S2 EP8 | Christian Zionism: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

It’s “the most wonderful time of year,” and both Christians and Jewish people enjoy the winter holiday season. This episode of A Jew and A Gentile Discuss is informative, personal and oh-so relevant. And we can almost guarantee that you’ll be surprised at some of the things you’ll learn. Carly and Ezra ask each other about their holiday impressions, understandings and traditions growing up and how things changed after coming to faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Then, Carly digs deeper to understand the Jewish holiday of Chanukah and how Jewish people view Christmas, including: Jewish thought about when Jesus was born If Chanukah is in the Bible Why some Messianic Jews don’t celebrate Christmas now If Christians should celebrate Chanukah What about Christmas caroling at a Jewish person’s home? Along the Way In the course of the discussion, you’ll also hear what Chanukah is all about and how Christmas and Chanukah “have everything to do with each other.” You’ll learn some famous Christmas songs written by Jewish people. (You read that right.) Ezra reveals some perspectives, perhaps commonly but secretly held by Jewish people, about this “most wonderful time of year” and their quasi-inclusion in it. You’ll hear how, while sensitivity is essential, apologizing for sharing the Gospel with Jewish people reaffirms a critical misunderstanding among them. Ezra and Carly also cover some questions Christians might have about the season and engaging across the divide between Jewish people and Christians, including: What’s the best way to engage with my Jewish neighbor during Chanukah? Would inviting a Jewish person to a Christmas play be offensive? Do Jewish people invite non-Jews over for Chanukah celebrations? Words You Might Learn in This Episode Chanukiah, Maccabees, the town of Modiin, shlep/shlepped, latkes, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, sufganiyot, moedim/moed Scriptures Referenced ...

Out with the old and in with the new? Some would say so, but in this episode of A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, Carly and Ezra explain the errors and dangers in the notion that the New Testament Church somehow replaces God’s covenant with Israel. In this first of a two-part series, they address: What Replacement Theology is  How to recognize it when you hear it  Dangers of Replacement Theology  The subtle trouble with Pope Francis’ seemingly positive statement toward the Jewish people several years ago  Whether or not Christians can dismiss the Old Testament in sole favor of the New  Along the way  During their conversation, they also touch on such relevant sidenotes such as:   How word choice matters, and the erroneous message conveyed by such wording as “convert” and “become a Christian”  How the Holocaust and anti-Semitism play into the notion of Replacement Theology  The Church, Gentiles, Jewish people and Replacement Theology as imagined through the eyes of the devil…yikes!  ...

Wait, what? Isn’t Thanksgiving about Pilgrims and discovering America? In this episode of A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, Carly and Ezra chat about Thanksgiving’s historical and national origins and bring out surprising information tying the holiday to Jewish roots. You’ll also hear each of their favorite Thanksgiving traditions and some age-old Yiddish wisdom of Ezra’s grandma. Plus, you’ll learn:  Possible passengers on Christopher Columbus’ fleet of ships  Pilgrim and Puritan ties to Judaism  How the Feast of Sukkot parallels with Thanksgiving  Why President Washington declared a national day of Thanksgiving and later, why President Lincoln reiterated it with new meaning  How a funny play on words in the modern Hebrew language ties turkey to giving thanks  How giving thanks is foundational in both Jewish and Christian thought  An enlightening take on understanding the will of God for our lives  Encouragement to return to being people of thanksgiving and fundamental reasons we have to be thankful regardless of what may be going on around us  Making thanksgiving the posture of our hearts every day  Words you might learn in this episode  Cristobol Colon, Maimonides, Mishnah, Sukkot, chicken of India, Hodu la-donai ki-tov ki le’olam chasdo (Give thanks to the Lord for His mercy endures forever), kvetching  Scriptures referenced in this episode  Psalm 118:1, Psalm 100:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18  Check out other exciting conversations between “a Jew and a Gentile” wherever you listen to podcasts or go to www.ajewandagentilediscuss.org for more information.   We’d love to hear from you! L ...