Anti-Semitism, Replacement Theology, and the Church

I heard something on the radio the other day that angered, upset, and saddened me. A noted radio host, The Bible Answer Man, had a caller who questioned the antisemitism of Martin Luther. She was fairly new to Christ...had been raised in a Lutheran Church...but had never read the vile, hateful things that Luther had written about the Jews. She was understandably confused and shocked. What followed, from the supposed "Bible answer man", can be found here...
http://www.oneplace.com/common/player/oneplace/CustomPlayer.asp?bcd=2/26/2009&url=mms://wm.salemweb.net/a3186/o29/oneplace/wm/bam/bam20090226.wma&MinTitle=Bible+Answer+Man&MinURL=http://www.oneplace.comhttp://www.oneplace.com/ministries/bible_answer_man/&MinArchives=http://www.oneplace.comhttp://www.oneplace.com/ministries/bible_answer_man/archives.asp&Refresh=&AdsCategory=MINISTRY.BAM&Show_ID=243
beginning at about the 40 minute mark. Listen for yourself.

There is no place in the life of a Scriptural Christian for antisemitism, no matter how you couch it. There is no justification...no excuse for the vile, hateful rantings of Martin Luther. Period.

There is no place in the Church for any doctrine, even one solely on eschatology, whose end result brings about hatred...especially of the Jews. If you can't see the error of that, then may God have pity on you. I don't.

When the Church adopts the hate speech of racist groups...whether they be Klan, white supremacists, Nazis, etc...it is a shame to the Cross of Christ. If you speak against the Jews with hate, you are a disgrace as a Christian. If you attempt to mask that hate with feigned logic and reason, you are a coward. If you attempt to misuse and distort the Scriptures to justify your position of hatred toward the Jews, then you are anathema.

I had planned on this being a long, scholarly piece on the inaccuracies of the preterist position on eschatology and its end resulting error of Church involvement in world politics over the last 1600 plus years...and that involvement leading to the absolute disgrace of the Church, both Protestant and Catholic, being the number one persecutors of the Jews.

I can't...at least not right now. My hands are shaking as I type. I feel the same right now as I would if someone prostituted the words of my beloved wife to justify such a truly evil position.

Search out the Scriptures for yourself. Search out history. Try and find, within the Bible, any justification for what the Church has done, is doing, and continues to do to the Jews. There is none. None.

I am ashamed. I am angry. I hope that you either are, or will be.

My son was watching a special with me on TV many years ago. The special was on antisemitism. One of the scenes showed a cross burning while the words of Luther were being read. Chance was only about four years old. He looked at me, puzzled.

Daddy, is the man talking a Christian?

He was supposed to be son, yes.

Isn't Jesus Jewish?

Yes son, He is.

Then that man is stupid...and so are those people burning that cross.

Then he got up and left the room.

Out of the mouths of babes...