Appendix A

Repentance of Sin the Heart of the Issue

In answer to the question: Why do so many people accept Christianity? Levine responds:

Christianity may be utter nonsense from a theological and historical point of view, but, psychologically, it is tremendous. It offers man a world to come, eternal happiness, with very little effort. A good Christian goes to church once a week, doesn't steal or commit adultery or murder (unless it is in the name of the Church, such as during the Crusades), puts a little money in the collection plate on Sunday, and presto! he gets eternal happiness. That is a rather cheap price to pay for such bliss...The Jew must study every spare moment he has, he must try to always do acts of charity, he must eat only certain foods, and cannot work on the Sabbath, etc...To be a Jew requires a lot of commitment; to be a Christian requires only faith and when eternal bliss is waved before one's eyes, it is easy to believe in anything...(Levine, pp. 63-64).

This serves as Exhibit A in proving the woeful misconceptions many Jews have regarding Christians. We hope it comes as a great surprise to Mr. Levine that true Christians serve God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. In fact, while I found Levine's stereotype accurate of apostate Christianity, I have not found it to be representative of true followers of Jesus. Frankly, I found true followers of Jesus, as a rule, to be more committed and able to distinguish good from evil than their Orthodox Jewish counterparts. (The Ultra-Orthodox sect within Judaism being a notable exception.)

       This first became evident to me years ago while corresponding with Larry Levy of Jews for Judaism. Our congregation was handing out tracts outside a Pink Floyd rock concert. Within days, I received a letter from Larry requesting the tape exposing the Satanic nature of rock music which was offered in the leaflet. (Some of his Orthodox colleagues had attended the concert.) Appalled by this, I wrote Larry a letter asking him what justification there could be for someone claiming to be a follower of God attending a secular rock concert. To this Larry replied:

Thanks so much for the tape and brochures concerning satanic influence in rock music. You questioned the validity of an Orthodox Jew attending rock concerts for entertainment, and therein lies a basic difference between Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, we do not have the clearly defined and irreconcilable duality between G-d and Satan; rather, nothing (not even Satan) exists apart from the will of G-d, and every situation, every type of activity contains the opportunity for creating holiness and magnifying G-d's glory...So, too, with rock music; while it may indeed be a vehicle for evil, it is also a medium in which G-d may be praised and glorified. The key lies in our approach and our intent...So Satan is as much a part of G-d's loving plan for mankind as anything else which G-d has created, certainly not the Christian demigod who is engaged in an age-old battle in opposition to G-d's plan (1/14/88 letter to the author).

The lyrical content of secular rock music is no secret, with illicit sex, drugs, and rebellious anti-God anti-Messiah epithets being the rule with ever decreasing exceptions. What would the prophets say about those who partake in the worldly rock concerts of today? Would the outcome have been much different had Moses, upon returning from his mount Sinai experience, found the Israelites lifting up their hands and hearts in praise and adoration to a rock idol instead of a golden calf in the name of "glorifying God?" Indeed ancient Israel, like modern Judaism, had forgotten the distinction between that which is of God and that which is of Satan.

I am thankful that before I was immersed into Christ, I was confronted with the message of repentance. I was instructed from the Word of God that if I wanted to follow and be like Jesus, I could no longer indulge in worldly music or participate in anything that was antagonistic to godly living.

For the love of [the Messiah] compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again"(2 Cor. 5:14-15).

Subsequently, I was delivered, by the power of Jesus, from the treacherous grip of pride, lust, revelry and numerous other sins that characterized my pre-Christian life. 

Repent!

The first words that thundered from the lips of John the Baptist and Jesus, respectively, were "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). Clearly, this message of repentance is just as needed today as it was when John and Jesus first preached it. In fact, according to Peter, Messiah's return is predicated on Israel's repentance:

Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Messiah would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus the Messiah, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:17-21).  

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