Not surprisingly, Abe Foxman and the ADL has denounced the recent New York Times ad "by the World Evangelical Alliance, a 162-year-old global network that claims to represent 420 million evangelicals." (See the JTA article). I don't understand Abe's problem: these are our friends and, frankly, I'm not insulted in the least that they want me to have the Good News, as they see it. That doesn't mean I have to agree with them. I disagree with my friends all of the time; that doesn't make them less my friends.
I'm not ignoring the danger inherent in evangelization - that some Jews might actually come to accept the message. But this doesn't bother me either, for two reasons. First, I don't think that Judaism is the only path to G-d and, for some who are born Jews, a Christian path might even be the right one for them. I certainly don't discourage Christians from exploring a Jewish path that might speak to them more fully than their current one.
Even more important - shame on us if we don't educate our children sufficiently to see the beauty, joy, hope, and fulfillment of a life lived Jewishly. Our own failure to articulate our own Good News is at the heart of any success that evangelicals may have. Competition is good.
I'm glad that the evangelicals love me enough to want me with them. I'm even happier that they finally realize that they don't have to kill me to show their love.
