In recent months, Dr. E. Michael Jones, known for his antisemitic writings, has been on the warpath against me, culminating in a 26-page screed that mentions me no less than 45 times.
To be sure, I consider it an honor every time a book or video challenges or even attacks my views. I’m glad to know others are listening, and I’m glad to see that, by God’s grace, I’m making an impact. On with the debate and dialogue!
But when a book by a purported scholar blatantly misrepresents me – or, I should say, lies about me – at that point, a candid review seems appropriate.
And that leads to a perplexing question: If an author lies about me in his book, which is sold by Amazon, and I post a review on Amazon to rebut the lies, why would Amazon refuse to post it?
More importantly, when my review challenges an author’s antisemitism, why wouldn’t Amazon want to post it? Is Amazon granting antisemitism privileged status?
Honestly, the question of Amazon granting antisemitism privileged status is laughable, given Amazon’s close relationship with the SPLC, a radical left organization that is quick to call out antisemitism, be it perceived or real.
Moreover, the SPLC has labeled the author of the book in question, Dr. E. Michael Jones, an antisemite. (For the record, the SPLC has labeled me “anti-LGBT,” so both Dr. Jones and I have been targeted by them.)
Why, then, would Amazon protect Dr. Jones, a Catholic scholar who believes that “the Jews” as a people are, by spiritual nature, subversive troublemakers? (Were I to engage in the same kind of conspiratorial theories for which Dr. Jones is infamous, I would suggest that “the Catholics” control Amazon!)
The book in question is titled Is Christian Anti-Semitism Responsible for the Poway Synagogue Shooting?, and in the book, Dr. Jones challenges my view that the tragic synagogue shooting in Poway was fueled in part by “Christian” antisemitism.
Of course, Dr. Jones’ battle is not with me but with the demented shooter himself, John Earnest, since Earnest made his Jew-hatred clear, a hatred that he justified by his reading of the New Testament writings. The shooter’s manifesto speaks for itself.
But Dr. Jones will have none of it, writing instead that the shooter was “much more intelligent than Dr. Brown, who failed to understand that Earnest was hoping for precisely the sort of overreaction Dr. Brown displayed because Earnest knew it would lead to further violence, and that further violence would lead to further repression until finally the long-awaited revolution would break out and the white people would regain their former dignity.”
Here we get into the twisted “logic” of Dr. Jones, as he claims that: 1) The shooter knew people like me would “overreact” and that we would call out “Christian” antisemitism. 2) The result of our denouncing violence in Jesus’ name would be further violence. 3) That further violence would lead to societal suppression of such violence. And, 4) The suppression of said violence would lead to a white revolution.
Yes, Dr. Jones actually believes this. I kid you not.
And somehow, if you dig deep enough, the Jews are ultimately to blame, since, in Dr. Jones’ view, “the Jews,” by spiritual nature, are moral subversives and troublemakers.
Welcome to the conspiratorial, Jew-bashing world of Dr. E. Michael Jones.
Unfortunately, his antisemitic paranoia not only lead to flights of fancy like the one we just mentioned. It also leads to outright lies, like this: “Disagree with Dr. Brown, and he will call you an anti-Semite. My debate with him has already shown that. The new normal is just over the horizon: Disagree with Dr. Brown, and you will go to jail.”
This is utter nonsense, with every sentence filled with blatant misinformation.
As I said to Dr. Jones when he joined me on the air (and it was not a “debate” by any stretch of the imagination), you can criticize Israel and the Jewish people day and night, and I won’t call you an antisemite. But when you demonize the people as a whole, I will call you an antisemite.
Dr. Jones knows full well that I support his right to speak his mind, as much as I differ with his views. And he knows that I stand against criminalizing so-called hate speech.
But to acknowledge those truths would undercut his entire thesis, not to mention undercut the very basis for his hateful mini-book.
Dr. Jones actually claims on the back cover that “Dr. Brown has made it clear that any Christian who disagrees with his understanding of Scripture as it relates to the Jews is a ‘Christian anti-Semite.”
In reality, I will call you an antisemite if you use your interpretation of the Scriptures to cultivate Jew-hatred and to justify demonizing and defaming “the Jews” as a people.
Once again, Dr. Jones has spoken falsely.
But who cares about truth? Dr. Jones has an agenda, and truth and facts cannot stop it. It’s always “the Jews” who are guilty, and since I’m a Jewish follower of Jesus, I share in the guilt.
He also claims that during one of my radio shows I "put the following words in [his] mouth: ‘The Jews are guilty of this, the Jews are subversive. The Jews own the White House, the Jews own this, the Jews are enslaving. The Jews want to take over the world, decapitate Christians.’”
I did not, in fact, put those words in his mouth, which anyone who takes a moment to actually watch the relevant video will see at once (view from 25:23 through 26:30).
Instead, I played a video clip where I had shared my concerns with him about his rhetoric (he was on the split screen as I spoke, from a previous broadcast). Then, because I was only emphasizing the warnings I had given, I gave the short version of his reply rather than play his reply. (He basically said, “Thanks for your advice, but no thanks.”) Then, I repeated the common charges made by other antisemites, which Jones falsely claims I put on his lips. Not so.
I actually reached out to Dr. Jones privately via email when I heard him make similar claims on a YouTube interview, but rather than correcting his error, he entrenched himself deeper, putting it in print. Why do such a thing when the evidence is patently and plainly against you? (For further background, see here.)
He writes in this book, "I am affirming that statement. The Jews killed Christ," but he fails to tell his readers that, on my show, he also stated plainly that, "The Jews are hostile to all mankind," claiming that the Bible backed his view. And yet, in his eyes, that is not being antisemitic, whereas when I urge him to nuance his statements, his response is to misrepresent and lie.
And since all of Jesus' first followers were Jews, to say, "The Jews killed Christ" is no more accurate than to say, "The Jews followed Christ.” And does Dr. Jones not care that the accusation that “the Jews” are Christ-killers has led to much Jewish bloodshed through the centuries?
In short, despite the fact that I told Dr. Jones plainly during our radio discussion that it is not antisemitic to criticize Jews or Israel fairly, he continues to misrepresent me in his book, since, if he presented my position accurately, the mini-book would disappear.
As a follower of Jesus, I forgive him for lying about me and inciting hatred against me (and the Jewish people). At the same time, I urge him to follow the truth, regardless of how much it will shatter his theses. It is the truth that will set him free.
(For my article documenting how YouTube banned my video, taking issue with Dr. Jones and his lies, see here. Let me also repeat my open challenge to Dr. Jones, since he takes issue with me accusing of him of antisemitism: Dr. Jones, let us have a public, formal, moderated, academic debate on whether your views are antisemitic. Why refuse the invitation?)
