from Israel My Glory Vol. 62, No. 1
An Evangelical View of the Jewish People
by Elwood McQuaid
The subject was about anti-Semitism in the United States and what, as a Jewish businessman and state senator, the gentleman being interviewed had encountered personally.
He spoke about exclusions
from local clubs and a number of
minor and major slights he and his
family had endured over the years.
Then, after a moment’s hesitation,
he said, “I suppose every Jew, whether
he is consciously aware of it or not,
from time to time looks around at his
circle of friends and acquaintances
and asks himself a question. It is this:
‘If an Adolf Hitler ever rises in
America, who among these people
will give me a place to hide?’”
Whether we like it or not, anti-
Semitism is still being used to bludgeon
Jewish people. In the Middle
East in particular, the notorious and
viciously anti-Semitic forgery, The
Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, is
now widely circulated.
Here in the West, including the
United States, there has been an alarming
proliferation of anti-Israel/anti-
Jewish activism. A recent telephone poll
asked 7,500 Europeans to state what
they considered to be the greatest threat
to world peace. Fifty-nine percent said,
“Israel.” Among the Dutch, 74 percent
named Israel as the number one threat.
On the campuses of major universities
in Europe and America, attacks against
Jewish students occur with increasing
regularity. Some may regard these trends
as nothing more than the inevitable evolution
of contemporary activism on the
part of frustrated minorities. But in fact
they are dangerous throwbacks to eras of
oppression that made scapegoats of
those they considered undesirable and
placed entire societies in jeopardy.
Contrary to these disturbing trends,
most evangelical Christians feel a sense
of gratitude and indebtedness for what
has passed to us through the Jewish
people: the Savior, the Book, and the
heritage. When we
think of the riches that
have accrued to us
through the Jewish
prophets—revelation
of the glory and the
covenants and the giving
of the law and the
promises—we should
have a profound sense
of appreciation. Of
course, for evangelical
Christians the consummating
consideration is
found in the Bible’s
phrase “and of whom,
as concerning the flesh,
Christ came” (Rom. 9:5).
Evangelicals have no
qualms about Jesus of Nazareth being
Jewish. Moreover, His descent impacts
dramatically our view of the Scriptures
and how they should be interpreted. Our
theology gives Israel and the Jewish people
the place properly appointed them by
God. Recognizing that Jesus came to
earth as a Jew buttresses the concept that
Scripture can best be understood by
studying it through the historical and
cultural context in which it was given.
There was a reason why Jesus was
Jewish. Therefore, it is vital to view
His life and teachings through the
prism of His people and the culture in
which they lived. Above all, it is
important to connect His associations
with the Hebrew Scriptures and the
great, festive commemorations that
were at the heart of the religious and
social life of the nation of Israel.
From time to time I have heard
Jewish people say that Christians have
so “Gentilized” their approach to the
Scriptures that Jews can find little in
Christian teaching that relates to the
Jewish people. Unfortunately, in much
of Protestantism this analysis is true. It
is also true that certain Protestants hold
significant misconceptions about some
of the New Testament’s teachings.
The vast majority of evangelicals
understand that God’s stated purposes
for Israel and Jewry are irrevocable,
that Jesus came to us as a Jew, and
that He was careful to address us
from a Jewish frame of reference.
Once we comprehend these facts, it
seems inevitable that we should sense
a kinship with and appreciation for
the Jewish people.
‘I AM A DEBTOR’
Interesting words, these. The apostle
Paul, referring to his burden to
deliver his message to the world,
said, “I am a debtor both to the
Greeks and to the barbarians; both to
the wise and to the unwise” (Rom.
1:14). Such were the sentiments of
this Jewish man toward unregenerate
Gentile pagans whom he described as
“having no hope, and without God in
the world” (Eph. 2:12).
It is an admirable statement of dedication
to his mission, and each of us
believing Gentiles can affirm that we
are direct beneficiaries of Paul’s commitment.
Should we not, therefore,
understand that we, too, are debtors
and take Jesus’ message of love and
life to all men everywhere?
 Elwood McQuaid served as the executive director of The Friends of Israel
for 12 years. He currently serves as executive editor of Israel My
Glory magazine.
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