THE LAUSANNE CONSULTATION

ON JEWISH EVANGELISM


 

Begun in 1980 at a consultation sponsored by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evanglism [LCJE] has chapters in Israel, Europe, South Africa, Latin America, Australia, and Japan as well as North America.  The The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (LCWE) is an international movement formed for the purpose of uniting Christian denominations and organizations to evangelize the world before the year A.D. 2000. In 1974, 2,400 Protestant and Catholic leaders from 150 nations attended the Lausanne Congress which was convened by a committee headed by Billy Graham. The Lausanne Covenant is a 3,000-word document that was written and signed by 2,300 of the attendees of the 1974 Lausanne Congress.  A requirement for membership in the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism is agreement with the Lausanne Covenant.

According to John Stott, framer of the Lausanne Covenant: "The word 'covenant' is not used in its technical, biblical sense, but in the ordinary sense of a binding contract." Anglican Bishop A. Jack Dain Executive Chairman of ICOWE stated: "Lausanne is a Congress on evangelization, not a Congress on evangelism." Billy Graham, Honorary Chairman of the LCWE, explained the Lausanne Consultation's redefinition of evangelism: "Since the Lausanne Congress in 1974, Christians increasingly have been called upon to provide leadership in areas where they were a small minority or almost did not exist before. Evangelism has taken on a new meaning... World problems of poverty, overpopulation and the threat of nuclear war mount by the hour. The world is in desperate need of the gospel, now!"

Two articles of the Lausanne Covenant explain the "cultural mandate" which the LCWE has added to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ:

5. CHRISTIAN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression. Because men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, colour, culture, class, sex or age, has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served, not exploited. Here too we express penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, nor is social action evangelism, nor is political liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty.

13. FREEDOM AND PERSECUTION

It is the God-appointed duty of every government to secure conditions of peace, justice and liberty in which the Church may obey God, serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and preach the gospel without interference. We therefore pray for the leaders of nations and call upon them to guarantee freedom of thought and conscience, and freedom to practise and propagate religion in accordance with the will of God and as set forth in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [UN Declaration of Human Rights]

The Story of the Lausanne Covenant reports that the Covenant stimulated formation of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism. The reverse also seems to be true, that the LCJE has facilitated expansion of the global Lausanne Movement.

"The Covenant has been translated locally into more than 20 languages. It has been adopted by hundreds of churches and parachurch agencies as their basis of operations and cooperation. It has led to formations of a number of national and regional movements in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and Latin America. It has stimulated movements such as the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (LCJE) and the Chinese Coordinating Committee for World Evangelization (CCCOWE)."
THE LAUSANNE MOVEMENT

Jay Gary was Program Director for the Lausanne Movement and organized the 1989 Global Consultation on World Evangelism (GCOWE) through A.D. 2000 and Beyond, which launched the A.D. 2000 Movement. During GCOWE, the Latin American contingent submitted a written statement expressing strong objections to the inclusion of Roman Catholic clergy as conference participants:

"The religious political force of the Roman Catholic Church is using all means available and is in fact the most fierce opponent of all evangelistic efforts on our part. . .Cooperating with Catholics goes beyond our historical and biblical commitment." [Jay Gary, The Countdown Has Begun: The Story of the Global Consultation on A.D. 2000, p.11.]
In 1991, Jay Gary created the Bimillennial Global Interaction Network which he led jointly with Paul Guest, of the World Association for Celebrating the Year 2000, and Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary-General of the U. N. Robert Muller is also a Spiritualist and author of The Birth Of A Global Civilization and the World Core Curriculum, a program which is used globally to indoctrinate children as World Citizens.

In 1994, Jay Gary authored The Star Of 2000, which carried endorsements from many prominent evangelical leaders such as Bill Bright, President of Campus Crusade for Christ, and Dr. Paul Cedar, President of the Evangelical Free Church. Paul Cedar is also Executive Chairman of the International Lausanne Committee and Chairman of Mission America. Following the link next to Dr. Cedar on the International Lausanne Committee [U.S.A.] takes one to the U.S. Lausanne Committee [Mission America Facilitation Committee]. There is presented the illustrious history of the ecumenical juggernaut which has catapulted Evangelical Protestantism into the arms of the One World Religion.

In December of 1995, some 160 evangelical leaders from throughout the United States gathered in Lisle, Illinois at the invitation of Dr. Billy Graham, Dr. Bill Bright and other Christian leaders. This significant meeting inspired the beginning of The Lighthouse Movement.
The meeting, based on the 1974 Lausanne Covenant continued a commitment to carry the Christian Gospel to all corners of the world and represented a renewal of the Covenant by these Christian leaders. The leaders committed themselves to joining together to accomplish the goal of praying for and introducing Christ to every person in America by year-end 2000.
In cooperation with the AD2000 & Beyond Movement, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Lausanne Movement, they organized under the banner of Mission America, a unified coalition of churches, denominations, parachurch ministries and ministry networks working together--calling their initiative Celebrate Jesus 2000--to mobilize the church to pray for, care for and lovingly share Christ with every person in America by year-end 2000.
With the vision of Celebrate Jesus 2000, in January 1999, the coalition launched the Lighthouse strategy knows as The Lighthouse Movement to accomplish this goal.
BACKGROUND
In July 1974, the International Congress on World Evangelization held a pinnacle gathering in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 10-day event, focusing on the theme of "Let the Earth Hear His Voice," brought together more than 2,400 evangelical leaders from 150 nations and ignited a passion and renewed commitment to carry the Christian Gospel to all corners of the world.
By the close of this unprecedented meeting, the Lausanne Covenant, a 3,000-word document had been written and signed by 1,972 of the attendees. It affirmed 15 points including the Purpose of God, Authority and Power of the Bible, Christian Social Responsibility, the Urgency of the Evangelistic Task and the Return of Christ.
The document's final paragraph called each one to "enter into a solemn covenant with God and with each other to pray, to plan and to work together for the evangelization of the whole world." For many, this would be uncharted territory. Some had never worked with people outside their own denominations or language groups.
Dr. Billy Graham, serving as the honorary chairman of the congress, urged everyone in the audience to go from Lausanne and "do the work of an evangelist." He called for rededication and total commitment to the task ahead. In 1975, the U.S. Lausanne Committee formed as a part of the International Lausanne Movement.
For 15 years, those touched at the Lausanne conference worked to implement the principles and challenges set forth by the conference's dynamic leadership.
In 1989, Lausanne II, the second International Congress on World Evangelization convened by the Lausanne Committee in Manila, Philippines, became yet another place for inspiration and unity. Christian leaders from 150 nations were brought together again, and were commissioned to take the "spirit of Lausanne" back to their nations - with renewed vigor - as the millennium drew to a close.
Following Lausanne II, the Lord impressed upon American Church leaders to respond to the urgency of the "Great Commission" and the task of evangelism in a new era. As a prayerful response to the Manila Conference, the AD2000 & Beyond Movement formed in 1990. The AD2000 & Beyond Movement convened a national consultation in Phoenix, Arizona and introduced the concept of citywide strategies for the United States.
In 1993, the U.S. Lausanne Committee convened a Prayer Summit in Portland, Oregon attracting some 300 Christian leaders. The committee adopted the basic agenda of the AD2000 & Beyond Movement for the remainder of the 20th Century.
Mission America was officially launched and established an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1996 and began promoting the national evangelism initiative Celebrate Jesus 2000. Mission American began a radio program to highlight evangelism/outreach efforts in America and the ministry efforts of the Coalition members. The Coalition also established an Internet presence to encourage communication among coalition members and the entire Christian community.
In 1997 the Mission America Facilitation Committee called on Coalition members and staff to focus more intentionally on Celebrate Jesus 2000 with the goal of "praying for and sharing Christ with every person in America by year-end 2000." The Mission America coalition grew during 1997 and 1998 to more than 300 national leaders.
In 1999 Mission America launched The Lighthouse Movement, calling Christians to establish their homes, churches and businesses as Lighthouses to pray for, care for and share Christ with every person in America by year-end 2000. Mission America continues to grow, now some 400 national Christian leaders, representing more than 80 denominations (representing some 200,000 local churches), over 300 parachurch ministries and 58 ministry networks.
EVANGELICALS & JEWS TOGETHER

In 1993, Paul Cedar signed the Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium, which laid the foundation for Evangelical Christians to set aside their distinctive doctrines and unite with Roman Catholicism in order to evangelize the world by 2000 A.D. The ECT Document stated: "Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ" and "existing divisions that obscure the one Christ and hinder the one mission of the Church" were confessed as "sins against the unity that Christ intends for all his disciples."

This ecumenical scheme is now being proposed by the LCJE, ostensibly for the sake of Jewish evangelism. The President and co-founder of LCJE International, Tuvya Zaretsky, was Chief of Station of Jews for Jesus in Los Angeles and for some time held a position on the International Lausanne Committee. The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism website identifies an ecumenical array of past speakers for the LCJE which include Lausanne Committee Chairman, Paul Cedar, Messianic faculty and associates from Fuller Seminary, the directors of Jews for Jesus and Arnold Fructenbaum of Ariel Ministries.

"Speakers at our conferences have included Louis Goldberg, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Moishe Rosen, Art Glasser, Dan Juster, Stuart Dauermann, Mitch Glaser, Susan Perlman, Michael Schiffman, Paul Cedar, and others."
Conference speakers for the March, 2000 LCJE include: Dr Kai Kjaer-Hansen [Dir. LCJE International], Tuvya Zaretsky, Pres. LCJE International, Jews for Jesus [Los Angeles], Jim Sibley [Southern Baptist Convention], Susan Perlman [Jews for Jesus, San Francisco], Mitch Glaser [Chosen People Ministries], Louis Goldberg [Jews for Jesus, NY], Barry Leventhal [Southern Theological Seminary], Boaz Johnson [Tsemach Institute], Art Glasser [Fuller Theological Seminary], Fred Klett [Dir. CHAIM Ministries], Josef Koelner [Temple Aron Kodesh], Russ Resnik [President, Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations].
"To join [LCJE] you need to agree to the Lausanne Covenant. . ."
Core Principles of Hashivenu :
"The board of Hashivenu includes Mark Kinzer, Paul Saal, Martin Thuna, Rich Nichol, Bob Chenoweth, and Reb Meir. . ."
In association with Hashivenu, the magazine, Boundaries, is published by Paul Saal who, like Stuart Dauermann, is on the Steering Committee of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and on the Board of Hashivenu. In the current issue of Boundaries, Saal laments the fact that Messianic Jews are in danger of losing their Jewish identity.
A New Perspective on a Changing Jewish World
But will your children be Jewish?
by Paul L. Saal
"As we approach the 21st century this is a question that most serious-minded Jews are asking one another. The statistics are clear, though the general population is increasing, worldwide Jewry is on a decline, and nowhere more so than in the United States. In a culture that guarantees what you want, when you want it, Judaism is but one more choice on the religious smorgasbord. Why be weighed down then by the schmaltz of tradition, observance and expectations, when the new practices of universal faith are so trim, utilitarian and easy to digest. Will your children be Jewish? For Messianic Jews this question resonates even louder."
In 1999, the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism held its sixth international conference from August 12-17 at Hofstra University on Long Island, NY. The 130 participants from around the world produced a Statement which defined Messianic believers as "Jewish" rather than Christian:
"Those of us who are Jewish share in the challenges confronting our people and stand with them in the need to strengthen and preserve our God-given identity. We also recognize that our faith in Yeshua is seen by many as a threat to Jewish identity and survival. Yet we believe that the core of Jewish identity is tied to a purpose and a divine calling that is fulfilled only in Yeshua--to be reconciled to God and to be a light to the nations for his glory. We therefore reject the commonly held view that Jews who believe in Jesus are no longer Jewish. . .Those of us who are Gentiles affirm that Jews who believe in Yeshua do not forfeit their Jewish identity. . .As Jews and Gentiles united by faith in Yeshua, we recognize the right of Jewish believers in Yeshua to maintain a recognizable Jewish identity. . ."

Finally, Stuart Dauerman has stated that Jews who reject Jesus Christ as the Messiah are saved without faith in Christ:

"In an article entitled, Some People Call Me a Heretic published in The Semi of Fuller Theological Seminary, November 3-7, 2003, Stuart Dauermann writes: I am a pretty well-educated person. Still, I find it baffling when the orthodoxy of my faith and the authenticity of my life’s work is judged by my answer to the question, “Do you believe Jewish people are going to hell unless they believe in Jesus?” ... Lately, some people have attacked my friends and me. When they do, they are thinking and acting like a Greco-Roman. Thus, they call me a heretic because I don’t form my categories and/or fill my categories the same way they do. To them, every Jew who doesn’t believe in Jesus belongs in the category “going to hell.” Only those who die in infancy or are mentally defective get a break. However, I don’t believe the Bible unambiguously supports their claims. God may still have some surprises up his sleeve. I argue he may just apply the benefits of Messiah’s death and resurrection to some people who loved and served God the best they knew how, and who sought his mercy because they needed it, even though they never received Messiah Yeshua in the evangelical sense. I believe this is God’s business and not mine. I am prepared to say, “I don’t know the answer to that question because it is not my business to know - it is God’s business.” (Very Serious Problems With The Union Of Messianic Congregations)

JUDAIZING THE CHURCH

The epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Galatian Church repudiated the false teaching of the Judaizers that Jewish converts to Jesus Christ must retain their Jewish identity and traditions:

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. . . Gal. 3:28

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things become new. II Cor. 5:17

The insistence of the Lausanne Consultation on World Evangelism on maintaining "a recognizable Jewish identity" reminded us of Pope John Paul's assurance that unity with Evangelicals did not imply there would be any relinquishment of papal authority over all of Christendom:
"Pope John Paul II said yesterday that he is willing to seek agreement with other Christian denominations on the future role of the papacy. The pope made his offer in a 115-page encyclical, 'That They All May Be One,' which is dedicated to the search for unity among Christian churches that split from each other during the past thousand years. . .The pope made clear he would not accept a symbolic papacy without teeth and that Rome would have to hold the primary place among Christians. He also said a pope should have the authority to make infallible declarations regarding the basic tenets of faith." [San Francisco Chronicle, 5/31/95]
Considering the present commitment of Evangelicals to rapprochement with the Messianic Jews as well as the Roman Catholic Church, and that the latter two entities have no intentions of abandoning their religious traditions, it appears that Evangelicals will have to make some radical compromises of their Scriptural principles order to achieve the desired unity.  Can this be the reason Paul exhorted the beleaguered Galatians to "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Gal. 5:1 ?

PROPHECY OF RICK JOYNER TO MESSIAH '99

Among Hashivenu's Links is listed The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America or MJAA. In July of 1999, the MJAA sponsored the Messiah '99 conference in conjunction with the Young Messianic Jewish Alliance and the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues. The Messiah '99 brochure announced that conference speakers would include Rick Joyner of MorningStar Ministries, Stephen Strang, editor of ‘Charisma’ Magazine and Stephen Katz, a recruiter for Jews for Jesus. These speakers were presented as being among "Over sixty of Messianic Judaism's most respected teachers conducting Workshops, Panels, Teaching, Preaching. . ." One of the themes of Messiah '99 was "Messianic Unity in Diversity." Reflections on the fruit of this conference reveal the ecumenical agenda of the MJAA:

"Truly the Lord is opening up the doors for greater unity between Jew and Christian more than ever before. For many of those 'jaded' veterans of 15 to 20 conferences, Messiah '99 was the best yet. Mark those calendars now for MESSIAH 2000, which will be July 2-8, 2000."
In a joint presentation to Messiah '99, MJAA President Rabbi Robert Cohen and Rick Joyner of MorningStar Ministries laid out a prophetic vision for the Messianic Jewish Movement. Highlights of the "Prophecies" given by Rick Joyner and Rabbi Cohen are as follows: Rick Joyner, whom Rabbi Cohen considers a friend and a "righteous Gentile," was informed he was the first Gentile to ever speak at their conference. Mr. Joyner, who is also a Knight of the Order of Malta, associates with other modern prophets such as James Ryle of Promise Keepers (pastor of Bill McCartney); Andrew Strom, Jack Deere; Francis Frangipane; Dudley Hall, Mike Bickle, Bob Jones, Paul Cain and prophets who were involved with the original "Kansas City Prophets", the Vineyard, and the Charismatic movement. The End Time Prophetic Visions website provides a current listing of modern prophets including all of the above, plus David Wilkerson and others, along with Messianic and Catholic prophetic organizations.

It should be noted that Rick Joyner announced in 1997 that prophets are not required to be accurate for the following reasons: (1) prophecy is a learning experience and (2) the Church isn't mature enough to know and handle the truth.

"Bob [Jones] was told that the general level of prophetic revelation in the church was about 65% accurate at this time. Some are only about 10% accurate, a very few of the most mature prophets are approaching 85% to 95% accuracy. Prophecy is increasing in purity, but there is still a long way to go for those who walk in this ministry. This is actually grace for the church now, because 100% accuracy in this ministry will bring a level of accountability to the church, which she is too immature to bear at this time; it would result in too many 'Ananias and Sapphiras.' That so many the (sic) prophetic ministries are still missing so much is also meant to work humility and wisdom in them so that they will be able to handle the authority and power coming in the near future."
However, help is on the way -- from the Messianic Jews whose calling, prophesied Joyner at Messiah '99, is to restore the Church:
"And you know I believe one of your ultimate callings, I personally believe and I may be saying this jealously, your ultimate calling is to the Church. To help us. To help us. We’re not going to get there without what you’ve got. And to be honest with you, I don’t think you really know what you’ve got yet. I really don’t. I don’t think it’s clear to you yet. I believe it’s getting clear. But we’re not going to get where we’re supposed to be without you."
Joint Prophecy of Rabbi Cohen & Rick Joyner at Messiah '99

The Hebrew Roots Movement