Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel ~ David H Stern, Ph.D.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."  "The whole truth requires restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel.  This book brings one simple message, namely, that unless the Church does everything in her power to restore that Jewishness, she lacks a key component of the Gospel".  

This was taken from the 1st two paragraphs of the introduction to this book.  

Looking in the introduction it states: "In speaking of restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel I assume that my readers will agree to the following three points, which are not themselves part of this restored Jewishness but are presupposed by it: (1) Christianity is Jewish, (2) antisemitism is un-Christian, and (3) refusing or neglecting to evangelize Jews is antisemitic."

Now, here's the problem.  Look at the cover of this book.  Who would buy this book? Your everyday normal, follower of Christianity?  No probably not.  A normal every day Jew?  Come on, it's a message for Christians, says so on the book.  What kind of Christian would buy this book.  A Christian that as Dr. Stern says, that can admit the Jewish Roots of Christianity, and those that do, are on a HUNT for more information.  What I THOUGHT I was buying in this book was some insight into some of the steps I should take to understanding the Bible (Gospel) from the Jewish point of view.  This IS what I was looking for and this really is not what I got.  This book spent it's entire time trying to explain the reasons behind and convince the reader of the three very things that in the introduction is said to be presupposed.  

BUT, if you want information, you can buy, Dr. Stern's bigger book, that cost a lot more money.  Had I known of that book, I might have ordered it first.  But after having read this one I think I will have to pass.  I am past the need for convincing, what I need is more details on the how and what.  (Not the why).  

So with all that being said.  IF you are not one that has been convinced of the need to reconnect with your Jewish Roots, and the Jewish Roots of the bible, PLEASE get this book and read it.  It's got some great information in it.  I will share some of it shortly.  IF you are already convinced, this book is simply not for you.  But again, I'm going to share some of the information that I found in it for all to see.  It is a good book, but simply didn't live up to the title.  

Excerpts from Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel by David H. Stern, Ph.D.

~  P. 15 ~ "However, by the time Paul wrote the letter to the Romans (about 57 A.D.), it was clear that most Jews were rejecting Yeshua as the Messiah.  Paul called them branches of the cultivated olive tree which had been cut off.  Yet he warned the Gentile believers that they must not take undue pride in being grafted into the olive tree or think themselves better than the cut-off branches, since they hold their position only by faith and without it will themselves be cut off.  Conversely, the cut-off branches (non-Messianic Jews) can be grafted in again by faith."

~ P.21 ~ "Thus unsaved Jews (cut-off natural branches), saved Jews (natural branches attached to the tree), and Gentile believers (grafted-in wild branches) each have their own kind of ongoing participation in the one Israel."

~P.22 ~ "I believe that the reappearance of the Messianic Jewish community in our day is a significant phase in God's process of saving all of Israel."

~P. 28 ~ "Israel is called God's son as far back as Exodus 4:22.  The Messiah is presented as God's son a few verses earlier in Matthew 1:18-25, reflecting Tanakh passages such as Isaiah 9:6-7, Psalm 2:7 and Proverbs 30:4.  Thus the Son equals the son; the Messiah is equated with the nation of Israel.  This is what Matthew is hinting at by calling Yeshua's flight to Egypt a "fulfillment" of Hosea 11:1"

~ P.73 ~ "The foundational test is Ephesians 2:11-13, which says: 

           Therefore, remember your former state:  you Gentiles by birth - called the Uncircumcised by those who, merely because of an operation on their flesh, are called the Circumcised - at that time had no Messiah.  You were estranged from the national life of Israel.  You were foreigners to the covenants embodying God's promise.  You were in this world without hope and without God.  But now, you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah's blood."

~P. 78 ~ "The Orthodox Jewish philosopher Michael Wyschogrod has written something about Yeshua which I have not found in any other Jewish writer.  After noting that Israel (i.e., the Jewish people) are the People of God, and that traditionally there are two ways a person becomes a Jew -- namely, by being born to a Jewish mother or by converting to Judaism -- he credits Jesus with providing a third way of joining the "People of God." He actually says that Jesus enables a Gentile to join the "People of God" without becoming a Jew!  But this assertion, remarkable and amazing as it is for a Jewish writer, takes on flesh and bones only if Christians understand that that is what they are doing, that they are joining up with the Jews, becoming family members, not replacing them, and not even merely "respecting" or "loving" them.  The Christian attitude toward the Jewish People should be, "The Jews are my home, my family.""

So this a short review, for a very short book.  Not going to say it's a bad book, just not the book that I thought it was.  Hope you find what your looking for.