M
ark Powers has a folder filled,
just filled, with information on
the Friends of Israel Gospel
Ministries Inc.
"Now listen to this," he says. "This
is from their Speak Tenderly to
Jerusalem: A Conference on Sharing
Christ with our Jewish Friends."
It's a 30-page pamphlet the Friends
first published in 1977, with complete
directions on how to "uniquely" reach
the Jew.
("God," the publication states, "will
bless those who carry the gospel to the
Jew.")
Here are a few pointers:
How to start a witness
A. Let him feel that you love him sin-
cerely.
I. Do not just tell of your love but
demonstrate it in your actions.
2. Most Hebrew Christians (93 per-
cent) say that it was the love of another
Christian that won them to the Messi-
ah.
If Jews bring up the sticky subject of
dead ancestors:
It is important that you do not tell
them that their loved ones have gone to
hell. The need is to share God's love with
that person. Merely state that you don't
know the spiritual condition of someone
you have never met. You can share that
the people who have died now know the
truth and that wherever they are, Heav-
en or hell, they would want their loved
ones to know the truth and accept Jesus
as their Messiah.
And if a Jew has a problem with the
word "convert," explain that:
Their need is to have their sins for-
given and become a "completed Jew," one
who has a personal relationship with
God by having his sins forgiven in the
Messiah. Thus, they become Jewish fol-
lowers of the Messiah, or Jewish Chris-
tians.
The pamphlet also includes a termi-
nology with such words as converted ("a
change of heart, not the change of a Jew-
ish person's identity"), mikvah (incor-
rectly identified as a place women use
to "show their cleanliness"), chutzpa, lax,
goy and bagels.
And that's just the start of the Pow-
ers file.
There are Friends of Israel cam-
paigns, including New Testament dis-
tribution, directed at Russian Jews,
"these precious souls" whom Jesus "so
loved."
A 1992 letter to supporters tells of the
need to reach Israelis. "We are looking
toward possibilities that demand im-
mediate preparation for an all-out cam-
paign to demonstrate and communicate
the love of Christ to Israelis," Dr. Mc-
Quaid wrote.
Israel My Glory is filled with "testi-
monies," too, by Jews who have "come
to know the Lord" and now work to
bring the message of Jesus to Jews in a
"a loving, patient way."
"This is a friend of Israel?" Mr. Pow-
ers asks. "Telling a Jew you 'don't know'
the fate of his ancestors is straightfor-
ward?
"The issue here is the deceptive pros-
elytizing of the Jewish community," he
says.
Matt Brooks also has concerns about
Elwood McQuaid and the Friends of Is-
rael Gospel Ministries.
Earlier this year Mr. Brooks, director
of the National Jewish Coalition, a lead-
ing Republican organization, chose not
to participate in a pro-Israel conference
after learning Dr. McQuaid would be a
speaker.
Mr. Brooks said he made his decision
after reviewing copies of Israel My Glo-
ry and seeing letters discussing efforts
to convert Jews that Mr. McQuaid had
sent supporters.
"I recognize the importance of Jews
and Christians working together," he
says. "But I choose not to be associated
with an organization which has as its
primary objective the conversion of Jews
to Christianity."
(The Israeli Embassy also pulled out
of the event, though not for reasons pre-
viously reported — namely, that it ob-
jected to proselytizing that might go on
there. In a memo to conference orga-
nizers, Avi Granot, then Israel's coun-
selor for interreligious affairs, stated:
"It is clear to me that this conference...is
becoming a political conference trying
to prove how wrong Israel is in pursu-
ing peace. As a result of this I have no
other choice but to disassociate myself.")
Esther Levens is disappointed, to say
the least, that all this happened, though
she says the conference was a success.
Ms. Levens is co-founder of the Mis-
sion, Kan.-based Voices United for Is-
rael, which organized the May 4
National Unity Conference. The theme
was "Breaking Barriers and Building
Bridges."
Proselytizing was not permitted at
the event.
Virtually everyone invited showed up,
including Jewish groups and politicians
and figures such as Sens. Robert Dole
and Daniel Inouye.
Ms. Levens helped found Voices Unit-
ed in an effort to bring pro-Israel groups
together and have a unified voice na-
tionwide. Today, the 150 partners in-
clude such diverse groups as the
International Christian Embassy, the
Zionist Organization of America, the
North American Conference on Ethiopi-
an Jewry and the Pentecostal Evange-
listic Church Africa.
Ms. Levens in no way condones Mr.
McQuaid's letter about the need to con-
vert Holocaust survivors to Christiani-
ty — "I'm not apologizing or making
excuses for that." She also told Dr. Mc-
Quaid of her concerns and is now con-
vinced "he understands our
sensitivities."
But she's not ready to condemn some-
one she sees as a staunch supporter of
Israel because of this incident, or be-
cause "Christians don't understand the
word 'proselytizing' in the same sense
the Jewish community does."
Unlike many of those speaking out
against Dr. McQuaid, she knows him
well and has held direct dialogue with
him on numerous issues . She has no
doubts he is a dedicated friend of Israel.
Barukh Binah, interim chief of pub-
lic and interreligious affairs for the Is-
raeli Embassy, also describes Dr.
McQuaid as a supporter of Israel — but
with a disclaimer.
Mr. Binah has yet to meet Dr. Mc-
Quaid, though his predecessor Avi Gra-
not "was in close contact with him."
.
Israel My Glory: "God will bless those who carry
the gospel to the Jew."