Black Hebrew Israelites Cult

Black Hebrew Israelites Cult

 

History

“The origins of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement are found in Frank Cherry and William Saunders Crowdy, who both claimed that they had revelations in which they believed that God told them that African Americans are descendants of the Hebrews in the Christian Bible; Cherry established the "Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations" in 1886, and Crowdy founded the "Church of God and Saints of Christ" in 1896.” - Wikipedia

Cherry taught that Jesus was coming back in 2000 AD. Later into the 19th century, he proceeded to claim that African Americans were the biological descendants of the Hebrews in the Bible.

The Black Hebrew Israelite movement is very similar to the Hebrew Roots Movement, but it’s nuanced by the understanding that the true Hebrews are black people in America. This movement is confusing at many points, beginning with the fact that they have multiple names for the same cult - Black Hebrew Israelites, Hebrew Israelites, Black Hebrews, Black Israelites, and even African Hebrew Israelites. However, Black Hebrew Israelites are not to be confused with Black Jews! Perhaps the best way to understand these names is as representative of multiple “churches” within the cult.

They revise history constantly, insisting that the Israelites in the Middle East are imposters and that the holocaust never happened! Because of these issues, people have rightly come to know them as a hate group that promotes racial segregation, fuels the flames of a race war, and denies the holocaust. (To be clear, not every Hebrew Israelite is a radical.)

Since 2019, they have gained more eyes and ears. They are a small sect that tries to draw attention to its movement by street preaching and bullying techniques. There were some students from Covington Catholic High School that were harassed by some of these radicals. They called white students derogatory names such as racists, bigots, white crackers, and incest kids. Some people claim that Black people can’t be racist, but one thing this movement proves is racism goes both ways.

In 1896, the Church of God and Saints of Christ was established by founder and so-called prophet William Crowdy. By 1936, this church planted over 200 more churches, or what they called “tabernacles” - reminiscent of the first temple in the Bible, the tent.

 

Problematic Teaching

They taught people to go back to practicing Judaism. They insisted that all the Jews in the Bible were black and that family line has been preserved today in African Americans. They deny that Jesus is God and fail to see how he revolutionarily ended Judaism by bring a new covenant. They are guilty of trying to live under both the new and old covenants while failing to see how the new cancels the old (Hebrews 8:6-13). Culturally, they celebrate Passover instead of Easter, they circumcise their infant males, they observe Sabbath, and wear yarmulkes. From the new covenant, they baptize and foot wash, but neglect the Lord’s Supper.

The hinge verse for this movement is Deuteronomy 28:68. This is a verse that commentaries generally don’t have a lot to talk about. Black Hebrew Israelites insist that the Hebrews would be brought back to Egypt in ships, which never happened until the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. They ignore the fact that some Israelites actually tried to sell themselves back to Egpyt during the exile, but nobody would buy them (Isaiah 31).

Here’s one helpful commentary:

Egyptian texts are replete with accounts of slave trade, particularly with the import of Semitics for the purpose of servitude. In the time of judgment for covenant violation the Lord would make his own elect nation available for the auction block of bondage, an ironic twist to the exodus in which Israel was freed from that very condition. Whether the return to Egypt is to be understood literally or it is better to see Egypt here only as a type of exile to all the nations is unclear. It is true that many Jews eventually settled in Egypt, some perhaps as slaves, and the exile probably embodied slavery at times, if not always of the body, certainly of the spirit (cf. Jer 42:13–17; 44:11–14, 24–30; cf. Neh 9:36). 1Merrill, Eugene H. Deuteronomy. Vol. 4. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994. Print. The New American Commentary.

 

Problematic Behavior

Everyone who has heard of this movement has come to know these people as violent and extremely disagreeable. They all are black supremicist groups. The FBI has from time to time had special interest in these groups to make sure they were not plotting terrorism.

“A 1999 FBI terrorism risk assessment report stated that "violent radical fringe members" of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement hold "beliefs [that] bear a striking resemblance to the Christian Identity theology practiced by many white supremacists".[89][90] The 1999 assessment concluded that "the overwhelming majority of [Black Hebrew Israelites] are unlikely to engage in violence.” - Wikipedia

“On December 28, 2019, a man with a machete attacked several Orthodox Jewish people during Hanukkah celebrations in a house in Monsey, New York. Authorities revealed that his journals included references to Black Hebrew Israelites, stating that ‘Hebrew Israelites’ have taken from ‘ebinoid Israelites’” - Wikipedia

 

Conclusion

This movement is more aggressive than the Hebrew Roots Movement. Hebrew Roots is an attempt to go back to the law of Moses as a way of life. The Black Hebrew Israelite Movement emphasizes that Black Americans are the Jews of the Bible.

Ironically, they believe and operate just like White Supremacy groups, but instead, they are black.

Since its clear that Jesus put an end to Judaism, they reject him as God, Lord, and Savior. They think he was just another law-abiding Jew, even though the gospels are filled with examples of him breaking the Sabbath law and angering the religious leaders. The reason they plotted for his life in the first place was because he broke their laws!

Anyone who adopts this belief has left the faith. I encourage anyone to go read the book of Galatians and learn about how the promise of God to Abraham proceeded his law to Moses by 430 years (Galatians 3:17)! This is a movement that denies the gospel of Jesus Christ and presents itself as a gospel of works. Once again, they deny that Jesus is God. This is a lie and lies along with the liars who tell them are cursed (Galatians 1:6-9).