Jul 20, 2009 -- 5:45PM, Iwillalwaysbeajewnothingelse4ever wrote:

I don't like how the Southern Baptists give more money to Jews for Jesus then any other Christian group. Don't get me wrong I have friends who are Christian but these Southern Baptist as well as they mean are dead wrong on trying to be Pro-Israel yet at the same time trying to convert Jews to Christianity.!! Why can't these people just leave us alone?? well they wouldn't be Southern Baptists then.

Speaking as a former Southern Baptist (although I realize I'm probably painting a target on myself here), they believe that there is no salvation at all outside of Jesus and thus believe it is their charge to try to convert as many people as possible. They do the same thing to Muslims and even other Christians that they consider to have 'fallen away'. Yes, it can be offensive and presumptuous.  They will support Israel mainly if they believe that the nation has a role in their 'end times' scenarios, but ultimately it's only the political state they are supporting because they still believe that the covenant God made with the Jews has been 'replaced' by the one with the Christians, so even Jews need to 'be saved'.

The denomination has done some awful things in the past (including its inception), but most SBs I've met are good, decent people who think they're trying to help but don't realize how they're coming across. There are definitely some bad seeds who know exactly how offensive they are being and don't care, but IME your average SB has been taught that everyone who doesn't believe in Jesus is going to hell and that the loving thing for them to do would be to try to evangelize them. That's definitely offensive, but they're not deliberately *trying* to be.  Most I've known will understand if you simply tell them you're not interested.

Feb 17, 2011 -- 10:34AM, LeahOne wrote:

This concept is beautifully explained by the analogy of the 'four species' of the Festival of Sukkot....

BS"D

Definitely!