We walked to a small park in an ultra orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem. Then sitting down on a couple of park benches we began to talk. The Rabbi that we were talking to was known as a Rabbi of Rabbis. I had intended to tell him about -- what I call the phenomenon --, the movement within Christianity in which Christians are being drawn to a more Jewish way of life. I began by posing the question, “If there are Christians being drawn to their Hebrew roots ...” The Rabbi stopped me. “Let’s not say “if”, he said, “We know its happening”. For a moment I was struck speechless. I began again. “Could this phenomenon that is going on … be the Northern kingdom returning?”, I asked. The Rabbi cocked his head to the side, “Maybe yes, maybe no, We will have to wait and see.” Most of those in the Orthodox Jewish community are not ready to say what the phenomenon is, or why it is happening, but many will readily tell you that something has changed. 

Moshe Kempinski, a shop owner in the old city of Jerusalem, says that in the past several years there has been a growing interest in the “Jewish perspective” among Christians. 

This change is not limited to one branch or denomination of Christianity. There are some Pentecostal groups that are beginning to use tallits and shofars in their service. Other groups have become more interested in the Biblical Holy Days, but no matter how it manifests it self, the phenomenon seems to be found throughout every form of Christianity. While visiting a Catholic convent in Israel, I was describing the phenomenon to the head nun, believing she was unfamiliar with the “Hebrew Roots” movement. I was watching her nod her head as I was saying, “There is a growing number of Christians becoming interested in the Sabbath and Biblical Holy Days.” She then said, “Oh yes, I attend a messianic congregation.” 

What is this phenomenon and why is it happening now? 

The reality of what is happening is quite astounding. Many people are questioning long-held traditions and beliefs.

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Fill in the Blanks 

Have you ever wondered why there are  so many religions, and so many denominations WITHIN those religions? How could this be? If we are all reading the same text, the Bible, wouldn’t we all believe the same thing? The problem is, we have a limited text. There is much that is NOT in the Bible, so we must “fill in the blanks”. 

Most of our “core beliefs” are based in some degree on what is NOT in the bible. Therefore, how we fill in the blanks determines some of our basic doctrines. Belief in a rapture, for example, is based upon very limited, non specific text. Through our reason and judgment we develop theories and doctrines. Then we find supporting texts that will “prove” our doctrines, and continue to build more theories based upon the ones that we have “proven”.

The more that we build on our original premise, the more of an investment we have. Yet, all of our development is based on how we filled in the blanks. Or to put it another way, we base a lot of our beliefs on what we make up.

Statement of Faith
The Jewish Version

Maimonides 13 Principles of Faith

1) Belief in the existence of the Creator, be He blessed, who is perfect in every manner of existence and is the Primary Cause of all that exists

2) The belief in God’s absolute and unparalleled unity

3) The belief in God’s non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences such as movement, or rest, or dwelling

4)The belief in God’s eternity

5) The imperative to worship Him exclusively and no foreign false gods.

6) The belief that God communicates with man through prophecy 

7) The belief that the prophecy of Moses our teacher has priority 

8) The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.

9) The belief in the immutability of the Torah

10) The belief in divine omniscience and providence

11) The belief in divine reward and retribution 

12) The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era

13) The belief in the resurrection of the dead

Come Join us This Year in Jerusalem!
 
Rick Richardson with Israel President Moshe Katzav

Point of View

Why do you believe the things that you do? Where did those beliefs originate? Are the beliefs that we hold closest to us the ones that we have the easiest time proving or are they the ones most difficult to prove? Are the traditions that we base some of our beliefs on rooted in sound thoughtful reason? Have you ever believed something you held as absolute truth, only to find out it wasn’t true at all? 

I had a teacher when I was in the 6th grade that told us a story about when he was a young boy, there was a map of North America in the classroom. The United States was green on the map. Canada was pink. My teacher said he was shocked when his family visited Canada. The trees and the grass were green. Because of the colors on the map, he was expecting the grass and trees in Canada to be pink. The trees and grass in Canada were not pink, they never had been pink. And yet, up to his families visit that was my teacher’s reality – that is what he thought was truth. 

Have you ever known someone who had a strong belief in God, and then, for whatever reason changed that belief. There may have been a terrible accident that killed his wife or a child. Something so traumatic that it caused that person to become bitter and lose all faith in an all powerful being, saying “If there is a God, how could he have allowed such a thing to happen”. Whether there is or is not a God has not changed. The man’s BELIEF in God, however, is now the exact opposite of what it once was. This change did not come about because of intensive study and research. His beliefs before and after the accident are based on feelings and experience not proof. Most of our deep beliefs are not based on proofs, but based on faith in our feelings and experiences

Our “core beliefs” are a small set of statements that form our identity. Many times, it is not proof or reason that determine our core beliefs. Rather, our core beliefs are often based more on feelings. That is why there is so much emotion attached to those beliefs. They define who we are. Whether someone is an atheist or a Methodist; an environmentalist or a Catholic, a homosexual or a Presbyterian, a Democrat or a Baptist, vegetarian or a Lutheran, when we say “this is what I am”, there is a certain emotional attachment that comes with that definition. Once we have established “who we are” we tuck away those beliefs, and hold them as undeniable truths, and regardless of what reality is, we look at the world though the lenses of our beliefs. It becomes our perspective, our point of view, our paradigm. 

My wife and I were invited over to an author’s home for dinner. He was a writer of “conspiracy books”. It was an interesting evening of conversation, because he viewed everything in life as a conspiracy. That is the way he viewed the world. He also found “proofs” for all his theories because he accepted as a core belief that the conspiracies were true. In other words, he believed that the conspiracies were true to begin with, therefore, he believed everything that happened was a result of the conspiracy which in turn proved that it was true.

BUY THE BOOK
Origins of Our Faith
the Hebrew Roots of Christianity

Statement of Faith
The Christian Version

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen

GROUP DISCUSSION

1) What Changes Have You Seen In Christian-Jewish Relations … or Name 1 or 2 Ways That You Have Experienced the Phenomena That Rick Talks About?

2) What Do We “Fill In The Blanks” In Our Bible Understanding?

3) What is Your Statement of Beliefs?