An Open Letter to African-American Christians

As an African-American I am concerned with the resurgence of anti-Semitic views, movements and organizations. As a former pastor, and now a leader of a mission, I urge you and your church to stand by Israel and our Jewish people. I believe that blessings will come to those who do. As the Scriptures teach us: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalms 122:6). We must remember the promise made by God to Abraham and his descendants. God said, “I will bless those that bless thee, and curse those that curse thee (Genesis 12:3).”

African-Americans and the Jewish people have much in common that should unite us. Historically, the relationship of those of African descent and Jewish heritage both date back to the biblical beginnings of our common father. We know that God formed Adam from the clay of the ground. Acts 17:26 declares: “By the blood of one man, God made all the nations upon the face of the earth.”

Because the nations of the world fell into spiritual darkness, God chose Abraham and his descendents, the Jewish people, to help us return to God and experience salvation. This of course culminated with the coming of the Lord Jesus, our Savior and the Jewish Messiah. This is what God meant by: “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:3).”

When Jacob was reunited with his favorite son, Joseph, he embraced and blessed his long-lost grandsons and included them as his heirs among his sons (Genesis 48:1-22). Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were from his wife, Asenath, who was an Egyptian – perhaps a Black Egyptian. The Bible mentions a mixed multitude who accompanied the Jewish people out of Egypt. This mixed multitude probably included those of African heritage and some who may have intermarried with the Jewish people. We know, for example, that Moses married a Cushite (Ethiopian) woman (Numbers 12:1). We know that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and one of his most important wives was an Egyptian princess (1 Kings 3:1).

Did you know that there is today a group of Ethiopian Black Jews who trace their lineage to ancient times? In the 1980s, they made international news when many began to return to Israel. Jewish groups raised millions of dollars and risked their lives to help their Black Ethiopian brothers return to Israel. I see in this part of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 11:11: “The Lord will bring back a remnant of his people for the second time, returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.”

More international headlines recently reported that DNA research has established the Jewish ancestry of the Lemba, a South African tribe. DNA studies of the Lemba even show genetic traits of the Jewish priesthood (Cohanim)! It seems that a group of Jewish people left the Middle East, migrated to Africa, mixed with the people and became Black Jews.

In American history, the Black and Jewish communities enjoyed a mutually supportive relationship well before the Civil Rights Era. In 1909, W.E.B. Dubois, Julius Rosenthal, Lillian Wald, Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch, Stephen Wise and Henry Malkewitz formed the NAACP. One year later other prominent African Americans and Jewish leaders formed the Urban League. Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald (of Sears Roebuck fame) worked together in 1912 to improve the educational system of Blacks in the South. In 1945, African-American battalions were among those who liberated the concentration camps of Nazi Germany in World War II.

The Civil Rights Movement was the highlight of the coalition between African-Americans and our Jewish friends in the U.S. One third of the supporters of the Civil Rights Movement were Jewish. Most were from the North and traveled to the South to support African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement.

Even though the majority of the Jewish people don’t believe in Messiah Jesus, God is not through with them or the nation of Israel. All of God’s promises to Israel will be fulfilled – promises that the Jewish people will be fully restored to their ancient homeland, come to know the Messiah, and be the source of salvation and blessing to the other nations of the world.

Right now only a minority of Jewish people believe in the Messiah. As Christians we must preach the Gospel “to the Jew first.” When Black Christians comprehend the Jewish roots of the Faith, the vital links between Judaism and Christianity, and the strong connections between Blacks and Jews, they will be more effective in reaching both Jews and Gentiles with the Gospel, and we will be blessed as well!

Here are some ways you can share God’s love with His Covenant people:

• Pray for peace in Jerusalem, and for God to bless the future of the Jewish people.
• Love and embrace our Jewish friends and oppose anti-Semitism.
• Encourage your church to be engaged in Jewish Evangelism.
• Support the work of Shalom Ministry, as African-Americans bring the Gospel to the Jewish people. Become a prayer partner, support us financially, further our vision and get others involved. Consider inviting me to come to your church or Bible study group or workshop to bring a fresh teaching, a greater understanding, and an historical prophetic perspective of the “Jewish Roots of Christianity.” Contact me at (248)545 8800 or ShalomMinistry77@aol.com.
• To support us financially, please make all checks payable to Shalom Ministry and mail to P.O. Box 19695, Detroit, Mi., 48219.

Thank you in advance for your help! May the good Lord bless you abundantly according to the promises found in His Word!

In the service of the Messiah and the Gospel, and for the good of the African-American and Jewish communities,
John Denson