Danzig Passage

One of the most prolific Christian writers of our time is Bodie Thoene. Mrs. Thoene has a special concern for Jews and Israel, and many of her books are filled with Jews or Jewish converts to Christianity. We'll start our "study" of Thoene's writings with Danzig Passage, published by the Minneapolis-based Bethany House in 1991.

Many Jews are represented in this book, both Israeli Jews and European Jews. This Holocaust-era novel is part of the Zion Covenant Series.

A representative passage comes on page 276 when Samuel Orde, a gentile Christian, says to Moshe Sachar:

"Your Messiah came through the root of Israel. He says His Covenant is with you forever, for a thousand generations.... I am so grateful for His love and kindness. I really believe that He considers the people of the Covenant His own dear children. Satan desires that the promises God made to the Jewish people be broken, that you also be slaughtered like lambs. No Jews. No Israel. Because then God would be a liar. Should I not be willing then to die for His beloved people?"

Wandering Jude will not comment on this passage except to say that while Orde's commitment to and love for the Jewish people is commendable, and his willingness to die for Jews remarkable, his logic leaves something to be desired. For example, Orde (Thoene) wishes us to believe that:

(1) God (all powerful in Christian theology) made promises to the Jewish people. (WJ points out that actually it wasn't the Jewish people but Abraham who God made promises to, but let's not quibble).
(2) Satan (not all powerful) wants God to break his promises.
(3) Satan (not all powerful) wants to kill the Jews, thereby forcing God to break his promises.

It is clear to anyone with a mind that if God is all powerful and Satan is not, then God will win the war. But the fictional Mr. Orde believes that it might be necessary for him to lose his life (for the purpose of saving Jews) to keep God from losing face with Satan. Somehow WJ thinks there might be a better way.... (but nevertheless still wants to praise Mr. Orde for his love for the Jewish people. There are enough anti-Semites out there that we need some more Jew lovers).