Sometimes I write posts to counter popular myths, internet legends, and generally uninformed silliness.
The availability of vast stores of internet information with little or no quality control often makes well-meaning people the victims of liars, under-qualified teachers, and sincerely mistaken people who were naive and incautious in what they put out there for the whole world to see.
WHERE INTERNET MISINFORMATION COMES FROM
http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2011/12/28/mainstream-vs-crankpot-scholarship/
ANTI-JUDAISM, ANTI-RABBIS MYTHS
http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2012/01/05/answering-dan-benzvi/
MYTHS ABOUT BIBLICAL JUDAISM, SCRIPTURE-ALONE, FREEDOM FROM TRADITION
http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2012/01/04/the-no-tradition-myth-1/
ANTI-TORAH, ANTI-LAW MYTHS
http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2011/12/25/galatians-319-21-jew-and-gentile-in-abrahams-seed/
ANTI-CHRISTIAN MYTHS
http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2011/12/30/a-quick-word-to-christmas-paganoids/
KEY THINGS MESSIANIC JEWS WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO OUR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS AND FELLOW JEWS:
- Gentile inclusion doesn’t mean Jewish exclusion.
- Reverse Galatianism is an equally false gospel.
- The “new” adds to the “old” without erasing what came before.
- Torah is not the failed plan of God, but the seed from which came Yeshua.
- Yeshua is not God’s second plan, but his intention from the beginning to sum up all things in Messiah.
- De-Judaizing Jesus is how the power of Christianity was diminished from early in church history.
- Returning to a Jesus understood in Jewish context is how Christianity will be repaired.
- The re-advent in modern times of Jews following Jesus as Jews is a hopeful sign that the age to come is nearing.
- The increasing love that many non-Jews have in modern times for Jews and Judaism is a hopeful sign that the age to come is nearing.
- The Jewish world has not properly heard of Yeshua from the Church or its missions to the Jewish people, but Messianic Judaism is coming to a clear common ground about the meaning of Yeshua from within Judaism.
Hi Derek -
I just wanted to say I enjoyed every single one of your articles above, especially the one about Internet misinformation and accountability within scholarship. But the quote of yours that I thought was absolutely fabulous was this:
“I do not like it when religious people act holier than thou toward the general population. I hope this culture of Christmas-hating (because we who don’t celebrate Christmas are allegedly so much superior and free from the taint of paganism) will go away. Fundie Christians look down their noses at people who drink or smoke. Why? Because it is easy to avoid drinking and smoking and thereby to feel superior. But real righteousness is something completely different than no smoking and not putting a Christmas tree in your house. Jesus is not impressed.”
Amen. Amen.
Thank you, Lois. And I hope people will check out your site, your books, and find some good teaching from your research.
Thanks, Derek. I have to say, I admire your willingness to keep interacting with folks who argue a lot. You’re very evenhanded in your responses too. I’ll discuss controversies but I avoid writing about them. (I did write one post related to Christmas trees a while ago. If you have a moment, take a look: goo.gl/0rSol )
Thanks so much, Derek.
I have to say, I admire your willingness to keep interacting with folks who argue with you. You’re very evenhanded in your responses too. I’ll discuss controversies but I avoid writing about them. (I did write one post related to Christmas trees a while ago. If you have a moment, take a look: goo.gl/0rSol ).
Keep up the good work!
Lois
(Woops – sorry for the double post. Feel free to remove.)