Free Republic

Dr. Dinah Dye recently offered a thoughtful critique of “Replacement Theology,” arguing for a paradigm of fulfillment rather than replacement regarding Israel and the Church. We share significant common ground. In her article, Dr. Dye rightly observes: “When Jesus says, ‘I will build my ekklesia (church),’ He is not inventing something new; He is speaking of rebuilding the covenant assembly.”Exactly.That is an accurate observation that unlocks the true, biblical relationship between Israel and the Church. However, Dr. Dye’s interest was to show that the New Testament doesn’t necessarily teach that the Church replaced Israel. That’s getting ahead of ourselves. First,...

At a time when debates about Israel, the Church, and biblical prophecy are shaping Evangelical conversations — often in the shadow of rising antisemitism and global unrest — we would do well to ask: How does the New Testament actually relate to the story of Israel? Since the early days of Christian history, the relationship between Israel and the Church has often been framed as old versus new, with the Church viewed as Israel’s replacement. This mindset assumes that God’s covenantal purposes depended on Israel’s faithfulness and that the generational covenant promised to Abraham could be reassigned to another people....