Got your attention, didn’t it? Some media announcements about archaeological discoveries paint them as shaking the very foundations of faith in Jesus. The latest such has been described on many blogs over the past month. In a nutshell, the media storm concerns a stone tablet that is said to date from the 1st century B.C. and which appears to describe a pre-Jesus messianic figure who dies and rises on the third day.
Well, maybe. Or maybe not. CNN has a helpful video summarizing the possible implications of “Gabriel’s tablet”...
Going green. It's everywhere. Slogans like "Composting is a 'berry' good idea!" and "'Lettuce' make an impact on our community" are hugging the sides of buses in California. Times Square is unveiling its first solar-powered billboard at the end of the year. Boeing is developing a new jet that burns less fuel and cuts carbon emissions. Green is in. It's trendy. It's big business. And it's also very Jewish. Eco-friendly Jewish farmers are promoting the "going green" lifestyle with their free-range livestock, fairly-traded foods, and agricultural cooperatives.
I've been listening to the radio far more often since receiving my recent birthday present to myself: a compact table-top radio/cd/alarm clock. And so it was that I heard a personal essay deemed important enough, or deep enough or who-knows-what-enough to be read aloud on National Public radio.
"I do not want to be a God-fearing man," the slightly southern sounding drawl intoned. The man went on tell how the religious institution in which he'd been raised was ruled by fear. He used words like "sledgehammer" and "intimidation" to describe his experience. He recalled how he'd been "disfellowshipped" as a teen, after having premarital sex with his girlfriend. He'd been offered the following choice: announce to the congregation that the behavior was a sin, repent and be forgiven, or leave the church. He made his choice, and has since gone on to discover "God as I understand him."
Tisha be-Av (the Ninth of Av) commemorates the destruction of the
First and Second Temples. In Jewish tradition, the date has become synonymous with mourning and tragedy.
Three weeks prior is the less well-known
Fast of Tammuz which commemorates the fall of Jerusalem's walls.
Between both dates, various mourning customs are practiced by observant Jews.
I’m not much of a video game player. I remember the first video game, though. It was called Pong, and you had to paddle a bouncing ball to keep it going. It wasn’t much more than a white spot of light on a TV screen. I also remember games like Pac-Man in the video arcades and Donkey Kong, which had something to do with a gorilla and a girl. I wonder where I’ve heard that before.
Jean-Marie Lustiger walked nervously up to the dais to preside over his first mass. The church was packed and the silence palpable. Just as the young priest was about to speak, someone from the crowd yelled, “Get the Jews out!” Lustiger’s reply broke the stunned silence, “All right, if the Jews must leave, that means the guy on the cross and his mother behind me will have to go as well!” [Continue Reading...]
This month marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel. It's no coincidence that we've chosen this time for our first Behold Your God Israel Campaign. In preparation for the campaign, we polled people as to their current opinions concerning Jesus. This first-of-its kind survey was conducted by a well known Israeli polling firm, 21st Century Marketing. The 981 completed surveys provided a good sampling of modern Israeli attitudes and revealed startling information that we want you to see...
Yom ha-Azma'ut, or Israel Independence Day, is commemorated each year on the
fifth day of the Hebrew month Iyar. This day marks the end of the British
Mandate and the official forming of the State of Israel in 1948.
Jewish sovereignty over the ancient homeland enabled Jewish people to return
to Israel from the four corners of the world, as the Bible predicted they would.
The modern state of Israel is comprised of Jews from hundreds of nations and as
many different backgrounds and languages. Yet, a distinct Israeli Jewish culture and
style has emerged as demonstrated by the use of Hebrew as a common
language. This means the gospel of Y'shua can be proclaimed to millions of
our people using one language!
Of the almost six million Jews that have settled in Israel, less than one percent
believe in Jesus. As we Jews for Jesus celebrate Israel Independence Day, we also
recognize our dependence on God as we seek to reach Jews in Israel and all over the
world with the message of Y'shua.
Also Celebrate Israel's 60th Birthday with
these items.
Did you see the full-page ad in The New York Times on Friday, March 28, entitled “The Gospel and Jewish People: An Evangelical Statement”?
Sponsored by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the statement is signed by well-known evangelical pastors, theologians, and journalists who believe in Jewish evangelism. It is a concise, updated reaffirmation of WEA’s 1989 Willowbank Declaration on the Christian Gospel and the Jewish People.
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League has called it “particularly odious to defend the duplicitous proselytizing of Jews by groups such as Jews for Jesus…” He goes on to stay that “While [the leaders who signed the statement] claim to deplore the use of deception and coercion, they ‘reject the notion that it is deceptive for followers of Jesus Christ who were born Jewish to continue to identify as Jews,’ thus turning the meaning of deception on its head.”
We applaud the WEA and those who signed the document for recognizing the need for the gospel to be lovingly brought to all people, including our Jewish people. And we are particularly encouraged to see our evangelical family acknowledge that those of us who are followers of Y’shua (Jesus) who were born Jewish have every right to continue to identify as Jews.
What do you think?
As evangelical Christians, we want to express our genuine friendship and love for the Jewish people. We sadly acknowledge that church history has been marred with anti-Semitic words and deeds; and that at times when the Jewish people were in great peril, the church did far less than it should have.
- We pledge our commitment to be loving friends and to stand against such injustice in our generation. At the same time, we want to be transparent in affirming that we believe the most loving and Scriptural expression of our friendship toward Jewish people, and to anyone we call friend, is to forthrightly share the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
- We believe that it is only through Jesus that all people can receive eternal life. (Acts 4:12) If Jesus is not the Messiah of the Jewish people, He cannot be the Savior of the World.
- We recognize that it is good and right for those with specialized knowledge, history and skills to use these gifts to introduce individuals to the Messiah, and that includes those ministries specifically directed to the Jewish people (1 Corinthians 9:20-22).
- We deplore the use of deception or coercion in evangelism; however, we reject the notion that it is deceptive for followers of Jesus Christ who were born Jewish to continue to identify as Jews (Romans 11:1).
We want to make it clear that, as evangelical Christians, we do not wish to offend our Jewish friends by the above statements; but we are compelled by our faith and commitment to the Scriptures to stand by these principles. It is out of our profound respect for Jewish people that we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them, and encourage others to do the same, for we believe that salvation is only found in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the World.
Due to space constraints, the following is a partial list of the evangelical Christian leaders who affirm the above statement:
- Rev. Dr. Lon Allison—Director, Billy Graham Center, Wheaton College
- Dr. Mark Bailey—President, Dallas Theological Seminary
- Joel Belz—Founder, World Magazine
- Richard Bewes—OBE, former Rector, All Souls Church, Langham Place, London
- Lyndon Bowring—Executive Chairman, CARE
- Doug Birdsall—Executive Chair, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization
- Dr. D. A. Carson—Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
- Dr. Paul Cedar—Chairman, Mission America Coalition
- Dr. Yonggi Cho—Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea
- Chuck Colson—Founder, Prison Fellowship
- Dr. Jim Congdon— Senior Pastor, Topeka Bible Church
- David Evans—Bishop, Church of England
- Neil E. Gastonguay— Pastor, United Methodist Church, Bath, Maine
- Mark Greene—Executive Director, London Institute of Contemporary Christianity
- Stan Guthrie—Managing Editor, Special Projects, Christianity Today
- Dr. David Harley—former General Director, OMF International
- Dr. Harold Hoehner—Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
- Dr. Jim Holm—President, Mennonite Brethren Bible Seminary
- Dr. Kenneth Hutcherson—Senior Pastor, Antioch Bible Church
- Dr.Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.—President Emeritus, Colman M.
Mockler Distinguished Professor of Old Testament,
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
- Joe Kapolyo—Minister, Edmonton Baptist Church
- Dr. R. T. Kendall—President, R. T. Kendall Ministries
- Dr. Jerry B. Jenkins—Owner, ChristianWriters Guild
- Prof. A. N. S. Lane—London Bible College
- Rev. Dr. John-Paul Lotz—Lecturer in Church History, London School of Theology
- Steve Moore—President & CEO, The Mission Exchange (formerly EFMA)
- Rev. Dr. Steve Motyer—Lecturer, London School of Theology
- Dr. Marv Newell—Executive Director, Cross Global Link (formerly IFMA)
- Hugh Palmer—Rector, All Souls Church, London
- The Honorable Tony Perkins—President, Family Research Council
- Dr. Raymond Pfister—Principal, Birmingham Christian College, Birmingham, England
- Charles W. Price—The People’s Church, Toronto, Canada
- John Piper—Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church
- Dr. Carson Pue, President, Arrow Leadership, Vancouver BC
- Dr. Phil Roberts—President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
- Dr. Haddon Robinson—President, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary
- John H. Rodgers, Th.D.—Bishop in the Anglican Mission in America
- Russell Rook—Director, ALOVE, Salvation Army
- John Seawright—Minister, Abbey Presbyterian Church, Monkstown, Ireland
- Gordon Showell-Rogers—General Secretary, European Evangelical Alliance
- Dr. Lon Solomon—Pastor, McLean Bible Church, McLean, VA
- Dr. Joseph M. Stowell—President Cornerstone University
- Stephen Strang—Publisher, Charisma Magazine
- Matt Summerfield—Executive Director, Urban Saints
- Dr. Vinson Synan—Dean Emeritus of Regent University
- Dr. Geoff Tunnecliffe—International Director,World Evangelical Alliance
- Clive Urquhart—Director, Kingdom Faith Ministries, Horsham, England
- Phil S. Walker—Pastor, Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Madison, MS
- Mike Wall—Executive Director All Nations Christian College, Ware, England
- Mark Weeden—Pastor,Worthing Tabernacle
- Chris Williams—Pastor, London Community Church
World Evangelical Alliance is the sponsor of this statement. Those evangelical Christians who would like to add their names to this list can do so by contacting World Evangelical Alliance at www.worldevangelicals.org
Expelled by Rich Robinson
To re-phrase Chaucer,
“When April with her sweet showers,
the drought of March has parched to the root,…
Then do folk get expelled…”
Yes, this April marks two expulsions, in a manner of speaking. Passover (beginning the night of April 19) is not really an expulsion like the bad ones when Jews were kicked out of Spain, Portugal, and other countries. It’s really about liberation, which came about when Pharaoh, having had it up to here with the plagues, essentially said, “Get out of here already!” His expelling us was God’s way of freeing us—a good expulsion.
The day before Passover, April 18, marks the release of Ben Stein’s film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, one of the latest in a series of advocacy films. Ben is talking about the expulsion that comes when proponents of Intelligent Design are “persecuted” in academic settings and denied the right of free inquiry, expelled from the academic establishment. In this case, expulsion is the opposite of freedom—a bad expulsion...
Did Jesus live? No dispute. Did he die? Absolutely. Yet one issue which is rarely examined by Jewish scholars is the historical event upon which his message stands or falls: his resurrection from the dead. It is the belief in this event which his first century followers took to heart and boldly proclaimed to the rest of the world. It is the central claim of the New Testament. One of his followers, Paul, put it this way:
If we hoped in Messiah in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
1 Corinthians 15: 19-20
Until recently, most Orthodox Jews could reject the resurrection of Y'shua, on the basis that they do not accept the idea of a Messiah who dies and is then resurrected. However, in the summer of 1996 a curious situation developed in the Orthodox community...
This Friday is a day of two gallows. It marks an unusual convergence of Good Friday and Purim. We know that Good Friday is a time to remember the crucifixion of our Messiah Jesus. Purim commemorates the rescue of the Jewish people from Haman's murderous plot as recorded in the book of Esther. Rarely do these days converge on the exact same date but because of the differences between the Jewish calendar (lunar) and the Roman or Christian calendar (solar), this year presents us with a strange and thought provoking confluence...
Read Purim Articles, Read & Print a Purim Broadside, Send a Purim E-Card, Print Recipes.
Unlike Passover or Yom Kippur, Purim is not one of the holidays we are commanded to observe in the Torah—but we hardly need to be commanded to celebrate this festive reminder of God’s watch care over the people of Israel! For some, Purim is a day for practical jokes and noisy, uninhibited fun. For others, it’s all about the hamantaschen. These delicious, jam-filled three-cornered pastries not only remind us of how our nemesis, Haman, received his just "deserts" but they just taste so good. And isn’t it refreshing to have a holiday with a woman hero? What Jewish girl wouldn’t like to be as brave and as beautiful as Queen Esther?
Yet we feel there is more to the holiday than the fun and pageantry we’ve all come to expect on Purim. The theme of deliverance is obvious, but have you stopped to think about how God used not-so-obvious people and situations over and over, throughout the Book of Esther? God does not always bring about deliverance according to our plans or expectations. The book of Esther is proof of that... and we Jews for Jesus invite you to consider a Messianic perspective, which is: God has a personal plan of deliverance for you that may also come from an unexpected source.
There I stood, "Super Mordechai," in my red-dyed long underwear, sporting a cape and a big "M" emblazoned on my thermal undershirt. I'm not sure if the costume shaped my understanding of Purim or vice versa, but for most of my life I have seen Mordechai as the hero of the story.
As we read through the Megillah each year and "booed" at every mention of Haman's name, it was only natural to cheer each time we heard the name of heroic Mordechai. He had stood up to the evil Haman and resisted compromise out of loyalty to God and loyalty to the Jewish people. He had risked his life for the sake of that loyalty. And he was a strategist, the one calling the shots with his young girl cousin Esther. Mordechai was smart, courageous and strong—what more could a child want in a hero? As a boy it was natural for me to identify with the male protagonist in the story. I didn't want to be a passive guy—I wanted to be like Mordechai!
But as the years passed, I realized that Mordechai is not the only hero in the story of Purim. Maybe he is not even the main hero. After all, the holiday is not based on "the Book of Mordechai." So let's take a look at his cousin, Esther...
The March Edition of Christianity Today has an editorial by Stan Guthrie entitled "Why Evangelize the Jews?" We invite your comments on it.
God's chosen people need Jesus as much as we do.
Larry King is not known as a tough interviewer. Yet with smooth-talking pastor and author Joel Osteen, he went for the jugular, asking whether Jews and Muslims must believe in Christ to get to heaven. And Osteen blinked: "I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know."
UPDATE! Christianity Today's April Edition continues this subject of "Christian Evangelism and Judaism" with an exchange of views between Rabbi Yehiel E. Poupko and Stan Guthrie.
Vaysechvoos is a fictitious village in 19th century czarist Russia. Stories from Vaysechvoos often appear in our 21st century publication Issues.
This story is typical of the kinds of tales Jewish authors wrote once upon a time. This is not an endorsement of kabbalah, just of Jewish shtetl tales. So in the spirit of the great writer Sholem Aleichem, we offer this piece.
Many people do not believe in a literal
heaven so for them, the question “Who
goes there?” is moot. The late Dr. Louis
Goldberg once told of the time that he went
into the store of a Jewish proprietor:
He looked so depressed and dejected that
I asked him what was wrong. He replied,
“I have just attended the funeral of my
favorite aunt.” Softly I inquired, “And
where is she now? Will you see her
again?” “You know what we believe,” he
replied, “When a person dies, the body is
placed in the ground, and this is all there
is to it. . . . All that remains is the
memory of the departed in the hearts of
the living.”
That man was not alone in his belief that death
was the final curtain. Yet there are noted
Jewish scholars and rabbis in all the main
branches who do not dismiss belief in an
afterlife. Orthodox Rabbi, Shraga Simmons,
writes:
The afterlife is a fundamental of Jewish
belief! The creation of man testifies to
the eternal life of the soul. . . .
[Continue Reading]
This year I was invited to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. Praying with the president of the United States sounded like a unique opportunity, so I went.
It wasn't exactly an intimate time of intercession. 4000 people were squeezed into a banquet room in tables of eight to ten. Some sipped coffee and nibbled croissants and cold fruit. Small bowls enabled each person to take a little bit of cereal. Navy blue and white programs listed the names of each speaker. Everything had been pre-set because the room was too tightly configured—the tables far too close to each other—for wait staff to move in and out to serve an actual breakfast. One speaker jokingly observed that the National Prayer Breakfast was not known so much for the breakfast as it was for the prayer. For reasons of security and the dignity of his office, President and Mrs. Bush and the select few with them were a bit removed at a dais that permitted people to serve them. I doubt that their fare was any different from the rest of us.
[Continue Reading...]
Groundhog Day has its groundhog, Thanksgiving has its turkeys, and Valentine’s Day has its Valentinus (or Valentine). It was on this day in the year 270 that
…according to tradition, Valentine, a priest in Rome during the reign of Claudius II, is beheaded along the Flaminian Way. One explanation for Valentine’s subsequent relationship to the romantic holiday is this: Claudius, seeking to more easily recruit soldiers, removed family ties by forbidding marriage. Valentine ignored the order and performed secret marriages—an act that led to his arrest and execution.
The romantic associations may have even come later:
The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer:
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
Translation: For this was on St. Valentine’s Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate.
It’s not clear who is responsible, but some of the ideas surrounding Valentine’s Day are a tad bit odd.
In this season, primaries and playoffs dominate the media, captivating people's attention and passion. There are winners and losers for each and every one of these contests.
Isn't it amazing how wrapped up some of us get, how much emotion we expend, as we root for "our guys" to win? My beloved San Francisco 49ers haven't been in the hunt for a playoff birth for a very long time, but I am still rooting, for them, still a fan, still energetic in cheering for and/or defending my team.
We so identify with our team that when the game ends, it is as though we ourselves experience "the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat." I admit that I can be downright mopey when "my team" loses, even if it's the first time I've ever rooted for them.
When it comes to politics the stakes are higher, but there are parallels to "the game."
[Continue Reading]
Sometimes I think I want to invent a new reality show. Not that we don’t have enough already. But I think it would be cool to have something along the lines of, Who Wants to Dance with a Survivor? or Xtreme Life Swap Makeover. You know, something that’s a little edgier that what’s out there right now.
It’s kind of ironic that most of our reality shows don’t deal with reality. Nothing about Iraq, nothing about nuclear arms. Instead they’re mostly about dancing, singing, and looking better. I guess some people’s reality is different than mine.
[Continue Reading]
Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein was curious when he observed one of the teachers in his school reading a book printed in German. Asking the teacher what he was reading, the book was passed to him. He leafed casually through the pages until his eye fell upon the name, "Jesus Christ." Realizing that the little book was a New Testament, he sternly rebuked the teacher for having it in his possession. He furiously cast the book across the room. It fell behind some other books on a shelf and lay forgotten for nearly 30 years.
An outbreak of intense anti-Jewish persecution arose some years later in Rabbi Lichtenstein's native Hungary, and he was not surprised that the attacks were carried on in the name of Christianity. In the midst of the pogroms, he was startled to read the writings of men who, in the name of Christ, sternly denounced the anti-Semites and defended the Jews. Among these were prominent figures such as the honored Biblical scholar Franz Delitzsch, professor at the University of Leipzig. He was intrigued by statements which spoke of the message of Christ as one of love and life to all people.
[Read More]
When Abby had some doubts about her Jewish beliefs, she consulted a rabbi. He recommended that she read books by Jewish authors. "Be an informed Jew," he exhorted.
Abby was delighted to find a number of such books in the religion section of her local library. Since most of the titles were unfamiliar, she selected the first ten books from a row on an eye-level shelf. Settling into a comfortable chair in a quiet corner, she laid the books out on a table in front of her. She quickly determined that one of the books must have been misshelved, for it bore the title "New Testament."
The placing of a copy of the New Testament on a shelf full of books on Jewish faith was most likely the ironic oversight of a careless library worker. Yet, in its authorship, content and focus, there is hardly a book more Jewish.
[Read More]
When we were kids playing hide 'n seek, there was usually a place declared
"safe."
It was great; you could go there without worrying that another kid would
catch you.
In baseball, we could be "safe" on base or "safe at home."
Wasn't it always such a relief to get "safe"?
Sure it was.
But then we grow up.
And it turns out that there really is no place that's truly safe, is there?
Terrorist attacks, tsunamis and other tragedies have proved that they can
happen anywhere, at any…[ Full Article ]
Peace! Peace! Peace!
Everybody's for it. Nobody is against it.
But what is that very elusive quality we call peace? For it means different things to different people.
To some, like Napoleon and Hitler, peace results from killing people—at least it means killing to attain their kind of peace.
Peace is what those who follow Eastern religions say comes only through the obliteration of the individual personality; becoming a part of the universe with no awareness of self. But they really mean serenity.
Peace is what the housewife wants when the teenager across the street is practicing on his drums. She really wants quiet.
Peace is what the shopkeeper wants when he's worried about paying his bills. He really means that he'd like his store to be busy and bustling with customers. Peace to him means prosperity.
The patient waiting anxiously in the doctor's office to be told the results of a battery of lab tests wants peace. He really means good health.
WHEN WE DON'T HAVE WHAT WE THINK WE SHOULD HAVE, WE SAY WE NEED PEACE!
[Continue Reading]
Front Row
by Ruth Rosen
On a clear night
Obscure they trudged through miles of layered grains.
Shepherds seeking a Bethlehem shed;
A hovel housing the promise of glory in straw and precious proximity;
A king who would not be piqued by simple society offering rustic reverence.
Crossing the sea of shifting sand peripheral people came
To gaze at the center of the universe.
Their visit perhaps a portent to a world turned upside down.
Unable to pay the price of admission to the presence of Holiness, they were
Ushered, angelstruck, to the front row.
Shepherds standing before a manger, they were just
Low enough to see the High King.
Much more than the "Jewish alternative" to Christmas, Hanukkah, which means
"dedication", recalls a dark time in the history of our Jewish people, and
our miraculous deliverance from that darkness. See how Jews for Jesus
celebrate Hanukkah in this light and how Hanukkah is a great time to share Y'shua's light with others.
Shop at our online store for menorahs and dreidels to celebrate Hanukkah.
Send some Full Article ]
Midrash time again. Two prominent American holidays this month are Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Put them together and we can give thanks for the sacrifices our soldiers have made over the years. Separate them out and we can think of other kinds of veterans and other things we can give thanks for.
According to my online thesaurus, synonyms for veteran include old hand, past master, seasoned, old, hardened, adept, expert, well trained, practiced, experienced. Long experience is the key.
Spiritually speaking, veterans are those who’ve gone before us in faith, who’ve weathered spiritual ups and downs, who have experiences of sin and redemption and community that we can learn from, and give thanks for.
Some might think that Jews who believe in Jesus are newcomers to the spiritual scene, a glitch in the Jewish matrix. Yet not only were the first followers of Y’shua Jewish, but there have been numerous Jews down through history who have followed him, too. Spiritual veterans of a sort.
[Continue Reading]
If you think that Thanksgiving is about turkeys and pumpkin pie...
...you are about as smart as a turkey and as bright as a six week old jack-o-lantern without a candle.
Sorry to insult you, but I thought maybe, perhaps, I could just shake you up a little bit so that you would know...
...just know that there is a God and He's always doing good things for you.
And though He's omniscient, so that He knows everything....
and though He's omnipotent, so that nothing is very hard for Him to do...
...He would still like to hear a word of thanks from you.
[Continue Reading]
The old Simon & Garfunkel song Mrs. Robinson includes some lines which are particularly apropos just now:
Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon.
Going to the candidates' debate.
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at it you lose.
If you're like me, you may be a little jaundiced about the political choices that we'll soon be making. Cynicism about our American democracy sits side by side with participation in an uneasy way--a bit like sitting next to a stranger in the movie theater in those narrow, uncomfortable seats. I'm no advocate for a theocracy or a dictatorship, but I am rather glad that the position of God is not an elected office.
But what if it were? [ Full Article ]
October is the month for two very different holidays -- Columbus Day (October 8) and Halloween (October 31).
Columbus Day is about a lot of things, including the idea of “discovery.” For at least some people, Halloween is about tricks, treats, ghosts and scaring people.
Neither one is a Jewish holiday. But by the Jewish mode of thinking called midrash, I’ll try to make a connection. I need some biblical verses first, though. Here are two:
Genesis 43:18
Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”
Genesis 26:19
Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there.
What’s the scariest thing in the world? That depends on who you ask. Some people would say it’s entering into a new relationship with someone. For others, it’s the threat of global warming or a melting polar ice cap. And there must be someone out there who thinks the idea of a caveman sitcom based on an insurance ad is really, really, scary. No end of candidates, really: Snakes on a Plane has sent people into Scareland.
[ Full Article ]
Now that Yom Kippur is over, a lot of our Jewish families and friends are breathing sighs of relief. Fasting is done with and for many, the seemingly interminable services for Yom Kippur are at last over (the canting was good, but really, how can someone sit in the synagogue for so long?), and we've repented of our sins.
For those who believe that God keeps a Book of Life, hopefully we've now been entered into it, "inscribed for a good year."
And that about wraps it up as far as sin is concerned, till the next Yom Kippur comes around. But I'm not sure we should forget about sin so easily.
Judaism of the traditional variety tells us that we are born with two inclinations -- an evil inclination and a good inclination. What we need to do is to choose the good inclination over the evil.
Good luck with that.
[...Continue Reading]
Sukkot means "booths," or "tabernacles," and this week-long holiday is also
known as the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a joyous harvest festival and a
reminder of how God sustained the children of Israel during their wilderness
wanderings. The people were to dwell in temporary booths, and to rejoice
over God's provision as well as his presence. Many Jewish people still build
booths in their yards or synagogues for this holiday, and take their meals
in these temporary dwelling places.
Find out more about Sukkot here.
Jews for Jesus Invites You to Worship with Us for the High Holidays
Join us for Yom Kippur and other Jewish holidays as we worship the God of Israel. Through music, liturgy, and word, we will celebrate together His provision of Y'shua (Jesus), who gives us new life and who is the atonement for our sins.
Admission is free and these services are a wonderful opportunity to invite a Jewish friend - or if you are Jewish yourself, an opportunity to come and learn more about why we believe that Y'shua is our promised Messiah. An offering for the work of Jews for Jesus will be received among those who are believers in Jesus. (If you are not a believer in Jesus, no financial involvement is asked.)
Boston
Chicago
Los Angeles
Montreal
New York City
Phoenix
San Francisco South Florida
Washington D.C.
The family that has brought "fun" back into dysfunctional is
on the big screen and Jews for Jesus commentator Ruth Rosen
has something to say about it. Download the PDF and add your comments here.
Summer is a time to start relaxing and reflecting. A time to relate more to your friends, co-workers and neighbors. A time to spend outdoors, on the beach, in the park, by a lake, on a boat, wherever. Are you ready? While you're at it, summer is also a good time to catch up on your reading. Time Magazine came out with its list of the top ten books of all times. War and Peace by Tolstoy, Hamlet by Shakespeare and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain all made the list. Seems like the Bible should have been in the top ten but it wasn't. If you were to come up with your own top ten list of books, what would it look like?
Tisha be-Av (the Ninth of Av) commemorates the destruction of the
First and Second Temples. In Jewish tradition, the date has become synonymous with mourning and tragedy.
Three weeks prior is the less well-known
Fast of Tammuz which commemorates the fall of Jerusalem's walls.
Between both dates, various mourning customs are practiced by observant Jews.
As Jewish believers in Jesus, we know we have a "future and a hope" to look forward to, according to Jeremiah 31. We believe that one day, God will turn our mourning into joy as we look forward to the return of the One who would be the Temple made without hands. (Matthew 12:6, Mark 14:58, John 2:19.)
…then, you know the drill, “get out of the kitchen.” I recently devoured the book Heat by Bill Buford, writer for the New Yorker magazine. He recounted his experiences as a “slave,” then line cook, then pasta maker in the kitchen of celebrity chef Mario Batali. Frankly, Mario Batali always looked a bit unkempt and unappetizing to me, and after reading Buford’s book, I think I like him even less. No matter, the book is a great read. Just wait till you get to the part where Buford heads off to Tuscany to learn…[ Full Article ]
The April issue of TIME magazine featured a book excerpt (last accessed 4/13/07) from the forthcoming Einstein by Walter Isaacson. Titled “Einstein and Faith,” the excerpt clarifies the nature of Einstein’s belief in God as well as his relation to his Jewishness. His parents Pauline and Hermann were quite unreligious, spiritual kin to not a few Jews in the 21st century. Despite this upbringing, young Einstein took a passionate turn to Judaism for several years, then quite suddenly…[ Full Article ]
Whether or not you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you've probably heard about the collapse of a busy freeway interchange that will have traffic snarled up for months. It was fortunate that the collapse happened in the middle of the night with almost no one around. No one, that is, except for the driver who overturned his fuel truck, precipitating a massive fireball of a blaze that was hot enough to melt away the steel supports of the freeway. The driver sustained treatable injuries; thankfully, there were no fatalities.
You can see pictures of the collapsed…[ Full Article ]
The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion, but these rights need to be vigilantly guarded. Jews for Jesus missionaries Cyril Gordon and Susan Mendelson know this first hand.
From L.A. (Los Angeles) to L. I. (Long Island, NY) the courts ruled in our favor. What do you think?…[ Full Article ]
Jews for Jesus speakers are presenting "Christ in the Passover" in cities across the U.S. right now. To see if they're in your area, go to the events page, and select your state on the right.
What does Passover mean to you? We'd love to get your…[ Full Article ]
Released on February 23, the movie Amazing Grace is
the story of William Wilberforce, 18th/19th century British
parliamentarian who was instrumental in helping to abolish the
British slave trade. As of this writing, reviews at
Rotten Tomatoes are
generally positive. Wilberforce also took an interest in the Jewish
people and was involved with an organization (today known as CMJ) dedicated to communicating the message that
Jesus was the Messiah.
Last week a whole lot of people in South Portland, Maine were upset over a sermon title. South Portland Baptist Church had advertised their Sunday services in the Saturday edition of Portland Press Herald. The title of the upcoming message? "The Only Way to Destroy the Jewish Race."
Naturally the Jewish community in South Portland was more than a little concerned to read those words in their local newspaper. Pastor Phil of South Portland Baptist Church apologized for the title, but not for the sermon itself--which was actually a call to remember God's promises to…[ Full Article ]
Update: I've continuing reading through The Misunderstood Jew. Chapter Two is "From Jewish Sect to Gentile Church" and is the least satisfactory of all the chapters. It pretty much rehashes older, non-conservative views of the history of the early church. The early Christians expected Jesus to return any day; when he didn't, they reinterpreted their beliefs to accommodate reality. Sometimes Levine gets breezy and ends up sounding like a Discovery Channel program on religion: "For Paul and Barnabas, the political fallout along with occasional persecution by the…[ Full Article ]
The comedian Jackie Mason and Jews for Jesus executive director, David Brickner entered into an agreement arbitrated by Judge Richard Berman on December 4th at the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.
Said Brickner,
"When we wrote and distributed the tract, "Jackie Mason: A Jew for Jesus?" we thought that he might enjoy our sense of humor. We were saddened that he felt personally hurt. It was an easy apology to write because Mason is a folk hero among the boomer generation. He is the typical Jewish grandfather with the kind of humor that…[ Full Article ]
Hate scouring for parking space? Languishing on lines? Getting crushed in the crowds? That's what it takes to give and receive holiday presents. Maybe this year, you'd like to receive some Christmas or Hanukkah "presence" instead. Download our PDF to find out more.
For printing and distribution, download this…[ Full Article ]
Caroline Cllick was recently quoted in the Jewish Press as saying that,
"One of the great strengths of the American Jewish community is its pluralism. On a religious level, all communities — from the ultra-Orthodox to the ultra-Reform — are recognized as Jewish communities. But there is a line that everyone knows may not be crossed. Jews for Jesus have removed themselves from the Jewish people and everyone knows this. There is not one Jewish organization that accepts them as Jews."
What do you think? …[ Full Article ]
Click here for a transcript of the court ruling (PDF format)
A decision by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman was reached today in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York denying a preliminary injunction to Mr. Jackie Mason who sought to stop the distribution of one of the Jews for Jesus gospel pamphlets, entitled, "Jackie Mason, A Jew for Jesus?!"
Do you think Jewish students in Israel should be able to study the life of Jesus in school?
According to an October 7th article in Ynetnews, “Starting from this school year, high school students will be able to take matriculation exam in 'Christian religion.' Program currently open for Arab students only, but Education Ministry says will consider allowing Jewish pupils to take it as well.”
Israel has a compulsory religion studies program, whereby Jewish students are expected to study Judaism, Muslim students Islam and Arab Christians, Christianity.
What are your…[ Full Article ]
David Brickner and Susan Perlman of Jews for
Jesus are cited in this recent article from the
Christian Post, which deals with support for…[ Full Article ]
