A local preacher who delivered a series of what is regarded as blatantly anti-Semitic sermons three months ago, claiming that the Holocaust was God’s punishment of the Jews for their rejection of Jesus, drew expressions of shock and anger from Christian and Jewish groups that have not abated despite a recent disclaimer and charges of a “witch hunt” by the evangelist.
Rev. Ernest O’Neill, on Irish-born former Methodist minister who heads the non-denominational Campus Church here and a number of affiliated business enterprises, drew a sharp rebuke from the Council of Religious Advisors (CRA) of the University of Minnesota and a somewhat equivocal protest by the Minnesota Council of Churches which upheld his right to express his views although it disagreed with them.
The CRA is a group of 14 clergymen and church workers who serve the student body at the university. The Campus Church is in no way associated with that institution but many students attend its services.
Morton Ryweck, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minneapolis and of the Anti-Defamation League of Minnesota and the Dakotas, saw O’Neill’s set mons as a reminder “that theologically-based Christian anti-Semitism is still with us, notwithstanding the progress that has been mode in recent decodes in reforming church teaching and certain Liturgical references about the Jews and Judaism.”
DISAVOWS SOME OF HIS REMARKS
O’Neill initially defended his invidious references to Jews on grounds that he was merely quoting Biblical verses about Jews to provide examples relevant to Christian living. Later he disavowed some of his more scurrilous remarks, claiming they were taken out of context and distorted by his critics. In a Jan. 27 sermon, he called the Jews a “reprobate” people who had spurned God’s will and said that “the nation of Israel faces more contempt and more suspicion than any other notion.”
According to the transcript of that sermon, O’Neill thanked the “Lord” for “the clear lesson from Israel, that if we go for our own material, and financial prosperity, according to our own plans we will never have enough money.” With respect to the Holocaust, he said:
“I do believe that many of us are weak in our interpretation of why things like the Holocaust happen, and I do think that obtains it’s certainly good to blame the secondary causes. It is certainly good to blame the Germans or blame ourselves, but it is important to see what God’s explanation is and it’s Ezekiel 39 and verse 23: ‘And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hands of their adversaries’.” According to O’Neill, the Germans did the damage but “God withdrew his protecting sword.”
STATEMENTS BY CHRISTIANS
On Feb. 14, the CRA issued a statement signed by all members which called attention to O’Neill’s sermons of Jan. 13, 20 and 27. “In our estimation these sermons contain numerous overtly anti-Jewish statements. The CRA deplores and rejects these statements and expresses its willingness to meet with various Christian bodies to prepare on appropriate, studied response to the problem of anti-Semitic elements in Christian preaching.”
On March 12, the Minnesota Council of Churches issued its own statement, signed by Monroe Bell, Interim Executive Director, which it said “reflects fairly the prevailing opinions among the leadership of 17 church bodies in the state of Minnesota with a total membership of. abut a million persons.” The statement reaffirmed “our affection for the Jewish people and our gratitude for their cultural heritage which has enriched and ennobled human life for thousands of years ….”
With respect to O’Neill, the statement observed that “Our scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, call on us to be reticent in passing judgement. We affirm that the Rev. Mr. O’Neill is fully entitled to hold and express his opinions He has declared that the opinions he expressed regarding the Jewish people are derived from the true reading of scripture and Christian faith. We disagree.”
A statement issued by the Minnesota Interreligious Committee on Christian Jewish Relations on March 12, commended the CRA, the Council of Churches “and other concerned Christians for their forthright criticism of Rev. Ernest O’Neill’s recent anti-Semitic sermons.”
In a sermon delivered at the Campus Church on March 16, O’Neill accused his critics of gross distortion and charged that they were trying to start a “witch hunt.” He claimed “They took the transcripts (of the sermons) and distorted some of the phrases …. I am concerned for the Jewish friends who heard these lies and want you to know that they are lies,” he said. He insisted that he has “no time” for those who believe the Holocaust was God’s way of punishing Jews. Minneapolis has a Jewish population of 22,000.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
