Apostates, Heretics, and Sectarians in Messianic Jewish Context
In a recent article in the Jerusalem Post, modern orthodox Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel, railed against the boundary setting by ultra-orthodox rabbis in Israel. Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis have great power in deciding who is a Jew. Recently, hundreds of conversions were nullified by the Ultra-Orthodox who seek the backing of the…
Read MoreBook Review: Bible Gender Sexuality: Reframing the Church’s Debate on Same-Sex Relationships by James V. Brownson
James Brownson’s Bible, Gender, Sexuality has gained a prominent place in church debates about homoerotic behavior. Brownson asserts that a revisionist view affirming same-sex unions can be just as biblical as the traditional view. However, his major premise is suspect. As Andrew Goddard puts it: Brownson has a commitment ‘to establish a wider, transcultural vision…
Read MoreBook Review: Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament by Peter Enns
Several years ago, a number of my friends confessed to me that they no longer identified with the Messianic Jewish movement. Each of them highlighted their encounter with modern biblical criticism as a significant factor in their decision. The pre-scientific features of the Bible’s origins stories, the presence of human agendas in biblical histories are…
Read MoreThe Two Shall Become One Flesh: The Beginning and End of Marriage
Some Pharisees came to Yeshua, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father…
Read MoreResponse to Rabbi Russ Resnik’s Paper: Boaz Michael
It was refreshing for me to read through Russ Resnik’s discussion on marriage and to contemplate his perspectives. What was so encouraging was his treatment of the biblical texts – drawing out what I would define as a fairly traditional approach. I felt strengthened to stand on the foundation of Scripture, and I realized that…
Read MoreResponse to Rabbi Russ Resnik’s Paper: Rabbi Stuart Dauermann
As I read it, I very much admired the construction, tone, erudition and quality of Rabbi Resnik’s paper. It was a mature work from a mature man. But I want to share with you some cautionary thoughts, what Rabbi Rich Nichol terms “the water under the ice.” And just as water under the ice may…
Read MoreRejoinder to Rabbi Stuart Dauermann’s and Boaz Michael’s Response Papers
Rabbi Stuart Dauermann and Boaz Michael have been valued friends of mine for years, and I greatly appreciate them both as thinkers and teachers. So it is an honor to read and learn from their responses to my paper. Before addressing Stuart’s main criticism, namely that my effort to develop a definition of marriage is…
Read MoreA Messianic Jewish View of Divorce
Oceans of ink and forests of trees have given their substance for the plethora of biblical commentaries, books and articles written on the subject of divorce. Yet there is no definitive statement on the subject. Although both Judaism’s and Christianity’s position toward divorce can be traced to the same sources and context – Tanakh and…
Read MoreResponse to Dr. Vered Hillel’s Paper: Rabbi Rich Nichol
Dr. Vered Hillel is one of my heroes. Rarely have I encountered a person with the demonstrated erudition, work ethic, heart for people, humility, passion for building the Kingdom of God, and sechel that I experience as we work together together at MJTI. So, it is a great joy for me to respond to her…
Read MoreRejoinder to Rabbi Rich Nichol’s Response Paper
First I would like to acknowledge Rabbi Rich for addressing practical points that I did not develop in the paper. I want to thank him for enlarging upon what I wrote. Rabbi Rich’s response was challenging to me at first. However, after reading and re-reading his response, I began to understand his statements and point…
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