Continuing our discussion on the conflict over Israel within the Christian community (please see the first part here), I want to dive into Christianity’s difficulty with Jewish identity. First, I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but God Himself mandates Jewish identity. Without Jewish identity, there would never be a Christian identity. God declares...Read More
Confronting any conflict is difficult, but understanding the Middle East or the Israeli-Arab conflict involves many twists and turns politically, morally, and, most importantly, spiritually. In this article, I will focus on the spiritual element of this conflict. However, I have discovered that separating the spiritual from political and moral issues surrounding Israel is impossible. ...Read More
It seems the popular answer among Christians when asked if they believe in replacement theology is, “No.” End of discussion. If you ask what replacement theology is, you will get various answers. The simple definition is: “The Christian Church, established through Jesus Christ, brought with Him a distinctively New Covenant that superseded or replaced the...Read More
Yesterday marked Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. Today, the heroic faces of the survivors of the most horrendous tragedy in human history are old and worn. The faces that still exist to tell their experiences, sadly will not be around for the next generation to know personally. It is still inconceivable and...Read More
Luke asked me at the beginning of this week if it would be possible for me to write something about the attack on the U.S. Capitol. I immediately responded, yes, of course. Like most of you, I felt a deep sense of sadness, anger, and shock. What could I say? I had no words. Just...Read More
What do you think about this title of the book I’m preparing to write? “Ten Effective Ways the Jews Were Able to Stay Awake When Yeshua Taught!” Would this have been a problem for those who sat at the feet of Yeshua? The Scripture records in several places something contrary to sleeping, “They were astonished...Read More
For most of the world, this time of the year brings reflection and a resolute purpose for the following year – a determination to do better – to be better to ourselves and others. You are receiving this letter as Israel celebrates Hanukkah. Hanukkah is not one of the Feasts listed in Leviticus 23. However,...Read More
The most glorious sunrise met me when I walked outside this morning. Immediately I was reminded of Jeremiah’s prophecy in chapters 31 and 33, in which God speaks through the prophet, saying, “If My Covenant with day and night can be broken then My Covenant with David as well as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob may...Read More
First of all, I would like to thank President Trump for the many good things he has done for Israel. For decades, we have seen many Presidents, both Democrat and Republican, who, after being given the opportunity, did not have the courage to confirm the right of the Jewish people to live in the Land...Read More
I am fascinated by the examples in the New Testament of non-Jews as they relate to Yeshua (a Jew) and the Jews who made up the foundation of Christianity. As we, non-Jews, return to Israel and the Jewish people, we would do well to model our lives after those who loved Israel and the Jewish...Read More
The land and the people of Israel have become personal to me. It may have been, at one point, something superstitious––like a rabbit’s foot that I would keep in my pocket to bring good fortune. After all, every good Christian Zionist knows if you hold onto a rabbit’s foot, you will be blessed. I’m not...Read More
I want you to know that I am not Jewish or Israeli. I do not have a home in Israel. I am an American Christian who, for the last fourteen years, has worked closely with Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria. I am not anti-Trump. My hope in expressing my views is only to...Read More
I felt inspired to begin this article by posting this cute(?) dog picture. I am not an expert on social media, but after a conversation with my good friend Andy, I learned that if you post a picture of your dog, you can get a lot more likes and comments on Facebook. He also said...Read More
As children, we dream. We dream about things that, for whatever reason, have been placed in our lives. We may have seen a fireman in uniform on a large fire truck and thought, “I want to be a fireman.” In our youth, we may have been inspired by a pastor or maybe a rabbi. We...Read More
Since I first set foot in Israel in May 2004, there has been what felt like an all-out assault on my faith. In reality, as I think back, the war actually began when I found a Passover Haggadah in a homeschooling catalog in 1995 and ordered it. And so, for no apparent reason, we gathered...Read More
In my last post I shared my initial exposure to Israel, having grown up, for the most part, ignorant of Israel and the Jewish people’s significant place in my own faith. Later, after completing a Passover Seder, I began to explore the foundations of my faith and Christianity as a whole. This article is written...Read More
