I listened to your podcast about The Real Reason the Left Silences Conservative Speakers and Suppresses Pro-Family Voices (November 2018). It was a most brilliant and stunning analysis. You are obviously calling the position of the Left as anti-Biblical.
My question is: Since you are a major voice in America today to both Christians and Jews, and since both Reformed and Conservative Jewish Communities vote almost 100% Left as well as the Secular Church, why not call them out specifically?
If not for hypocrisy, then at least for the glaring contradiction that they worship Bible but vote against it? Then we, who agree with you, could build on your statements of perfect logic with people in our circles of influence.
Susan B.
Dear Susan B.,
We were looking through our rather large stack of unanswered ‘Ask the Rabbi’ questions and came across yours. It is extraordinarily appropriate this week since our conversation is filled with exactly this topic as we prepare for our long-awaited Master Class updating our book, America’ s Real War.
Let us correct your impression that we might have been remiss in failing to ‘call out’ the Jewish culprits. When you read America’s Real War, either as a participant in our upcoming Master Class program or else by awaiting the rewriting and publication of the new updated edition, you will discover that we exercised very little restraint in naming the bad actors in the Jewish community. These include the communities you identify as well as other Americans of Jewish ancestry whose entire value systems are shaped by modern secular fundamentalism rather than by the values of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We exposed the villains so thoroughly that when America’s Real War first came out in 1999, our family was targeted so aggressively that today’s social justice warriors and cancel cowards would have been impressed. Without dwelling on it, it was an unpleasant period for us and for our children. But it was also annealing in the way that steel is strengthened by fire and we all grew from the sometimes frightening experience.
When we wrote that book just before the terror attacks of 9-11, we wrote it as a response to the horror we felt upon discovering that the loudest Jewish voices in society were those that seemed to oppose much of what the Bible stood for and support that which the Bible condemns. We were not shy about this problem.
Since that time, we have continued to condemn loudly and forthrightly all those attempting to silence the Scriptural view on current topics. Our voice and the voices of other Jewish and Christian leaders, ranging from rabbis and pastors to opinion-makers like Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, and others are all ignored or vilified by Left-leaning leaders.
America’s Real War: An Orthodox Rabbi Insists That Judeo-Christian Values are Vital for Our Nation’s Survival was written precisely for the reason that you mention in your closing paragraph. We wanted to provide intellectual ammunition to those wishing to base their views on the Bible. In addition, we wanted to explain about the cultural fractures undermining what we call the Jewish community that are not well understood by most Christians, or to be honest, by many Jews as well.
As you know, Secular Fundamentalism is an extremist form of religion and heretics are not tolerated. It is incredibly hard to change people’s minds with logical arguments; we can, however, feel strengthened in our own views and work to change hearts.
America’s Real War played an important role in the culture wars of the time and we are eager for the updated version to do so at this time. Be strong and of good courage,
Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin
Dear Rabbi and Susan.
Thank you for your answer to the question originating in this post. I have followed you and Susan for about a year and a half now reading your different columns, listening to your podcast and watching your show on TCT. I only wish (like many others) that I would have known you sooner. It is obvious to me in your teaching ministry that you openly and wholeheartedly teach the values of the Bible and ancient Jewish wisdom to a world in dire need of this truth.
I would like to address as briefly as possible the comments posted by Vonnie Butler which unfortunately seemed to take over this “Ask The Rabbi”. I was very bewildered reading what she had to say. I am a Christian and I disagree with everything she said. Getting your updated book to the printer needs to happen lickety-split!
Sincerely,
Terry Sterling
Theresa Brooks, I note that you or no one else mentioned anything about our Lying president. You and The Church turn a blind eye to his Ungodly behavior, but you want to convince me that my way of thinking is “twisted”. No one is above the law. God will have the final say. We must pray for the Godly qualities God wants us to possess. #foreverpraying
Dear Vonnie
I am sure you believe in repentance, grace, and growth. After all, wouldn’t you agree that the remarkable song, Amazing Grace is proof of this? The man who wrote it, John Newton, had been a slave trader. He atoned, became a clergyman and lived a generous life of goodness. You repeatedly condemn what you call a ‘lying president’ but since he became president, it is hard to find anything he has done that has not made the country whose constitution he swore to uphold, a better country and what a man does is actually more important than what he says. It would be nice if for all of us, our words always matched our actions and the other way around. Is that always true for you? It isn’t for most of us. But given the choice, I’d rather have a politician who does the right thing than one who hypocritically says the right thing while destroying the values that matter.
Cordially
RDL
Amen Rabbi !!!!!
Often I share with people, even total strangers( I live in the DEEP SOUTH) is ‘Jesus loves you just a little more than I do!’ Most the time I will get a loving look, or I discover the athiest…..GREAT ANSWER my RABBI
The Catholic Church lost its voice when it became a non-profit.
It lost its voice further when they were contracted by the government to care for illegal immigrant families.
These two things made the church financially dependent on the government and so subservient to it.
The Johnson amendment prevented political talk from the pulpit. Trump repealed it but the damage had been done.
Is this a violation of the separation of church and state?
I must call out the assertions of Vonnie Butler. God’s Church was completely behind MLK.
I am not sure to what ‘Church’ she is referring, but just as the Church was behind the abolitionist movement, so was the Church front and center during the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s
Where was the Church when Martin Luther King wanted basic rights for Black people in Alabama. Many of the Churches looked the other way and condoned inequality. If we are not perfect as the Bible states, then we are all hypocrites. What’s the difference in having an Abortion and telling a lie. The President of the US is a lying womanizer, but we applaud the liar because he is against women rights and abortions. The Bible says thou shall not kill, but we making guns to do just that. If God tells you to turn the other cheek and pray for your enemy why should guns be legal and used to kill your neighbor. I love Jesus cause he always has the FInal Say! He will be the judge and juror in due time #thelastdays
You understanding is askew. God has made provision for self protection. If you doubt it read Esther chapter 9. What he also said was “Be fruitful and multiply. Where has God ever told you to be angry and sin. You are twisted in your thinking. It comes from the rationalizing spirit. We are to submit to one another in loving reciprocation. Not power grabbing. This is the state of the current women’s movement. Leviathan the twisting serpent spirit has those who misunderstand God’s will in a death roll. I mean you no harm. I pray your eyes be opened. What good is getting your way and you have not love because of it. There is a spirit of religion blinding the minds of many who are actually lawless. Save the dog but slit the babies throat. This is truly Satan’s rationale. Please do not be offended but sincerely seek the face of God.
Guns are legal for not only hunting purposes, but also for the fact that real evil is pervasive in all society. It would be unloving and I wouldn’t be fulfilling my duty as a husband, father, brother, son or friend if I didn’t protect not only those I love but what I own with lethal force if provoked to do so.
We as believers in the Messiah are the church, and the blame of inaction falls on me as well as everyone who answers the call to serve YAHWEH and His son my Lord Jesus.
Your answer actually contains the answer to your first statement – you said, “MANY of the churches turned the other way……” That means, of course, that many did NOT – as a matter of fact, the biggest funder of the NAACP were religious Jews and Catholics. So the reality is that people of faith were very much involved in the civil rights movement.
And if you equate killing an unborn infant to telling a lie, then you have some serious soul-searching to do. Is lying wrong? In most cases, yes. But what of the instance in which telling a lie saves lives? E.g., the person who knows there are others in hiding when a strong-arm robber enters the house, but puts his own life at risk by saying he is the only one there. Is that wrong? Today, medical advances offer long-term birth control, permanent birth control via tubal ligations and vasectomies and contraceptive means that are highly effective with minimal risk. So why is it necessary to kill an unborn when preventive measures could have easily been taken? Planned Parenthood offers low cost and FREE contraception, but pushes abortion – you may want to think about the obvious reason for that (it’s called “cash flow”).
Yes, we are all flawed human beings. We all have room for improvement. But some people choose to embrace the values, attitudes and actions of the lowest common denominator, using the trite phrase “I’m ONLY human” to excuse their behavior. And political parties embrace those values, promote those values and push those values as “inclusive.” Yeah, they include the remorseless, the emotional cripples and the lazy and irresponsible.
Dear Vonnie
You bitterly accuse the President to be a lying womanizer. Were you equally vocal when that train left the station with William J Clinton? Or even earlier with JF Kennedy? If not, your selective righteousness is revealing. Correction, Vonnie, the Ten Commandments actually state Thou shall not murder (Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17) Killing is often very moral, murder never is. Killing those about to kill others is one of the Biblically mandated permissible killings. Before we made guns we made bows and arrows. And we made steak knives. Nothing inherently wrong with them either. Only people can act immorally, not objects. Guns, nooses, knives, and pickles are just inanimate objects that can be used wisely or stupidly, morally or immorally by human beings. As far as I know, by far the most support for MLK came from Christians and when the cause of abolition was being advanced in both the United States and in the United Kingdom, it was conspicuously a religiously driven Christian movement. You sound angry enough to have a back story we don’t know. But what we do know is that the words of someone speaking from emotions like love, hate, and anger, are of questionable value. Feel better.
Cordially
RDL
Nice to hear from you Rabbi Lapin. I’m not bitter at all. If I did not love Jesus I would be bitter. Donald is no better than Bill Clinton when it comes to ungodly behavior. Trumps wife is a former Stripper; I can google naked pictures of the First Lady right now. a lit of his ways are too perverse. Bill Clinton fell short of the Glory as we all have. He had to suffer consequences; he just happen to be on a Grand stage. God shows no favor of persons, although Donald Trump truly and CLEARLY is a respecter of persons. The President will Suffer consequences, I don’t have to worry about that. God knows his heart and your heart. If you were as adamant about usury in the US as you are about abortions then maybe I would be more apt to conform. Too bad you don’t judge the President as harshly as you judge me. Selecting which Godly laws will be used to structure our society is so arbitrary. Greed for money prevents us from outlawing loans with interest. But we want to outlaw a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy. There is too much incongruence and inequality in the Church and everywhere else. God sits high and looks low. He will Deliver and rectify! My love and belief in Jesus Christ Is sufficient. His Grace and Mercy too is Sufficient!
Vonnie, you love Jesus. Do you know that he was an orthodox Jew? As such, he observed the commandment from Sinai, you shall not murder. Often, before a woman even suspects she is pregnant, her baby’s heart is beating. Years ago, I watched a video of an abortion. The baby screamed and desperately scrambled away to avoid the surgeon’s instruments. His limbs were dismembered and his head was crushed. The womb should be the safest place on earth for a baby. You support this murder, this butchery? Jesus would not have. As he overturned the money changer’s tables, I have no doubt he would have wreaked havoc on an abortion facility. We will never know because abortion would never exist in an orthodox Jewish community, then or now. Watch a live abortion and you will never be the same. While I am well aware of Trump’s shortcomings, I could not have voted for Hillary as she not only supports abortion, but promotes it. Trump does not. If a woman does not want to get pregnant, she should refrain from intercourse… a far better option than butchering her child to accommodate her life style choices. Hoping you will watch a video! Aarona
Oh my my my my my.
I live in central California and have met many Jewish individuals in this area. A large percentage (estimated 95%) of those I know deny not only deny the existence of God, but also become very upset if I mention God in a passing way (God bless, God forbid). I am not sure if this is a representation of the percentage of American Jewish individuals or just for this area.
Actually, Vickie-
Your statistical methodology needs a little work. Your sample is not the Jewish population of Central California (which is relatively small when compared to Southern California and Northern California) but the population of Jews that you know and whom you’ve engaged in conversation. If 95% of those become “very upset” when you mention God, I am forced to contemplate the possibility that some of the hostility you report is perhaps due as much to the style in which you have raised the topic of God as it is to the Topic itself. That figure sounds very high to me. It is true that a majority of self identifying Jewish Americans do not follow the Torah, but it is not true that this same majority would become “very upset” at someone mentioning God. Sorry about your unpleasant experiences but I doubt that it reflects on the majority or anything close to a majority of Jews.
Cordially
RDL
We are where we are because –
The Church has lost Her voice
The Church was silent and prayer was outlawed in the schools
The Church was silent when ‘no fault divorce’ became standard
The Church was silent when abortion on demand became the ‘law of the land’
The Church was silent and homosexuals can be ‘married’
The Church was silent and now there are ‘Drag Queen Story Hours’ at every library
The Church was silent and now ’men can be women and women can be men’
We are not battling flesh and blood but principalities of darkness
The Church can no longer be silent.
We need that voice back!!!
Thank you for this webinar.
I have read this book and I have sent the invite to the webinar and given my copy of the book to my Pastor
If not me, then who?