B'nai B'rith was shocked to hear that the Southern Baptist Convention, holding its annual meeting in New Orleans earlier this week, adopted a resolution advocating an active program of converting Jews to Christianity, and that the Southern Baptist's Home Mission Board has in fact appointed a missionary to lead and direct such conversion efforts. We believe this is a thoroughly retrograde step in relations between Southern Baptists and Jews in the United States. Their policy demonstrates a basic and long-overdue respect for Judaism as a sister religion that continues to have transcending relevance and the capacity to provide spiritual sustenance and meaning to the lives of millions of people around the world. New Testament doctrine itself is clear that G-d's covenant with the Jews did not end with the Christian era, and continues in perpetuity. The decisions of the Southern Baptist Convention are certain to introduce new tensions in the interactions between Jews and all Christians in this country, and to once again sow the seeds of distrust.
Pluralism is a basic tenet of our American way of life.
It means respecting each other's traditions and religious paths. We cannot believe that creating such tensions between Jews and Christians can possibly advance humankind toward the ultimate Messianic Age that both Christians and Jews look forward to with hope and faith. We urge the Southern Baptists to reconsider these steps. Rhode Island Ave.