I had meant to leave this post standing on its own for as long as it might take for our leaders to start responding. There is widespread agreement among the abused I've talked with, that we very much need to hear from our leaders on this topic.

To date, however, (6 weeks after I opened this thread), no leaders from any quarter of the Messianic/Christian community have posted any comments. So I thought it might be good to add a "ps" as food for thought.

In December 07, a scandal broke in the orthodox Jewish community. The Jewish Telegraph Service(JTA) broke the story (Dec.20), and many Jewish papers and blogs, orthodox or otherwise, have been hotly discussing it ever since. It was only when the Jerusalem Post picked it up (Feb.8) that I heard of it. I think the parallels to our own community of believers are instructive.

It's been dubbed the "Spinka Affair", due to the prominent, respected leader of the Spinka hassidic movement being at the center of the scandal. He had been heading up several charities, which among other things channel funds from the US to Israel. He and several colleagues are charged with massive tax fraud in handling those donations. It had been going on for quite a while, until the FBI was tipped off by a community insider.

The guest columnist for the JP, Andrew Silow-Carroll (editor of the New Jersey Jewish News) observed:

"The case is a sensation in Los Angeles, where four of the defendants lived. And it's taken a peculiar, and perhaps peculiarly Orthodox, twist: The case is based on tips from a Spinka insider.
"This act of mesira - the injunction against informing on Jewish misbehavior to secular authorities - has apparently scandalized the LA Orthodox community as much if not more than the allegations themselves.
"'People are very shell-shocked about the whole thing on many levels,' Rabbi Daniel Korobkin, a West Coast representative of the Orthodox Union, told the [Jewish daily] Forward. 'Number one, that our neighbors and friends are implicated, and number two, that an act of mesira on this level was perpetrated by one of our own.'" (JP, "Telling Tales Out of Shul", Feb.8,08)

This is a close parallel to the reaction in our own Messianic/Christian communities when abuses are exposed. There's lots of dismay over the fact that someone is 'speaking negative things' about a leader (and whether this is a violation of NT teaching). There is energetic discussion about how this divides us and makes us look bad to unbelievers - especially if secular authorities become involved. Very little attention is given to the wrongdoing that prompted the 'gossip'. It's as though the 'bad testimony' is not the wicked deed, but the act of talking about it.

But note the major differences between us and the modern-day "pharisees" (as we believers like to view them): The Spinka affair is being discussed openly among the orthodox leaders, and there are quite a few urging the community to do some soul-searching.

What are our own born-again, Spirit-filled leaders doing with similar problems?

I know of one US-Israeli ministry scandal running for 5 years now (with no end in sight). News of it has been so effectively stifled that all our community channels, from the Messianic Times on down, are afraid to admit they know the story, much less to open community debate on it. The only call for soul-searching by leaders over the last 5 years has been aimed at the ones who had "spoken ill of their brothers" by exposing the wrongdoing.

When "the righteousness of the Pharisees" is greater than that of Yeshua's disciples (compare Matt.5:20), we are set up for serious judgment.

And if this does not provoke comment from our leadership, I don't know what will.

speaking the truth in love,

--Hannah

Hello Hannah,

I have seen what "Enforced Standards" can do within a Messianic congregation. More abuse may result from poor judgement on the part of Messianic leadership to stem what they perceive to be immoral conduct or even the rumor of immoral conduct. Anyone challenging such "Enforced Standards" may face the condemnation of Messianic leadership.

Dan Juster may have "Enforced Standards" in mind in his article, but he has now opened a "can of worms" that may start a wave of "witch hunts" in Messianic congregations. This is exactly the kind abusive situation that Hannah speaks of in her previous postings.

In the past accused brethren were ousted from congregations without proper evidence. An imperious leader who is misguided in his judgement would be the sole arbiter rather than the matter taken to a congregational counsel to make sure a fair judgement is made.

The problem of "Enforced Standards" and discipline is that it only appears to be focused on congregational members rather than the leadership itself. Most independent Messianic congregational leaders are not responsible to any board within the umbrella organizations they are associated with (UMJC, MJA, AMC, etc.) Any judgement mistakes made by leadership can be "swept under the rug" without any resistance.

If Messianic Jews are to truly comply to "Enforced Standards", a way to maintain discipline within the leadership is necessary.

Marshall Beeber
Messianic Literary Corner director
http://www.messianic-literary.com
--Marshall Beeber
<mailto:[email protected]>