Enjoy these tasty bits from this week in the Messianic blogosphere, fine information-munching blog readers:
- Cleopas, Why You Should Know Him – Why the largely unknown disciple Cleopas points to an historical Yeshua.
- Anti-missionary logic – Excellent video detailing how Jewish anti-missionaries use unequal weights when trying to disprove Yeshua as Messiah. For example, they often are quick to quote liberal theologians’ critical views of the New Testament, but would never consider those same theologians’ textual criticism of the Tenakh, or how they point out inconsistencies in the gospels, but ignore or explain away similar inconsistencies in the Tenakh.
- What did Jesus teach in the Beatitudes? – The beatitudes as a sad reality check that this life sucks?
- The Messianic Liturgy: Why Bother? – While suggesting that the model of Messianic services could be re-examined (unspoken: more traditional liturgy, less music), Ovadia takes some shots at Messianic praise music, which he defines as an “exercise in emotional manipulation”. Don’t worry, I straighten him out in the comments.
- Conversations about Law and Grace – A Messianic Jew and a Christian order a pizza…
- Not to defend Islam, but… – Jewzilla suggests we’re ignorant in our criticisms of Islam, after all, Islam’s God is Allah, a term derived from the Hebrew Eloah, a generic title for God. Also, Islam at least remains eastern, whereas Judaism and Christianity have lost their way into western moral principles, such as equality and loving all people.
- Genesis in Context – With the yearly Torah reading cycle having just reset into Genesis, the blogosphere is filled with explanations how Genesis cannot be literal. Here, Rabbi Brumbach suggests we cannot read the creation story too literally. (Unspoken: thus leaving the door opened for old earth creationism or theistic evolution.) Good discussion in the comments.
Podcasts
- Would Jesus Do That? Sacrifices and Yeshua – Would Yeshua sacrifice animals in the Temple? If so, why is there no record of it in the New Testament? Eat the tasty bracha bits, relax, and enjoy the new week, fine blog readers.
