Bridges for
Peace ~ Christian Leaders
Israel Forum
Understanding Israel,
God’s Covenants and the Church
Pastors!
Come and be our guest in a Pastor’s and Ministry
Leaders Forum designed to help you grapple with the thorny
issue of Israel. This is the place to come and interact,
ask your questions, and build a paradigm of understanding
on this important and sometimes confusing subject.
Meeting Venues
& Dates CLICK HERE
Program
Schedule (Subject to change)
Morning:
Registration & coffee
Sessions 1 & 2
Coffee break
Session 3
Light lunch
Afternoon:
Session 4 & 5
Program ends
Note:
Speakers will remain available after program for informal discussion.
Back
to Top
No single topic has occupied media attention to the degree of the conflict between
the Arab and Moslem nations and Israel. It is a vexing issue as it throws a spotlight
on a multiplicity of factors that ultimately have a possible impact on the Church.
Furthermore, many in your congregations are learning about the “Jewish
roots” of Christianity, using “Jewish symbols,” singing Hebraic-style
music, wanting to celebrate the Levitical feasts or blow a shofar.
All of this is making an impact on our churches today. Therefore, it is important
to understand some of the background and the issues and to pre-empt the critical
decisions that inevitably must follow. What are some of these issues?
If the founding of the modern state and the ongoing return of the Jewish people
is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy, how do we hold this in tension with the suffering
amongst the Jews and among Palestinian Christians and their Muslim neighbors?
Almost every Church has one or more members who have a burden for Israel and
are often frustrated that this is not shared more generally within the congregation.
The political and spiritual issues in the Israel / Palestinian Authority situation
often appear to be inseparable and often the political questions are being given
spiritual answers and vice versa.
Slowly but surely the Church, despite its legacy of involvement with persecution
of the Jewish people, is being looked to for friendship by the Jewish community.
How can churches respond to this?
More and more, churches are more interested in the biblical feasts and biblical
symbols found in Jewish practice. Are these things for the Church, and if so,
what do we do about them?
Unfortunately, because the Church disconnected itself from its Jewish roots in
the early centuries and never really expected national Israel to be revived,
our seminaries and Bible colleges have not effectively addressed these issues.
Yet, as pastors and ministers, we need a paradigm to understand whether or not
this fits into the message of our churches today.
For that reason, Bridges for Peace is hosting a series of Forums around the country
strictly for pastors and ministry leaders. Forum sessions are each an hour long
and provide for discussion, questions and answers. The Forums assume that everyone
has a meaningful contribution and are designed to provide an effective means
of equipping participants to understand the issues for which a definitive answer
is not always readily obvious.
Back
to the top
Why
Should You Attend?
As
a leader you are faced with many challenges and your
ability to meet and deal with the challenges is affected
by the point at which you recognize the challenge and
are equipped to deal with it. Just as ancient Israel
was established geographically at a point on the face
of the earth where it demanded the attention of passers
by, modern Israel seems to have achieved the same in
the media and consequently people’s minds. It is
not a closed file spiritually, and demands each church
leader, including you, to come to some conclusion. This
Forum is intended to help you prepare for that moment. There
is no charge for this course, but we do ask that you
make every effort to attend all the sessions. Bridges
for Peace wants to invest in your ministry to help equip
you to deal with these important questions.
Back
to the top
Forum
Presenter(s)
At
each session, you will have an opportunity to meet and
hear from other Bridges for Peace (BFP) senior staff,
including the Area Coordinator for your region of the
country. Each of our Area Coordinators is either a current
or former Pastor of a congregation. Additional speakers
will include Rev.
Jim Solberg DMin., the BFP USA National Director, Rev.
Cheryl Hauer DRP, USA Deputy National Director.
Back
to the top
Session
Topics
Note:
A gift copy of Dr. Marvin R. Wilson’s book, Our Father Abraham: Jewish
Roots of the Christian Faith, will be given to each registered participant
attending this event.
Session
1
Israel, God’s Covenants, and the Church
How should Israel be viewed within the context of the Church? Are God’s
everlasting covenants with Israel and the Jewish people still valid? How should
we view the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and the role of the Church in this
process?
Session
2
Hebrew Word Pictures
The New Testament was written primarily by Jewish writers in a Hebraic context
using the language and symbols of biblical Judaism. We are taught the New Testament
from a Greek context. What are we missing? How can we “read between the
lines” by contextualizing the biblical texts, recognizing that the New
Testament writers wrote in a “scriptural shorthand,” assuming we
understood and were practicing all of the Old Testament. This session will
teach you how to reveal the rich treasures in God’s Word often obscured
by faulty translation or a lack of understanding of the symbols and Hebraic
style of writing.
Session
3
The Olive Tree Connection
Romans 9-11 addresses the relationship of the Gentile Church and Israel and
the Jewish people. Paul concludes that we “wild olive branches” are
grafted into the olive tree. But, did God cut off the natural branches permanently
or were they only blinded for a season? What was Paul’s instruction to
the Church about Israel and the Jewish people? Historically, the Church cut
itself off from the Olive Tree. Today, we too are being grafted back in. What
are the implications of both?
Session
4
Reframing the News about Israel
Numerous voices are heard regarding the modern State of Israel, from left to
right, religious to secular, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, the UN, pro-Israel,
pro-Palestinian, etc. How do we sort out all of these voices, understand what
motivates these views, and come into an understanding of God’s agenda,
with which we need to align ourselves? Most of us have come to believe that
the media doesn’t present an accurate picture of the true church. Could
it be that the media doesn’t present an accurate picture of modern Israel?
Session
5
The Kaleidoscope of Love : A look at the depth and breadth of Christian assistance
to Israel.
Given
the history of the Church’s role in the misery
suffered by the Jewish people, the modern depth and breadth
of Christian assistance is confounding. This session
will explore the extent of this assistance and the impact
that it is beginning to have on the perceptions that
Jewish people have of Christians.
DON’T
DELAY. CALL THE LOCAL NUMBER FOR YOUR NEAREST VENUE
AND PRE-REGISTER. THIS IS A PROGRAM YOU WON’T
WANT TO MISS.
Back
to the top
