What happened to me in JFJ DID happen, but JFJ has also been nice to me since. Privately, I've been told how sorry the Jews for Jesus ministry is. JFJ has also granted me some great favors in the past few years, and I'm very grateful for those favors.
But...still...what happened DID happen. Should all records of what happened be erased? Should we move on and forget?
I doubt they can be erased since what is written is reprinted in more than one place, but when someone says they are sorry, what does it mean to the person/people who remember?
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There is no dog in this hunt for me. I have been hurt in Christian ministry on the most profound of levels -- especially the incident which drove my father to an early grave.
However, I cannot comment on your pain and loss except to say that true healing will probably never begin until you let go. I am not saying forget ... but let it go.
I am sorry for the pain and loss you have gone through, it hurts very badly when those who call themselves your family, brothers and sisters do such things to you in the name of Jesus.
I think when abuses happen to us, for someone to tell us to "let it go" is very callious statement. Nothing makes me more upset than when I or someone I care about is going through something very painful and others come along throwing around those words "let it go". Those pains and hurts have wounded very deeply and have caused us deep change within ourselves. Those changes have become a part of us.
Truly, God has a better plan for our pain and sufferings than for us to "let it go". God can take those awful times in our lives and bring about beautiful things and hopefully, give us a better compassion for others.
Either you are choosing to misinterpret my "let it go" or you don't understand what I am writing.
When I write "let it go," I am talking about not allowing the pain control your present and future. If you do, then you are allowing "them" to win and maintain control over you.
Ruth, I am assuming that those words hurt you in the past but those words set me free. Therefore, I am not wrong for writing them down for others to see and consider.
I personally have been hurt on some of the profound levels that anyone can imagine ... and often from churches and "Christians." I can choose to hold onto that pain as a balm or I can allow Jesus to heal my pain and allow me to move on to better things for Him.
Letting it go is truly about allowing God to gain the victory for you.
In 2004, J4J Chicago staff made an offer for me to join their staff after I attended their Bible study for a while. What was totally a RED FLAG was that I was not close friends (or even mild friends) with anyone on their staff, nor did it appear I was even friends at all with them, and suddenly they wanted me to live with them and join their staff when I mentioned I was in financial stress. I rejected the offer after one week of thought, because to be honest--it seemed CULT-LIKE based on my cult experience.
I first ran into J4J at Moody Bible in Chicago in the 90s where they would train in the open in a very MILITARY-LIKE style in the lounges of Culbertson hall. My impression was that this group was very very stressed and way to militaristic, but I didn't think much of it at the time. After I graduated MBI I thought I'd go attend a few Bible studies there where the above things happened.
- a Messianic who rejects J4J
I worked for Jews for Jesus for two years, leaving in 1987. I left to go to Moody Bible Institute. I wanted to leave a note for Anonymous since we may have overlapped at MBI.
I remember JFJ being a very dysfunctional place. Moishe Rosen was a large strange man and I witnessed more than one of his moody, irrational episodes at the Tuesday night dinners.
I helped move the Rosens into their new house in San Francisco in 1986. It was a very big house in a very exclusive area. There were so many financial abuses I'm surprised they got away with it. I promised myself I would never again work for a Christian organization.
As for their cult-like tendencies, yes, they had some. I remember one gal got caught looking for another job while still on staff. They fired her for "disloyalty." This caused her considerable distress and financial hardship and was one of the most unchristian things I had ever seen.
There are so many unflattering anecdotes from that time period. To say the ministry treated its staff poorly and was a poor steward of its money would be an understatement.
What it's looks like today I don't know.
I'm curious if the Ruth in this thread is Moishe and Ceil's daughter. We used to chat occasionally Tuesday evenings.
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