You Too Can be a Victim of Racial Discrimination
It is common place these days for Christians to express sympathy for the
victims of racial discrimination. Few Christians, however, actually have
the chance to share the victim's experience. So here is your chance to
experience the humiliating frustration of racial discrimination firsthand.
Are you what in common parlance might be called a "non-Jewish Christian"?
If so you are eligible for this exercise. To avoid needless complications
you are only eligible if you are a "non-Jewish Christian" NOT married
to a "Christian Jew" (often styled as a "Hebrew Christian" or "Messianic
Jew").
Having overcome this first hurdle, you must now complete and return
an application form for membership of the "International Messianic Jewish
Alliance" (1). Apply to Revd. Ronald Lewis, the IMJA's Executive Secretary
at, "Shalom", Brockenhurst Rd., RAMSGATE, Kent, CT11 8ED, England. Alternatively,
you could e-mail the IMJA on imja@jfjuk.ftech.org
To ensure that you are a Christian you will be asked to affirm that
you:
-
Believe in one God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
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Have accepted Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) as your personal Saviour.
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Believe in the atonement that He wrought once and for all by His death
and in His resurrection.
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Acknowledge Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Jewish Messiah.
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Have made public confession of your faith.
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Declare your adherence to the Scriptures of the Tanach (Old Testament)
and the Brit Hadashah (New Testament) as the supreme rule of faith and
life.
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Endeavour to lead a life to the glory of God.
Section III, paragraph 3 of the IMJA's Constitution.
Having passed this test of your Christian commitment you will however
be refused full membership of the IMJA on racial grounds under s.III, paragraph
2 of its current Constitution. The IMJA is "united in Christ" but divided
by "race" and although you are a fellow Christian, you are not a "Christian
Jew" as defined by the IMJA's constitution. You will be a victim of racial
discrimination.
In accordance with section III, paragraphs 2 & 5 of its current
Constitution the IMJA on racial grounds:
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Excludes "non-Jewish Christians" from full membership.
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Segregates its own "non-Jewish Christian" members in a special category
of as associate membership.
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Excludes its own "non-Jewish Christian" associate members from the positions
of its own President; Vice-President; Treasurer and Executive Secretary.
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Excludes its own "non-Jewish Christian" associate members from being delegates
to its own Conference.
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Excludes its own "non-Jewish Christian" associate members from its own
Executive Committee.
What can be done now?
The sting in the tail concerns what to do once you have become a victim.
Do you just sit and feel sorry for yourself or will you act? Let us briefly
look at a few of your options.
Is it lawful?
It is not clear whether the IMJA's racial discrimination is lawful under
the Race Relations Act 1976. This can only be tested if a "non-Jewish
Christian" applies for membership and is refused (i.e. is offered associate
instead of full membership). If you found yourself in this position you
might take action against the IMJA under section 25 of the 1976 Act. Confirm
this by writing to the Commision for Racial Equality (Elliot House,
10/12 Allington St., LONDON SW1E 5EH). The CRE might even support you in
a legal action against the IMJA.
Raise the question with your church
You could raise the fruits of your experience at the hands of a supposedly
Christian association with your own Church. For example, does your Church
participate in an anti-racism group like the Joint Christian Group on
Race Relations (JCGRR)? Here are some of its members:
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Association of Black Clergy.
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Baptist Union Department of Mission, Community and Race Relations Unit.
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Catholic Association for Racial Justice.
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Christians Against Racism and Fascism.
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Church Army.
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Church Missionary Society.
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Church of England Board for Social Responsibility.
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Community Relations Committee of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England
and Wales.
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Conference for Christian Partnership.
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Council of African and Afro-Caribbean Churches.
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Nigerian Chaplaincy (Anglican Community).
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Evangelical Christians for Racial Justice.
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Methodist Division of Social Responsibility.
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Methodist Leadership Racism Awareness Workshop.
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Quaker Community Relations Committee, Salvation Army.
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Social Responsibility Committee of the Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.
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Southwark Diocesan Race Relations Commission.
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United Reformed Church, Church and Society Department.
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The United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
Urge your Church to support action against all racial discrimination and
not be selective. To concern itself only with anti-"black" racism whilst
ignoring a racist association like the IMJA in its own midst gives the
false impression that the Church's anti-racism amounts to little more than
an exercise in cosmetic political correctness. What chance of success do
you think you have anyway if the Church appears to endorse racial discrimination?
Direct racial discrimination is never justified.
Complain to the specifically Christian anti-racist groups.
You could urge Christian anti-racist groups like the Evangelical Christians
for Racial Justice (269 Rotton Park Rd., BIRMINGHAM B16 0LD) to expand
its remit beyond an exclusive concern for anti-"black" racism. For example,
I have a copy of a letter dated 22 12 1995 sent to the IMJA by the ECRJ
along with a copy of the ECRJ Manifesto. Probable the most telling sentence
in the letter reads,
"It is with sorrow that we acknowledge that many of our fellow Christians
are not fully aware of the ramifications of 'racism', and some indeed,
are complicit with it."
I take this to be a guarded criticism of the IMJA. The ECRJ also admitted
its incompetence to deal with the issues raised because its concerns "...
have been almost exclusively with black citizens of this country, many
of them Christians".
My impression is that the ECRJ knows full well that the IMJA is un-Christian,
un-Jewish and racist. With urging from you the ECRJ might go further than
just expressing its concern in highly diplomatic language.
Does an ordained minister of your denomination hold a post in the IMJA
secured by racial discrimination?
Check if an ordained minister of your denomination benefits from the IMJA's
racial discrimination. For example, Mr. Ronald Lewis is both the IMJA's
Executive Secretary and an ordained minister of the United Reform Church.
Ironically, the URC is also a participating member of the JCGRR. So whilst
the URC participates in the JCGRR's worthy cause of anti-racism one of
its own ministers holds an executive post in the IMJA secured in substantial
part by racial discrimination. No one is claiming that the URC is responsible
for the IMJA but surely it is responsible for the activities of one of
its own ordained ministers?,
The Church of England's Board for Social Responsibility and the
Church Army are also members of the JCGRR. Revd. John Fieldsend
is an Associate Editor of the IMJA's magazine, "The Messianic Jew (and
Hebrew Christian)". He is also a minister of the Church of England and
a missionary for the Church's Ministry Among the Jews (a mission
to the Jews with strong Anglican associations). Again no one suggests that
the Church of England is responsible for the IMJA but is it also not responsible
for the activities of its own ministers? It seems to be fast enough to
come forward if a minister is involved in sexual impropriety, for example,
so why not when the cause for moral concern is racial discrimination?
References
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The "International Messianic Jewish Alliance"
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