Joy Lucius
AFA Journal staff writer
April 2021 – “This is a book I wish I did not have to write, a book that I wish was not urgent and relevant.”
So begins Dr. Michael Brown’s latest book, Christian Antisemitism: Confronting the Lies in Today’s Church. The author proves his case for relevancy and urgency quickly by citing multiple examples of recent antisemitic atrocities in America.
The rise of antisemitism
Sadly, the 2019 Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hate Crimes Statistics Report validates Brown’s case all too well. Released in late 2020, the FBI report shows that 60.3% of America’s religious-based hate crimes were aimed at Jews, even though Jews account for less than 2% of the nation’s population.
But the growing statistics of current antisemitism are not what disturb Brown most. No, it is the church’s part in those numbers that Brown felt compelled to address in Christian Antisemitism.
The founder and president of AskDrBrown Ministries and president of FIRE School of Ministry, Brown has authored over 40 books. He writes a syndicated column while regularly contributing to websites, news providers, and scholarly publications. He also hosts Line of Fire, a nationally syndicated radio show that airs each Sunday on American Family Radio (2-4 p.m. CT).
The roots of antisemitism
Brown’s evangelical platform is expansive, and he travels widely speaking at colleges, seminaries, and conferences. In recent years, he has witnessed a startling rise of antisemitism in the culture, even in the evangelical church.
Granted, the author admits the term is contradictory in nature. How can modern Christians tolerate, much less propagate, antisemitism? Has the church forgotten God’s promise to Abraham in the first book of the Bible? God said, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3, NIV).
In the first chapters of his new book, Brown traces the origin of antisemitism in the church, and he pulls no punches. Neither does he use exaggeration or emotionally charged rhetoric. Himself of Jewish heritage, Brown simply lays out the facts, quoting the writings of historical church leaders. And he offers no excuses for such inflammatory antisemitism couched in half-truths of Scripture.
The church’s role in antisemitism
“[W]hen the Jewish people are demonized as a group, when Jewish people are lied about and falsely blamed, when Judaism is grossly mischaracterized, that is antisemitism,” Brown writes. “And when it is done in the name of Jesus and with the alleged support of Scripture, that is Christian antisemitism.”
After tracing the roots of this embarrassing travesty in Christian Antisemitism, Brown proposes that history is currently repeating itself while the church stands idly by. He even gives examples of current Christian leaders who make erroneous claims against Judaism. He examines several of those false accusations, e.g., those advocating replacement theology, which claims that Jews are no longer “God’s chosen people.”
Examining ancient Jewish documents as well as the Bible, Brown thoroughly proves the fallacy of such teachings. He also refutes the twisted accusations about “fake Jews” and repudiates misinformation surrounding Christian Zionists. Then Brown exposes how such false doctrines have slyly slipped into some American churches, slowly but surely permeating the beliefs and actions of congregants.
Brown concludes by charging Christians to end it now: “May this be the generation of Christians that says, ‘Enough is enough.’ May this be the generation that stands with the Jewish people rather than with their enemies.” 
Hear more from Dr. Brown
Go to afr.net to hear Dr. Michael Brown on his Line of Fire radio show. Christian Antisemitism and his other books are available at askdrbrown.org or other booksellers.
