Christians, beginning with the Catholic Church and many European nations, have treated Jews terribly. I would argue that if it were not for the Protestant Reformation, Jews would likely still be hated en masse by Christians today.
If you compare the Old Testament to the New Testament of the Bible, you are moving from ancient culture to what we consider modern culture today. In ancient culture, censorship by elites was often seen as the only viable approach to governance.
I was listening to a leader from Singapore who, by most measures, is an unknowing beneficiary of Christian culture, yet holds an atheistic stance on humanity. He speaks from a place of privilege where property rights for ordinary men and women are respected. This structure does not exist in most cultures, especially in ancient ones.
From Ancient Power to Christian Reform
The phrase “to the victor goes the spoils” was and still is an acceptable practice globally without the influence of White Protestant Christians, who generally fought for broad access to the Word of God.
How Christ spoke, how Christ taught, and even Christ breaking the Sabbath were all radical acts by Jewish standards. Many Jews believed they held a monopoly on God, or at the very least, on their understanding of God.
From a Christian perspective, God used the Jewish people to bring His message to humanity as a whole. However, when you study the Old Testament historically, you see that all ancient cultures had their own gods.
Faith, Governance, and Human Nature
In the Bible, the people we now call Jews repeatedly worshiped other gods. This occurred because if another god appeared to bring prosperity while the Jewish God did not, people would drift toward whatever belief seemed to reward them materially.
In the modern world, from a Christian perspective, this behavior resembles reliance on government or governance. I personally struggle to define religion in strict terms because religion often functions as a form of self governance. It is from this perspective that I find clarity and comfort.
Once you view faith as a form of self governance, belief in God becomes easier. You stop taking everything personally and begin to see historical events with greater clarity. If you claim to be Christian, you must accept the injustices committed throughout history by those who also called themselves Christians.
Christian Accountability and Historical Honesty
When you accept this history and understand that Jews are a historic people, you can approach Jewish criticism of Christians with sanity rather than emotion.
Christians do not believe in censorship. On the other hand, Jewish law as given through Moses does not command Jews to love their neighbor as themselves. This distinction matters.
The closest parallel in Mosaic law appears in the following passage:
“Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
To covet means to strongly desire, yearn for, or crave something. It does not mean love thy neighbor as thyself. Jews do not have to love thy neighbor as thyself. In fact, this commandment does not exist anywhere until Christ. Christ separates us from the Laws of Moses by making two commandments greater than all others.
Mark 12:29–31 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Jews and Muslims, for example, can look at us Christians as infidels. From a Christian perspective, the word infidel sounds comical, because we are commanded to look at everyone with love, including those who hate us.
This does not mean that as Christians we are supposed to be foolish or allow people to walk all over us. Rather, Christ gives us commandments that we base our self governance on.
Jews do not have to worry about loving thy neighbor as thyself because it is not part of their self governance commandments. They may choose to love their neighbor voluntarily, but they are not commanded to do so.
So when I hear so called Christians pointing out the obvious about Jews, my response in my head is, “yes, and?” Who cares. Of course Jews are going to do whatever they believe is in their own self interest. When has any people group ever not done that.
The problem among Christians is that many of us do not know our Bible and often adopt atheistic or non believer talking points. Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior, volunteered His life for me and revealed the true meaning of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If I am not of this world, so be it. As a Christian, I know this world is hell without Christians in it.
I will do God’s work. If this is not our world, then it is not our world. But while I live, I will do God’s will, especially when the blessings of God in 2026 are so blatantly obvious.
Consider making Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior today.