Shoresh USA - Book Club

Reading Schedule

Jody — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:00:16 GMT

Hello!

We had our first meeting of the Shoresh Book Club last night and the discussion was certainly lively!

Here is the reading schedule:

    Last night we took a look at the Introduction.
    April 24    Chapters 1-4
    May 1      Chapters 5-7
    May 8      Chapters 8,9,11,12
    May 15    Chapters 10,13

Check back soon for new entries!
Jody

Introduction

Jody — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:41:27 GMT

Greetings!

If you live in the Jacksonville area, please join us tonight, Thursday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Shoresh Study Center for our first discussion of The Gospel According to Moses: What my Jewish friends taught me about Jesus. For more information and directions, please call the Shoresh office at 904-646-1609.

As I read the introduction I was struck by the fact that the author felt there was a distinct difference in what he would call a 'Christian question' and the ones being asked by the folks at the Torah study. He says, "This is not a Christian kind of question. It is more aggressive somehow, less deferential to the subject at hand."

There have been many times through the years when during the course of a 'traditional' Bible study I've wanted to ask a question but was hesitant because it (or I) may be seen as heretical or fringe and impolite at the very least.

Why do there seem to be unspoken boundaries regarding the questions we're comfortable asking about the Scriptures? Isn't God big enough to handle our questions? Could it be the facilitator/teacher's discomfort with the tension of not knowing 'the right answer?' Is the purpose of studying the Scriptures to find 'the answer' or to find God?

Having been on both sides of these questions, I have come to the conclusion that God is big enough and it's in asking the difficult questions we challenge ourselves to dig deeper into the Word of God to find the truth. As the facilitator/teacher you need to find a certain level of comfort in the realization that you do not know it all and you are a sojourner too. We are all seeking to know God and any journey is more fun (and more challenging) when you take it with other people.

So, here we are at the beginning of our journey together. Just as Mr. Dickson witnessed his fellow chaverim asking the hard questions, let's not be afraid to ask the probing questions, let's not be afraid to say we don't have an answer, and let's look forward, with joy, to delving into God's Word together!

Jody

Welcome to the Shoresh Blog site!

Shoresh USA — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:11:10 GMT

Welcome! Our discussion on The Gospel According to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus, begins Apri 17. Stay tuned to this site for specific questions for discussion and comments from other friends of Shoresh. We are eager to hear your comments!

The Gospel According to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus

Shoresh USA — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:15:49 GMT

The Gospel According to Moses: What my Jewish friends taught me about Jesus, Athol Dickson, Brazos Press, 2003, ISBN 1-58743-048-7

“If ever there was a time to learn the truth about our differences from each other rather than reinforce false assumptions among ourselves, it is now.”

In the past ten years or so there has been, in many Christian circles, a reconnecting to our Jewish root. There have been many books written about “Jewish things” and how they correlate to our Christian faith and what, if anything, we as believers in Jesus should do with them.

This is not another of these books. It is the true story of Athol Dickson as he chronicles his journey of discovery in the pages of The Gospel According to Moses. What does he discover? “That Christianity is a reasonable response to the books of Moses, the writings, and the prophets. That the most basic tenets of our faith are rooted in the earliest moments of creation. That ours is a Torah-based faith.”

Dickson’s discovery begins after being invited to a Chever Torah or “Torah Fellowship” (chever is Hebrew for “fellowship” or “association”), by a Jewish friend. For five years he gathers each Saturday with a group of fellow learners at the local Reform Temple to study the Torah. Being the only Christian in the group he maintains a low profile and chooses to listen, learn and ponder the things he hears. What Dickson records for us are his thoughts about the new ideas he’s hearing, the questions that form as he wrestles with how these new ideas ‘fit’ into his understanding of his Christian faith, and his personal conclusions or determinations about each new idea.

To give you a glimpse into the kinds of new ideas Dickson is presented with, the first is the fact that these Jewish learners don’t shy away from asking difficult, almost heretical questions—they even question God. It is in the midst of the lively discussion that follows such questions that Dickson realizes he must go deeper into the Scriptures than he ever has before, he must honestly seek God as he grapples with what he’s been taught the Scriptures say and what they actually say and that there may not be cut and dried answers to these questions, but rather a balanced “yes” and “yes.”

If you are someone who has often found the Scriptures to be paradoxical and even difficult to believe, if you are someone who has wanted to ask the question you knew would be viewed as almost heretical, I highly recommend this book to you. If you are someone who wants to begin to understand how our Jewish brothers and sisters view Christians and the doctrines we espouse, this is a must-read. If you are someone who likes to think outside the box, you need this book in your library.

Athol Dickson, in a thoughtful, insightful, easy style, confronts some of the most difficult issues of our faith and allows us to be the beneficiaries of his understanding of Christianity in light of the Torah and the teaching of Moses.

I give this refreshing read five stars! Jody Hysler