In this series, we have traced Protestant anti-Jewish sentiments from their source at the Reformation down through the centuries, exploring the damage they have caused. This concluding article examines how these same beliefs still manifest today, and how we as followers of Messiah must take action to heal the ancient wounds of anti-Jewish sentiment.
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As we saw in the first two parts of this series, the anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic teachings of Protestantism began with the Reformers of the 1500s, and continued to grow and develop in the centuries that followed. Then, during the twentieth century, the anti-Semitism of previous generations came to a head, showing itself fully at the zenith of Jewish persecution: the Holocaust.
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In the previous article in this series, we briefly discussed the anti-Jewish history of Ancient Christianity and Catholicism, and then looked at the abhorrent anti-Semitism of Martin Luther, the first Protestant Reformer. Had Luther been the only anti-Jewish Protestant, little concern would be warranted; however, Luther was merely the first of many.
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Since biblical times, discord between Jews and Gentiles has plagued the Body of Messiah. In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote extensively on the issue, humbling Jews by telling them that they are not better than Gentiles (3:9), and humbling Gentiles by telling them to not boast over Jews (11:17–21). Gentiles are not even to boast over unbelieving Jews, Paul explained, because “regarding the chosenness, [Jews] are beloved on account of the fathers,” called with an irrevocable call which God will not regret (11:28-29, mjlt). Indeed, though many Jews today reject their Messiah, they can still “be grafted [back] into their own olive tree,” and one day “all Yis’rael will be saved” (11:24–26, mjlt).
Despite Paul’s teaching, however, the same division has grown, such that both anti-Semitism (racist contempt for Jews) and anti-Jewish sentiment (intellectual or theological bias against Jews) have continued to pervade Christianity throughout its history.
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