Tension Swells Between Jews and Presbyterians over "Messianic Congregations"

July 25, 2004

Source: Time Magazine

https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,994803,00.html

On July 25, 2004 the reported, "A sense of betrayal is building among Jewish groups over two votes at the Presbyterians' recent General Assembly. The first tally sustained funding for 'Messianic Jewish' congregations like Avodat Yisrael, a Philadelphia-area Presbyterian gathering that meets Saturdays and gives every appearance of being a synagogue but features New Testament readings. Most Jews consider such entities, often funded by conservative Christian groups, to be a devious way of luring new converts to Christianity. The second vote initiated the church's 'phased selective divestment' from some corporations operating in Israel. Many Jewish leaders regard the two measures as a double-barreled assault on their faith and the Jewish state."