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The Place of Rabbinic Tradition in Messianic Judaism by Michael L. Brown, Ph.D. Every one of us involved in Messianic ministry has thought long and hard on the question of the place of rabbinic tradition in Messianic Judaism. My own thinking has developed gradually over the last few years, but I would like to share with you why I have come to the conclusion that rabbinic traditions have little or no place in our private lives or public services. Let me say first, however, that even though I have given myself to much prayer, study, and discussion over this very… Подробнее »The Place of Rabbinic Tradition in Messianic Judaism

The Most Misunderstood Verse in the Bible Posted by Rabbi Eric Tokajer If you had to choose one verse to call the most misunderstood verse in the Bible, I believe a strong case could be made that Ephesians 5:22 is that verse. Speaking of submission, it says, “wives to your own husbands as to the Lord” (Eph. 5:22, TLV). If you don’t believe me, just do a Google search, and you will find a plethora of Bible teachers using this verse as a baton to beat down women who refuse to become servants and slaves to domineering husbands who use it… Подробнее »The Most Misunderstood Verse in the Bible

8 Signs Your Christianity Is Too Comfortable BRETT MCCRACKEN In many parts of the world today, it can be easy to live a comfortable life as a Christian. Certainly where I live—in Orange County, California—this is the case. But is that a good thing? I’d like to suggest that the Christian faith is inherently uncomfortable. To be a disciple of Jesus is to deny oneself (Matt. 16:24), to take up a cross (Luke 14:27), to be subject to persecution (John 15:20; 2 Tim. 3:12), to give up the creature comforts of home (Luke 9:58), to forsake the priority of family (Luke 9:59–62; 14:26), to… Подробнее »8 Signs Your Christianity Is Too Comfortable

Don’t Settle for Only Half of the Passover Story Rabbi Eric Tokajer Every year in homes all over the world, Jewish people will gather with their family and friends around their tables for their annual Passover Seders where they will read from the Bible and tell the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. They will remind their families of the powerful way that G-D used the 10 plagues and the parting of the sea to redeem His people from their bondage in slavery. Believers in Yeshua, both Jewish and non-Jewish, will also be gathering to celebrate Passover and they will… Подробнее »Don’t Settle for Only Half of the Passover Story

The Rise of «Messianic Judaism» by Peter Hocken There have always been individual Jews who have come to faith in Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, and who have become members of Christian churches, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. The common understanding, both Gentile and Jewish, has been that these persons have «converted» from Judaism to Christianity, and have thus abandoned Judaism.{1} Nonetheless, some of these new believers retained a love for things Jewish, and maintained a hidden Jewish identity.{2} Evangelical missionary efforts targeting the Jewish people intensified in the 19th century, probably stemming from heightened eschatological interest following the French… Подробнее »The Rise of «Messianic Judaism»

Was Jesus «God» or «the son of God»? For the first nine years of the church there were no gentiles in their fellowship.  It was not until Peter’s visit to Cornelius in about 39CE that gentiles were even permitted to fellowship with the followers of Rabbi Joshua ben Joseph [a.k.a. Jesus the Christ].  It was not until the Jerusalem Council in 50CE that it was decided that gentiles did not have to convert to Judaism prior to fellowshipping with the church. Actually, there was no church until about 135CE.  The followers of Rabbi Joshua ben Joseph were called Nazarenes. By the time of the destruction to… Подробнее »Was Jesus «God» or «the son of God»?

THE ASTONISHING SIGNIFICANCE OF RED HEIFERS IN OUR DAY Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,“This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come”. (Numbers 19:1-2) God’s law, given to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, included the requirement of perfect red heifers. No defects, no blemishes. The unyoked, flawless heifers become “unkosher” once hairs are spotted that are not uniformly red. They have to be perfect. What happens to… Подробнее »THE ASTONISHING SIGNIFICANCE OF RED HEIFERS IN OUR DAY

10 traits of narcissistic leaders Joseph Mattera By definition, a narcissist is a person who believes the world revolves around them to such an extent their desires blind them to relational reality, which makes them insensitive to the needs and perspectives of others. One of the sad realities in our consumer-driven, hedonistic culture is that we are producing millions of narcissistic people, including leaders of large organizations. Because of our sinful nature as human beings, all of us have some narcissistic tendencies to deal with. The following traits identify leadership narcissism. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get… Подробнее »0 traits of narcissistic leaders

The Nazareth Inscription: Proof of the Resurrection of Christ? Part One: Translation, Commentary, and Date by Clyde E. Billington, Ph.D. This article originally appeared in the journal Artifax and is reproduced here with permissio Introduction The Nazareth Inscription is a Greek inscription on a marble tablet measuring approximately 24 inches by 15 inches. The exact time and place of its discovery is not known. In 1878 it became an addition to the private Froehner Collection of ancient inscriptions and manuscripts, but the details of its acquisition are unknown. Froehner’s inventory of this Inscription simply states: “This marble was sent from Nazareth in… Подробнее »The Nazareth Inscription: Proof of the Resurrection of Christ?

The Vanishing — The erasure of Jews from American life JACOB SAVAGE KYLE ELLINGSON Editor’s note: This piece is part of Tablet’s top 10 of 2023. Find the full list here.  Suddenly, everywhere you look, the Jews are disappearing. You feel it like a slow moving pressure system, an anxiety of exclusion and downward mobility. Maybe you first noticed it at your workplace. Or maybe it hit when you or your children applied to college or graduate school. It could have been something as simple as opening up the Netflix splash page. It’s gauche to count but you can’t help yourself: In… Подробнее »The Vanishing — The erasure of Jews from American life

ON CREATIVE MINORITIES Jonathan Sacks Almost exactly twenty-six centuries ago, a man not otherwise known for his positive psychology sat down to write a letter to his coreligionists in a foreign land. The man was Jeremiah. The people to whom he wrote were the Jews who had been taken captive to Babylon after their defeat at its hands, a defeat that included the destruction of Solomon’s temple, the central symbol of their nation and the sign that God was in their midst. We know exactly what the feeling of those exiles was. A psalm has recorded it in the most… Подробнее »ON CREATIVE MINORITIES

The History of Antisemitism in the Church BY MITCH GLASER The long history of antisemitism in the Church has affected where the Jewish people are today. If antisemitism is the hatred of Jews, how could it exist in the Church at all? Growing up in a Jewish home, I was sure of two things. That Christians did not like Jews, and that Jesus was not the Messiah… And I knew that the two were intertwined. Why? For many reasons! Early Christian Antisemitism The antagonism of early Christian leaders toward Jews and the Jewish religion planted the seeds of antisemitism. As early… Подробнее »The History of Antisemitism in the Church

Why Not Judaism for Jews and Christianity for Gentiles? Michael Brown In the midst of the ongoing controversy concerning GOD TV’s new Hebrew speaking channel in Israel, a larger question has emerged. Is it right for Christians to share their faith with Jews? After all, the Jewish people were chosen by God and have the Torah and their traditions. Why try to “convert” them to an alien faith, especially in light of centuries of “Christian” antisemitism? Why not leave the Jewish people with their faith and offer Jesus to the Gentiles? As attractive and irenic as this sounds, it cannot work for… Подробнее »Why Not Judaism for Jews and Christianity for Gentiles?

Please Don’t Tell Me That God is Punishing the Jews, Especially Today iStock.com/coldsnowstorm By MICHAEL L. BROWN & JONATHAN FELDSTEIN Published on January 17, 2024 There are many areas of agreement between Jews and Christians. For example, both emphasize the foundational importance of loving God and loving one’s neighbor, as well as the importance of living by the ethical ideals of the Torah and the Prophets. Both emphasize a final Day of Judgment where we give an account for our lives before God. There are many more. There are also many areas of disagreement. These would include the acceptance or rejection of Jesus… Подробнее »Please Don’t Tell Me That God is Punishing the Jews, Especially Today

THE CENTRAL STATEMENT OF JEREMIAH  “If you return, O Israel, says the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your abominations from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory” (Jer 4:1-2). Whenever we take Jeremiah’s calls to Israel to repent out of the larger context of the Book of Jeremiah, and use them as our calls to people to repent, our message becomes a man-centered, flesh-empowered, human effort to make our… Подробнее »THE CENTRAL STATEMENT OF JEREMIAH 

Jewish History in the U.S. Jewish history in what would become the United States began in New York City in 1654 when 23 Sephardic Jews from Brazil, seeking refuge from the Spanish Inquisition, arrived at what was then New Amsterdam. By 1815, there were 3,000 Jews in the United States. That number jumped to 15,000 by 1840. In 1880, there were about 230,000 Jewish people living in the United States. That number has grown to more than 5,500,000 with the vast majority of these Jewish people emigrating from Russia and parts of Eastern Europe. From 1880 to the mid-1920s, about… Подробнее »Jewish History in the U.S.

A MOTHER’S TEARS MOVE THE HEART OF GOD Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And… Подробнее »A MOTHER’S TEARS MOVE THE HEART OF GOD

Rabbi Daniel Zion z”l The first record of Jews in Sofia, Bulgaria, is from 811 A.D. Before that time the center of Jewish life, which has a continues existence in Bulgaria since the early days of the Roman Empire, was in the city of Viddin. Jews came to Sofia with the return of Krum, the victorious king, who brought to Sofia some 30,000 prisoners, among whom there were also many Jews from Asia Minor. To these Jews were added also Jews who ran away from the persecution in Hungary, and Austria. When King Muad I conquered Sofia in 1389, he… Подробнее »Rabbi Daniel Zion z”l

THE SHOULDERS OF THE HIGH PRIEST “You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth. As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree settings of gold. “You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron… Подробнее »THE SHOULDERS OF THE HIGH PRIEST

The Scenes of Genocide I Saw in Israeli Morgues This wasn’t an emotional frenzy of killing like the pogroms of the 1880s. It was methodically planned. A fetal heartbeat flutters and then stills, a bullet lodged in the embryonic heart. The mother survives the shooting and her child’s stillbirth. A body that has been decomposing for almost three weeks lies on the autopsy table, riddled with knife and bullet wounds. Another is nearby, the man’s bluetooth receiver still clipped onto his shirt. Death came as a surprise. This is Israel. I arrived on Oct. 19 to spend 10 days as… Подробнее »The Scenes of Genocide I Saw in Israeli Morgues