Letters

Biblical "Myth"

* I really enjoyed "Did the Exodus Never Happen?" [Sept. 7]. I find the assumption that history as recorded in Scripture is myth unless it can be verified by secular sources to be laughable. Anyone who has tried to follow the news stories of the past few years knows that news disseminated in the mainstream press must be seen with a critical eye. The number of retractions of inaccurate and even bogus reports and stories have been frequent and numerous. Are we to believe that records of events written hundreds and thousands of years ago are to be taken uncritically simply because they were written on papyrus or etched in stone? "Let God be true and every man a liar."

One assumes the inaccuracy or falsehood of the Bible at one's own peril. It is the wise man that begins his research with the assumption that the Scriptures are true, and other types of evidence should be judged based on that assumption. I would much prefer to meet the Lord one day and have him perhaps call me on the carpet for taking his word too literally than to have to explain why I couldn't find the Scriptures plausible until I had verified them by other, human sources.

Keven Fry
Houston, Tex.

I wish to commend Kevin D. Miller for his timely and informative article on the Exodus. It should be noted that Kenneth A. Kitchen, who is the world's leading authority on Ramesses II, the pharaoh of the Exodus, and on the later history of Egypt, has detailed his reasons for defending the Old Testament in "The Patriarchal Age: Myth or History?" Biblical Archaeology Review 21.2 (1995). I addressed some of these same issues in Faith, Tradition, and History (D. Baker, J. Hoffmeier, and A. Millard, eds.). Professor Hoffmeier's colleague Alfred Hoerth has just published an excellent survey, Archaeology & the Old Testament (Baker), and I have edited Peoples of the Old Testament World (Baker, 1994), to which Hoffmeier contributed the chapter on the Egyptians.

Prof. Edwin Yamauchi
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio

* The article begins with a reference to my colleague Baruch Halpern, who is currently out of the country and unable to respond directly; it lists him among the so-called minimalists who deny the authenticity of large sections of the Old Testament narrative. It is misleading for you to confuse the skeptical, scholarly work of Halpern and others with the extreme minimalists like Thomson and Lemche, particularly when Halpern himself is the author of a widely read article which excoriates the minimalists for their cavalier treatment of historical evidence.

The mainstream scholarly position raises serious questions about the Exodus narrative but accepts the broad truth of the biblical account of the kingdoms attributed to David and Solomon, while the minimalists deny basically everything before the sixth century B.C. That is a basic and radical difference, and it is disturbing that your article does not make that distinction clear.

Prof. Philip Jenkins
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pa.

* When I was in graduate school I would have given all I owned to read an article like this, or a book like Hoffmeier's Israel in Egypt. I had to find out for myself that some of my professors were biased and did not decide on the basis of the evidence what to believe about the Bible. They made it clear to me that I could never be considered an intellectual unless I agreed with their biblical revisionism. In all my college teaching, I did my best to prepare students to face such professors without losing faith or courage.

Kenneth E. Jones
Louisville, Ky.

* When I read essays on this subject, minimalist and maximalist, I often have the feeling I'm reading attacks on straw men. In reality, few conservative authors take everything in Genesis literally, and few liberal authors argue that everything is fiction.

Donald V. Etz
Dayton, Ohio

A Jewish Olive Tree

Thank you for the article explaining Messianic Judaism ["The Return of the Jewish Church," Sept. 7]. As the article pointed out, nearly every form of Protestant and Jewish expression of worship is represented within the Messianic movement. But it is not so much this diversity that causes discomfort for many outside observers. Many simply dislike the fundamental message, "Christianity is Jewish." Many Christians don't like the implication that the church is closer to Judaism than it would care to admit. And unbelieving Jews do not like the message that Christianity is in essence a Jewish olive tree growing to fruition in Messiah (with an accommodation of the Gentiles). It hits too close to home!

As a Gentile believer, I always appreciated the niche being filled in Messianic Judaism by providing a place for Jews to worship their Messiah without forsaking their cultural traditions and ethnic heritage. In fact, their Jewish heritage becomes more fulfilling and meaningful in Messiah. However, it was a bit of a letdown when I realized that Scripture suggests the real recipient of accommodation is the "wild olive branch" of the believing Gentiles. It was ten chapters into the Book of Acts before the major grafting of Gentiles was initiated, and not until the Jerusalem council that the Nazarene Jews met to decide how to accommodate the Gentiles into this new (renewed) covenant of promise with Israel. Over the course of history, the roles have become reversed as the Gentile-dominated church has, in effect, erased its Jewish roots.

The net effect of church history has been to accomplish implicitly what the heretic Marcion tried to do explicitly in the second century as he tried to eliminate anything Jewish from the Scriptures. A Gentile bias pervades today's covenantal and dispensational theological frameworks as they relegate the "natural branches" as irrelevant in the present age.

Messianic Judaism, by its very existence, points to the need for a new unifying theological paradigm based on the growth of the body of Messiah throughout history in which the Gentiles are demoted to a single branch grafted into an olive tree that continues to be Jewish. Ironically, such a theological framework has great potential for unifying the church and ultimately ushering in the time Paul talks about in Romans 11 when "all Israel will be saved."

Charles McGrath
Kehilat Ariel Messianic Congregation
San Diego, Calif.

The article left the impression that, prior to 1967, "there was not a single Messianic Jewish congregation in the world." This is not accurate. One or more congregations of Yiddish-speaking Jewish believers existed in Warsaw prior to World War II. The leader of one congregation in Romania, Isaac Feinstein, was martyred by the Iron Guard. Congregations in Odessa and Kiev were established long before the Communist takeover. Jewish believers in Budapest formed their own independent Messianic movement during the 1920s.

The existence and viability of a Messianic movement, especially in Europe during the first half of our century, should be noted and explored. Some, perhaps, would have been quoted in this article, but their voices were silenced as they made the ultimate sacrifice as Jews—they identified unto death.

Mitch Glaser, President
Chosen People Ministries
Charlotte, N.C.

A small number of Messianic congregations (maybe four or five) were already in existence in 1966 when I first went [to Jerusalem] to study. They had been going on for some time. Furthermore, there were also four or five such congregations in the U.S., established decades earlier. They may have been called "Hebrew Christian," but they were definably Jewish congregations.

The author also states: "There are well over one million Jews in the United States who express some sort of faith in Yeshua." From his mouth to God's ears! If only that were true! The total Jewish population in the U.S. numbers a little under 6 million Jews. This would mean that one of every six Jews in the U.S. is a believer in Yeshua. That figure is simply far too exaggerated.

Third, the author claims "The MJAA [Messianic Jewish Alliance of America] wing of Messianic Judaism is not interested in any of the cultural trappings of Gentile Christianity, unless those cultural practices reflect a specific, biblically prescribed practice." Such a statement is probably true of a very small minority of Messianic congregations, but not really totally true of the MJAA movement as a whole (of which I am a member). Much of the theology and practice is directly borrowed from traditional Pentecostal theology, and other elements have been incorporated from the more recent charismatic movements of a variety of kinds. The most accurate statement is from Eliezer Maass: that "there are many different models of messianic congregations; there is a lot of diversity in this movement."

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Director
Ariel Ministries
Tustin, Calif.

Your article refers to Catholic sympathy for the movement by citing Cardinal Lustiger of Paris calling himself "a Jew" (since he is a convert from Judaism). You need to be aware of the Association of Hebrew Catholics, a voluntary organization of Jewish and Gentile Catholics founded in 1979 by Elias Friedman, a convert from Judaism, now a Carmelite monk living in Israel. This association aims at ending the alienation of Catholics of Jewish origin from their historical heritage by the formation of a Hebrew Catholic community approved by the church. Jewish ethnic identity and many practices will be preserved in this community whose members will also be fully Catholic. Members are already found in many countries of the world.

Jerome F. Tracy
Highland, N.Y.

The return of the Jewish church is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Why not make the title "Let's Go Back to the Things Paul Said Are Dead"? We who have been born again are believers in the Lord Jesus, and hyphenating ourselves is spiritual immaturity. It is noteworthy that the Book of Hebrews is not addressed to Jews or Israel, but to Hebrews.

God has declared "there is no distinction between Jew and Greek"; for "all have sinned." There are Jewish or Hebrew believers, whichever term you may prefer, but from a New Testament point of view, there are no such things as Messianic Jews, or Hebrew Christians, spiritually speaking. God is no longer offering a Messiah to the world but the Savior.

I have no desire to make Jewish believers Gentiles, but I oppose any attempt to make the Lord's redemptive work somehow incomplete for Jewish people if it does not incorporate Jewish tradition as a spiritual part.

The offense of the cross is no less today than in Paul's day.

Richard Ellison
Elmwood Place, Ohio

* Whether Jew or Gentile, those who profess Messiah as Lord are baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body (1 Cor. 12:13). First used in Antioch (Acts 11:26), the name Christian was given to professing believers signifying a new life under grace. That name has remained in use to this present day. Do we really need another division within the body?

Vincent G. Gustafson
Westminster, Colo.

* I do not feel repulsed by "Messianic Jew." I want to be sensitive to my Jewish people as I have a witness in their lives, but the word Christian is biblical. I do not refer to myself as a Jewish Christian, but I do not shy away from that reference either. As I speak in churches throughout the year (and have for 25 years), I find that Gentile believers assume that if you are a "Messianic Jew" you automatically attend a Messianic congregation. The fact is, a large portion of Jewish believers attend mainline or independent churches. On page 68 you say that in the early seventies "some of the Jews who became believers in Jesus were 'assimilated' into Gentile churches. Others began joining Messianic congregations." You did not provide for any middle ground. I came to faith in the early seventies when I started attending the base chapel at the air force installation where I was stationed and never felt "assimilated." In fact, the beauty of being in a "regular" church all these years is that it has provided a natural springboard to the rest of the body for teaching and consulting, because other believers have felt that I am a part of who they are.

Stan Kellner
Sheresh Ministries
Colorado Springs, Colo.

To most of my extended family, almost all of whom are believers, having Jewish ancestry is interesting trivia. They would say that being Jewish is something their ancestors were.

Can it plausibly be God's will that each Jewish person who comes to faith melts into the body as a whole, losing all identity? If so, why do Paul and James take such trouble to disabuse fellow Jews—believers and nonbelievers alike—that Paul did not encourage Jewish believers to forsake the Torah?

Instead of being the only one of my family in a Messianic congregation, what would the movement look like today if most of my family members had been in Messianic congregations for the last 70 years?

Rob Gray
Franklin Square, N.Y.

The Tabernacle as Model?

* I found Tim Stafford's article ["God Is in the Blueprints," Sept. 7] very thought provoking. In dealing with the problem of the tension between "horizontal" and "vertical" emphases in church architecture, building committees and architects should perhaps consider the simple form of the wilderness tabernacle with its larger outer court (emphasizing the horizontal) and its smaller inner sanctuary (focusing on the vertical).

Fredric McCormick
Coon Rapids, Minn.

* As a pastor, I church hop when I'm on vacation. What I found this year was growth in the God-is-here-for-you model of worship. So when I read Tim Stafford's article on church architecture, I thought of Marshall McLuhan's aphorism "the medium is the message." Here is the message of most new church buildings: Everyone can be comfortable in God's presence. While I want to do what I can to draw people into God's presence, the fact is that few true encounters with God are comfortable. Everyone in Scripture who meets God, even an angel, falls down in fear. New believers I meet tell me their own recent experiences in prayer and worship speak little of comfort and more of reverence and awe. They yearn to be in the presence of holiness. CT's own Frederica Mathewes-Green speaks of her conversion in a church in Dublin, Ireland, as a "confrontation" that set her "reeling" [CT, May 18, 1998, p. 54]. Honestly, I think most Americans are sick of everything being essentially "relaxed-fit." But when we hear of the seraphim crying out "Holy, Holy, Holy," we are filled with an aching desire.

Eric Irwin
Issaquah, Wash.

Drawn to Lewis

* I really appreciated the commentary on C. S. Lewis by J. I. Packer ["Still Surprised by Lewis," Sept. 7]. Packer does not explicitly state that Lewis appeals to evangelicals today because he (Lewis) was not one, but that is precisely why I am so drawn to him. Lewis's faith was shaped by the Anglican Church with its orthodoxy and centuries of experience, and he was enabled to admire the depth and mystery of God. Few modern evangelical writers (especially of fiction) display the fullness and majesty of God. Our more subjective faith may actually limit God.

Rebecca C. Hughes
Avon, Conn.

* The article brought to my mind the quotation by David Luvell: "On the day that both John F. Kennedy and C. S. Lewis died, we can remember one as a monument, Kennedy, along the road and the other, Lewis, as a signpost, pointing to the greater hope."

Don Mechlin
Philadelphia, Pa.

Veggie Tales or Freddy Krueger?

* Your David Grossman article ["Trained to Kill," Aug. 10] completely stunned me. Thanks for publishing it. I have a six-month-old son who loves watching Veggie Tales Christian videos. I shudder to think of him watching Freddy Krueger or Jason Vorhees movies with the same glee—yet I watched and enjoyed some of those violent movies myself as a teenager. I don't watch tv much anymore.

Dennis G. Jerz
Eau Claire, Wisc.

It was undoubtedly a shrewd marketing decision to print such a sensational article, and then to choose to use it as your cover story. Violence is a hot topic that sells—a source of revenue these days—because it's not easy to navigate through the deep waters of our times. Grossman is right to say that "this virus of violence is occurring worldwide," but it does not logically follow that "the explanation for it has to be some new factor that is occurring." Modern Christians are falling for easy answers and looking for places to lay blame instead of swallowing the bitter pill of our humanity's fallen nature.

I thought Grossman described beautifully and accurately the way God designed his creatures with a natural aversion to killing their own kind. He's right that the increase of "desensitization and brutalization" of our youth is a cause of the increase in violence in our culture. But he's wrong to let the blame fall squarely on the forms of entertainment our kids have access to instead of on the homes the children are being reared in that leave their children in front of the tv, on parents who give any place for such damaging entertainment at inappropriate ages, or on the acceptance of abortion, and an attitude, even among Christians, that children are a negative, an inconvenience, and a burden in an otherwise happy adult life.

Why would we think that outlawing some games will make better kids? We need to stop all this "alarmist" thinking that these kinds of articles promote.

Mrs. Amy Mosby
Jacksonville, Fla.

* As an Anabaptist, I'd like to ask my fellow evangelicals: Why haven't Bible-based churches taught pacifism for the last 20 centuries, let alone 20 years? Why don't you even teach and then apply the nonscriptural "Just war theory," rather than ignore the subject? Why have almost all evangelical groups blessed WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War? If I were a betting Christian, I'd bet 99 percent of American believers are still in denial about New Testament pacifism.

Frank Moore
Houston, Tex.

* Thank you so much for this long awaited explanation of why my convictions are founded.

Lynn Thelen
Minnesota City, Minn.

Reconcilers in Turkey

* I was excited to read the article about Turkey ["In Search of the Lost Churches of Paul," Aug. 10]. I found it accurate with one exception: the Reconciliation Walk is not sponsored by Youth With A Mission. We participated in the Reconciliation Walk and were implicitly instructed not to evangelize in any way (including giving out New Tesatments). The walk is totally committed to apologizing for the Crusades. To say they are affiliated with a missions organization undermines their work of repentance and seeking forgiveness.

Pennye Konderla
Baytown, Tex.

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