meeting Sponsored And Funded By the North American Mission Board.
Meeting Title: “Consultation On “Messianic Congregational Planting”
On May 18th and 19th several of the SBMF Leadership Team, several Messianic ministers from outside the SBMF and several local SBMF ministry leaders met at the North American Mission Board offices in Alpharetta, Georgia. Brothers Mark Hobafcovich and Jorge Sedaca serve NAMB in the Church Planting Group. BrotherMark Hobafcovich approached SBMF President Mike Saffle and SBMF Vice-president Ric Worshill several months ago and proposed a plan to have several Messianic leaders come together, in prayer and fellowship, to build new partnerships and work together to start new congregations. This process started an interdenominational resource called the “Messianic Mission Network” and bring us together to serve the Kingdom with one mind, one heart and one spirit.
This was a peer-learning consultation. Selected leaders from the invitee list presented position papers on the subject and gave a message about their papers.
Expected Outcomes:
1. Sharing of models and strategies for Messianic Congregational Planting in North America
2. Utilize the findings to provide for a framework for implementing a Messianic congregation
planting strategy
3. Publish the findings through write-ups and white papers on extending the love of God through the sharing of the Gospel with the Jewish people in North America.
The guests in attendance from outside the SBMF were:
Anatoliy Odnoralov, SBC Church Planter Strategist, CO.
Ben Volman, Chosen People Ministries. (CAN)
Daniel Richard Muller, New Covenant Forum, Formerly from Jews for Jesus Toronto
Greg Dangar, Dangar Associates-Pro. Accountants
Murray Tilles, Light of Messiah Ministries. Atlanta, GA.
Rudy González, SWTS Prof. & Dean of the William R. Marshall Center for Theological Studies
Russ Resnik, President UMJC
Sam Nadler, Word of Messiah Ministry, NC. SBMF Affiliate and Minister Trainer
Yegor (Greg) Zhelezny, Joy of Freedom Publishing - Congregation Hope of Israel
SBMF Members | |
Mike Saffle, SBMF President Ric Worshill, Illinois Jay Isbell, Bessemer, AL. Bruce Stokes, SBMF & UMJC Officer, CA. Randall Clarke, Chatham, VA Hal Garrett, Walnut Ridge, AR. Bob McDonald, Lake Villa. IL. | John Denson, Detroit, MI. Jeff Dumont, Byron, GA. Robin David Rose, Dallas, TX. Pastor Bill Ratliff, Woodstock, GA Steve Kaplan, Atlanta, GA. Jay Fielding, Marietta GA. |
Mark Hobafcovich, Alpharetta, GA. NAMB Host & Urban Church Planting Consultant
Jorge Sedaca, Alpharetta, GA. NAMB Co-host & Church Planting Resource Development
Leroy A Fountain, Alpharetta, GA. NAMB Church Planting Consultant
Betsy Rogers, Alpharetta, GA. NAMB Ministry Assistant
Jason Kim, Alpharetta, GA. NAMB Metropolitan Missions Team, Coordinator and Regional Focus
The forum discussion was in reference to congregational planting techniques. Dr.Rudy González opened the discussion with an inspirational teaching about “To The Jew First”. We discussed several methods of ethnic missions work to the Jewish people group. The presentation papers will be available by download at a later date.
In a nutshell, the Southern Baptist Convention is targeting Jews for conversion in a co-ordinated campaign with multiple Messianic organizations. So why would anyone think that the Messianic movement is Jewish?
posted by Jason Levinson | 8:16 PM
4 Comments:
Your use of the term “conversion” begs the question. As one of the leaders from outside the SBC, I presented the model of congregational planting employed by the UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations), which has two goals—to promote the message of Yeshua as the promised Messiah of Israel, and to promote Jewish continuity and loyalty among Jews who follow him. A successful Messianic Jewish congregation, according to the UMJC core values statement, is one “where Jewish people can encounter Yeshua as Messiah and live for him as Jews.” The UMJC is actively involved in combating anti-Semitism, supporting Israel, and representing Jewish values to the Christian world. Yes, we convert from life without the Messiah to a life of serving him, but we don’t convert to Christianity.
Russell Resnik, Executive Director
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations
Russell,
Messianic "Judaism", or as it was originally called, "Hebrew Christianity", is an 1800's Christian creation with no real ties to Judaism. It was developed to convert Jews to Christianity and make Jews more comfortable in church. This is the history of your movement.
You are practicing Christianity, not Judaism and you have exactly as much of a tie to Jesus as the Church of England.
Further, it is astounding to me that you do not see the illogic of claiming to that you are not interested in converting Jews while at the same time you talk about improving Messianic congregational planting with the Southern Baptist Convention's mission board. The Southern Baptist Convention has certainly placed a great deal of time and money working to convert Jews, particularly through the Messianic movement.
Well, Jason, you’re going back a couple of centuries, but why not a bit further? Paul, often termed the founder of Christianity, called himself repeatedly a Jew, a Pharisee, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, but never once a Christian—because he remained a Jew. Equally important, he called other Jews his brothers and countrymen, even those who rejected Yeshua. Hebrew Christians of the 19th century only began a return to this foundational identity, but Messianic Jews are completing it.
There is no reason to go back to Paul. Messianic "Judaism" is an 1800's Christian creation to evangelize the Jews and make them more comfortable in church. You have no more connection to Paul and the founders of Christianity than other modern Christian movements. You are trying to create a historical connection that simply does not exist.
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