Glenn Plummer’s ‘Stake’ in Israel Exposes Faith-based Pitfalls

“For my people and I have been sold…” (Esther 7:4)

“And they took him and cast him into the pit…” (B’reishit 37:24)

Eyebrows and alarms had already been raised long before video documentation publicizing the pseudo “aliya” of COGIC Bishop Glenn Plummer and his wife, Dr. Pauline Plummer, began making the rounds on social media. 

In last year’s stranger-than-fiction official Press Release, announcing COGIC’S appointment of Dr. Glenn R. Plummer as their first Bishop of Israel, it was also decreed that Bishop Plummer’s wife, Dr. Ruth Pauline Plummer, has thereby become “First Lady of Israel.”

“With the premature death earlier this year of Nechama Rivlin, the wife of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin left the title “First Lady of Israel” vacant. Dr. Plummer, as the new incoming First Lady of Israel, also makes history as the first American First Lady of Israel.”

Is that some kind of new spin on “replacement theology”? But in all seriousness, COGIC boasts impressive numbers, with an estimated 6.5 million members in 105 countries worldwide. But what should be of concern to Israelis is that the Bishop and his First Lady are also devoted to church planting in Israel and, having already established several churches here, needed to upgrade to a jurisdiction to further strengthen their local “stake in the ground.”

In fact, Ethiopian Jewish leaders estimate that there are at least 20 neighborhood evangelical churches and messianic congregations currently “serving” their vulnerable communities [note: not all of them are necessarily affiliated with COGIC]. 

So how did the Plummers manage to enter Israel at the height of Covid-19 restrictions, establish a church jurisdiction, achieve full residency and secure a residence in the Jewish State? My sources confirmed that the Plummer’s residency status* in Israel was facilitated by the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and approved by the very highest echelons of the Israeli government.

*[NOTE: That renowned Israeli messianic Christian attorneys and their law firms have suddenly publicized their campaign to promote a new B-5 Visa status, to assist non-Jews who want a stake in the Jewish state, is a power play and red herring of sorts. It is likely not the means by which the Plummers and 70 HaYovel Christian messianic volunteers recently gained their special status entry into Israel.]

A diverse and serious ad hoc group assembled and have been, for weeks, poring over the writings, activities, and teachings of the COGIC evangelical mega-church leader. Among them are Torah scholars, missionary awareness consultants, educators, investigative journalists, former missionary leaders, African-Americans who’ve joined the Jewish people through our ancient halakhic process, prominent members of Israel’s Ethiopian community, and professionals involved in international Jewish advocacy.

There is deep concern, and consensus of missionary intent as the Plummer’s are intently focused on, and involved in, “mission outreach” to Israel’s Ethiopian Jewish community. 

A highly spiritual community, numbering 170,000 souls, Ethiopian Jewish leadership is greatly troubled by the prospect that their youth who “are looking to find their identity and place in society” are vulnerable to evangelical overtures. Bishop Glenn Plummer has been quite forthright in his travel reports, and boasts of ministering to, teaching, and engaging in praise and worship opportunities with Ethiopian Jews.

For those who dare to touch evangelical church theology that goes beyond baptism and the “Great Commission,” the Plummers consider themselves to be of the seed of Abraham and engrafted into the tree of Israel through Jesus. Beyond the spiritual connotation, they see the literal Land of Israel as promised to them and their millions of followers too.  

Alas, too much was laid bare on YouTube and so the battle to bury the missionizing agenda has now entered the all-too-familiar “copyright infringement” vs “fair-usage” arena, with video documentation and online material fast disappearing… only to be reposted in the near future.

I know this territory all too well, as I spent a decade in the field of researching the Israel-Evangelical alliance and trying to alert the Jewish community to the challenges and pitfalls of interfaith theological alliances that are bereft of red lines.

Much of my work involved calling the Jewish leadership to task for turning a blind eye to obvious missionary intent, and for deliberately pulling the wool over the eyes of their fellow Jews in both Israel and the Diaspora.

So after a four year hiatus on this subject, I’m reluctantly returning to present a very unsettling picture, as the vultures are now coming home to roost. 

I was saddened, but not surprised, to see that more than half of the names listed among “Israel’s Top 50 Christian Allies” for this year include those whom I know to have a history of supporting missionary activities or encouraging messianic Christian endeavors in Israel. By the way, Glenn Plummer made the top ten of this year’s list.

Organizations such as the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus (CAC), The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), the Jewish Agency for Israel, The Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) and the creme de la crème of the “Land of Israel Camp” all vehemently deny collaboration with missionary entities, including such clauses in their policy statements. And yet, everybody is doing it and has been doing it for years.

Ten years ago then Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Chairman Rabbi Benny Elon gave his blessing to Pentecostal minister Dr. Jack Hayford’s messianic missionary conference in Jerusalem. While Pastor Hayford was moving Rabbi Shlomo Riskin to tears with his devotion to Israel he was simultaneously calling for a Christian messianic restoration in the Jewish state and personally mentoring, sending and sponsoring missionaries to Israel to target Jews for conversion.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein featured Pastor Hayford in promotional ads and infomercials promoting IFCJ. And Hayford served as the poster boy for Israel’s Tourism ministry while he was also openly endorsing Maoz Israel – an aggressive proselytizing ministry based in Tel Aviv.

Nine years ago, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed joined HaYovel (Christian volunteer harvesters) founder Tommy Waller and Shomron leaders Gershon Mesika, David Ha’ivri and Yossi Dagan in a widely disseminated Shomron Liaison Office media blitz that welcomed and honored Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye (20 on the list of Israel’s top Christian allies).

Pastor Adeboye of the international Pentecostal denomination known as “The Redeemed Christian Church of God” (RCCG) is sometimes referred to as the “African Pope” and was invited to Israel by Shomron Regional Council Governor Gershon Mesika.  At the time of the visit, Pastor Adeboye was teaching what can only be described as Supersessionist Replacement Theology to his purported millions of disciples (RCCG also has several parishes throughout Israel):

“The physical Jews expect Isaiah 49:23 to be fulfilled but they failed to realize that a change has occurred. These promises have now been transferred to the Church. Any physical Jew who fails to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will together with other unbelievers bow to us Christians someday.”

“If you are a spiritual Jew- a Jew by reason of your new birth experience in Christ Jesus, you qualify to claim all the promises God made to Abraham. So what happens to the nation of Israel? To be relevant, they have to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and become a part of His Body- the Church.”

Yet after the press conferences, full-page ads and photo ops, there was yet another disgraceful moment caught on camera and posted on Adeboye’s RCCG Israel website. It featured Shomron councilmen Gershon Mesika, David Ha’ivri and Yossi Dagan seated at a banquet dinner table with none other than Israel’s #1 street proselytizer and meshumad,  Yaakov Damkani.

That was then. Today it’s so much worse as there are countless (volumes in fact) of humiliating examples of Jewish government leaders engaged in faith-based diplomacy with those who openly boast of gifting new testaments in Hebrew to Knesset members. Or rabbis and municipality leaders who proudly work with evangelical organizations that target Ethiopian Jews and boast of Covid-19 as presenting a unique opportunity to evangelize the challenged sectors of Israeli society. And our Jewish Agency has sunk to incredibly deep depths with regards to their public collaboration with those who have an openly stated agenda to convert Jews.

Josh Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and president of the Israel Allies Foundation, has the gall to produce and appear in shows on a Christian network that is flooded with messianic programming and finances missionary endeavors in Israel.

In a bizarre role reversal, those most adept at understanding the mindset, intentions and theology of evangelical sects are being doubted, questioned and cross-examined in a desperate game being played by those who have much to lose if true missionary and proselytizing agendas are exposed. But exhaustive research and proofs are no longer necessary. One need only open their eyes, ears, hearts and heads to see the disaster that has befallen our people in the name of “faith-based diplomacy.”

Israel’s Torah puts great emphasis on the ethical imperative and Jewish law requires one to be scrupulous regarding weights and measures. So Jewish leaders do indeed try to grapple with the burning issues of today. In the recent edition of the journal Jewish Action, rabbinic leaders and writers addressed the challenges and decision-making processes involved in less-than- kosher dealings and relationships. In the lead article, “the Anatomy of Unholy Alliances,” much was covered. But in a remarkable omission, the writer (and president of OU) failed to address the most relevant, current and unholy alliance of them all – partnering with those who aspire to destroy our very souls.  

However, the method of assessing sticky situations via a cost-benefit analysis was broached. So with my fingers off the scale, let’s take a look…

For decades now support from evangelical Christians has translated into 

• “Pro-Israel” political lobbying and diplomatic opportunities
• the fight against BDS and anti-Semitism
• unprecedented tourism 
• communications and public relations benefits
• investment and networking opportunities
• robust charitable contributions
• staggering numbers (multi-millions) of “Christian Zionists” to fill the void left by alienated and unaffiliated Jews
• a possibility of laying the groundwork for a prophetic age of world peace

None of this is to be taken lightly. However, the other side of the scale, while perhaps more transcendent, weighs heavily on the Jewish soul. The costs involved in allying ourselves with devout Christians has resulted in

• dependency on foreigners with a faith-based agenda
• evangelism and rampant missionary activity targeting vulnerable sectors of Israeli society
• unprecedented growth in the messianic Christian presence and influence in Israel
• a sense of confusion, compromise and loss of Jewish identity as boundaries are blurred
• a deepening of the split within the Israel-Diaspora Jewish community
• a challenge to the very character and nature of Jewish identity in the State of Israel
• a Christian attachment and claim to the Land of Israel as their inheritance

Add to this the uncertainty factor and risks. Israel’s economy can be built on hopes and dreams that multi-millions of devout Christian pilgrims will visit and become attached to the land and the people… yada…yada…yada… And then a tiny microbe from out of nowhere can pull the rug out from under all of our plans and close those gates of opportunity indefinitely… yada…yada…yada…

Or hypothetically, someone like Bishop Glenn Plummer can hold the keys to peace with Sudan. But a few years down the road, after having received the best of Israeli technology and military equipment and aid, Sudan decides to use those resources to, once again, engage in hostilities against Darfur – massacring and displacing hundreds of thousands…yada…yada…yada

And then there is the unforgivable…

When Joseph’s brothers cast him into a pit, our sages note that the pit was empty – there was no water in it, but there were snakes and scorpions in it…

This Jewish mother of Israel (sorry, no “first lady” title) can assure you that the heavens are trembling at the very thought that today’s Jewish leaders and activists would jump at the opportunity to throw their 170,000 Ethiopian Jewish brothers and sisters into a pit bereft of Torah and full of predators. Or sell them as pawns in the name and game of faith-based diplomacy.