I take it you have a problem with this? I used to attend a Baptist church and every year the pastor would bring this Jewish rabbi in to explain the importance of the Last Supper, what each thing meant, the number of cups, etc. He would also show up at other times during the year and all of his lessons were a blessing and a better understanding of God for me. As a Methodist now, I applaud the church for doing this. While I like their messages a lot better, I've missed the lessons on the Old Testament, the insight that the rabbi offered.
That is un.believe.able. I'm speechless.
The first Christians got their spiritual grounding from a Rabbi.
The Methodists (like many other mainline Protestant churches) are in deep trouble right now. Membership is dwindling and there is a growing divide between religious Christians who are Methodists and cultural Christians who "do church" as Methodists.
When the last of the religious Christians leave the denomination for a more distinctly Christian faith, the Methodists will become just another Sunday coffee club.
Charles Wesley must be spinning in his grave!
Which means there's little if any difference between the beliefs of the 'rabbi' and the beliefs of modern politically-correct Methodists!
If this "rabbi" really wants to help these people he'll tell them the truth: that chr*stianity is a false religion, displeasing to G-d, and that non-Jews are required to observe the Seven Noachide Laws as authoritatively interpreted by Rabbinic tradition. Otherwise he's just another liberal religious syncretist.
If he really does send searching Jews to CHaBa"D, then good for him. Let's see if he sends searching non-Jews there as well.
"It takes a certain chutzpah for a Jew to lecture believing Christians about the New Testament’s spiritual message"
There is no indication that the Rabbi's message or purpose is to "lecture" anyone on the "New Testament's spiritual message".
Methodism has lost its spirituality and become a cultural philosophy.
The Rabbi left "conservative" Judaism for the same reason many people have left Methodism; loss of actually living a life of spiritual faith.
The Jews spent 3 to 4 thousand years renewing the purpose of walking with God and living the faith as a spiritual life, a spiritual walk with God.
The teachings and morals by which they maintained that walk, that convenant, over the centuries is spead throughout the old testament.
That message, of walking in spiritual faith with God, from the old testament perspective, can help Christians translate that perspective to their new convenant faith, because of the common roots they share with the Judaism from which Yeshua launched his mission.
I personally do not see Yeshua objecting one bit.
When I wrote a Passover Haggadah, "The Simple Seder" (under my then married name) in 1994, it was a big seller among Methodist churches that wished to recreate the Last Supper. It was popular because it was relatively short and written in English and transliterated Hebrew, so no ability to read the Hebrew alef bet was required. It even had some pretty good recipes in it.
I should reissue it one day.
Oh, and I used to work with the author, Ira Rifkin, at the Daily News. I did have a slight crush on him, but that was almost 25 years ago. I doubt he would remember me at all.
Maven
"A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?"