David Brickner (born September 29, 1958) is an American ordained
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister who has been head of the
Messianic Jewish
Messianic Judaism ( he, or , ) is a modernist and syncretic movement of Protestant Christianity that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism.
It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier ...
missionary group
Jews for Jesus
Jews for Jesus is an international Messianic Judaism, Messianic Jewish non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California. The group is known for its proselytism to Jews and promotes the belief that Jesus is the Messiah in Christ ...
since 1996.
Background and family
Brickner was born in
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...
. Brickner describes himself as a fifth-generation Jewish believer in Jesus. His mother was raised as a
Jewish Christian
Jewish Christians ( he, יהודים נוצרים, yehudim notzrim) were the followers of a Jewish religious sect that emerged in Judea during the late Second Temple period (first century AD). The Nazarene Jews integrated the belief of Jesus ...
, the descendant of a Hasidic rabbi in Russia, and his father was raised as a
traditional Jew. He has two children, Isaac and Ilana.
Education
* 1981 Graduated
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...
, Chicago, IL. Diploma in Jewish and Modern Israel Studies
* 1986
Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois. NEIU serves approximately 9,000 students in the region and is a Hispanic-serving institution. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park wi ...
in conjunction with
Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership
Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership (Spertus College or Spertus) is a private educational center in Chicago, Illinois. Spertus offers learning opportunities that are "rooted in Jewish wisdom and culture and open to all" although ...
. B.A. in Judaica, Minor in Music
* 1994
Fuller School of World Mission, Pasadena, CA. M.A. in Missiology, Concentration in Jewish Evangelism/Judaic Studies
Career
Brickner began his career as a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
with the Chicago branch of Jews for Jesus. He led the New York City branch until May 1996, then was elected by a council of his peers as the organization's second executive director. Brickner has been in ministry for over thirty years and has appeared many times on secular television and radio programs.
Controversial statements
On August 12, 2002, representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Synagogues signed a joint statement that Catholics should no longer try to evangelize Jews because they "already dwell in a saving covenant with God." Evangelical groups, including Jews for Jesus, strongly objected to the statement. A ''Los Angeles Times'' article reported that "the controversy has touched a nerve that underlies religious relations." The article went on to say, "And the ever-controversial Jews for Jesus movement, which believes that Jesus is the Messiah that Jews have been waiting for, also stepped in. David Brickner, the group's executive director, said the bishops had 'crossed the line' and betrayed their responsibility to spread the Gospel. 'Jews need to hear the Gospel. Period. Excluding my Jewish people from Christian witness is theologically and biblically untenable, yet this is exactly what American Catholic bishops' did, Brickner said."
Brickner was reported to have said on 17 August 2008 that the deaths in the
Jerusalem bulldozer attack
On July 2, 2008, an Arab resident of East Jerusalem identified as Hussam Taysir Duwait (also referred to as Hussam Duwiyat, Hossam Dawyyat, or erroneously as Jabr Duwait) attacked several cars on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem in a vehicle-ramming at ...
were God's "judgment" for Jews having failed to convert to Christianity.
[Th]
full transcript
an
audio recording
of the Aug. 17, 2008 speech is on the Wasilla Bible Church website.[, ] The comments created further controversy because they were made at the
Wasilla Bible Church, where
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...
is a member; Palin was chosen a week later to be the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
candidate for vice-president in the
2008 United States presidential election
The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from ...
.
Political analysts speculated that Brickner's remarks would cause the Republicans to lose Jewish voters. In an interview with NBC news David Brickner responded to this assessment of his guest speech by saying "That's not what I was saying ... That's not what I believe. The violence is evidence that sin has marred our human condition and because of sin and non belief, God's judgment rests on all humanity."
["Jews for Jesus Head Defends Speech, by Domenico Montanaro,Sep 9, 2008 http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/09/1368740.aspx ]
Books
* ''Mishpochah Matters: The Jewish Way to Say Family : Speaking Frankly to God's Family'', 1996
* ''Future Hope'', 1999
* ''Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles'', 2006
* ''Christ in the Feast of Pentecost'', 2008
Musical albums produced
* ''Times and Seasons'' 1986
* ''Music for Messiah Live'' 1989
* ''Messianic Music Festival'' 1991
* ''Yeladim for Y'shua'' 1991
* ''He Will Return'' 1991
* ''Psalms of a Modern David'' 1991
* ''David's Hope'' 1997
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brickner, David
1958 births
Living people
American religious writers
Moody Bible Institute alumni
Northeastern Illinois University alumni
People from Beverly, Massachusetts
Jews for Jesus
Messianic clergy