Rabbi Tovia Singer runs the Tovia Singer Show. He describes himself thus:

Rabbi Singer is widely regarded as one of  the leading voices countering the efforts of missionaries that  target Jews.  

Tovia Singer claims to be one of the top counter-missionaries in the world. He runs the counter-Messianic Outreach Judaism. Yet is he a really a counter-missionary, or actually a missionary?

Listen here to Tovia Singer interviewing Reb Moshe of Tsfat, whom we last met washing away evil spirits from his fingernails.

Singer interviews Reb Moshe about a missionary website he runs: Noachspace, for Bnei Noach (Gentiles who profess to keep the seven Noahide laws) to meet one another.

At 7:40, Reb Moshe claims that one of the roles of the Bnei Noach (Righteous Gentiles) is:

“to speak out against the Messianic Jews that are saying that Hashem is false and trying to trick the Jewish people. I believe that this really is an important task for the Bnei Noach to take upon themselves instead of being frustrated with missionaries, realise that this is one of the things that HaShem wants from them, is that they should break the evil of this movement, and say HaShem is one.”

Here’s Rabbi Tovia’s Singer’s most juicy quote: (12:50)

“You know me well, and when I say you know me, you understand me: There is a deep burden in my heart for folks around the world who want to learn about the truth and beauty of the Jewish faith.”

So Rabbi Singer has the same ‘deep burden’ as the Christian missionaries he puts his energies into combatting!

Which begs the question: what does Rabbi Singer really have against Christians and Messianic Jews?

Posted by Yeze.

Ephesians 1:3 begins, in the original Greek, one long sentence (vv. 3-14). This one sentence is an extended eulogy or doxology. Remarkable still is that this doxology is full of theology. In one (Greek) sentence Paul captures the manifold glory of God’s redemptive purpose accomplished in Christ. Tragically the points touched in this passage often spark heated debate among Christians, while here they inspire the apostle to exclaim “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Sadly it seems that one person’s doxology is another’s polemic.

The theology that causes Paul’s outburst of praise at the beginning of his letter involves that of salvation. What causes Paul to praise the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ here is the manifold spiritual blessings with which believers have been blessed with in Christ. This includes God’s having chosen them in Christ before the creation of the world to make them “holy and without blemish in love” (v. 4 NET). Moreover, they are predestined to adoption through Jesus Christ (v. 5). This is done according to the good pleasure of God’s will (or the “kind intention of his will” NASB) and to the end that the glory of His grace be praised–grace that has been freely bestowed on them in Christ, the Beloved (v. 6).

In Christ’s blood there is redemption, the forgiveness of sins, which is according to the riches of His grace (v. 7-8a). There is the blessing of wisdom and insight by which He makes known the mystery of His will (v. 8b-9), which is the summing up (or uniting) of all things in Christ (v. 10). Believers also have obtained in Christ an inheritance (v. 11-12). The Holy Spirit Himself is among these blessings, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance (v.13-14).

In this great doxology we also see on display the trinitarian nature of redemption. It is the Father who elects in Christ those who will be made holy and blameless and predestines them to adoption to the praise of the glory of His grace (v.3-6). It is in Christ, the Son, that election, adoption, and redemption all take place (v.4-7). It is the redemptive work of the Son that secures salvation and all its blessings for God’s people. It is in Christ that all things will be “brought to a head.” To put it another way, it is in Christ that God’s ultimate purpose is being accomplished (v. 10-12). Certainly not least is the work of the Holy Spirit, who is given to God’s people as a pledge. It is by Him that they are sealed for the day of redemption when their salvation will be fully realized (v. 13-14).

It is a blessed task indeed to unpack and explore these things, asking, Why do these things cause Paul to ascribe praise to God the Father? The question we may ask ourselves as we look at them is what kind of response do these words incite in us? Do we exult in them as the apostle does? Do we find these things abhorrent or foolish? Or do they incite anything in us at all?

On to part three of my discussion of Philip Clayton’s Transforming Christian Theology (parts one and two here and here).

Part Three of the book is called “Theologies that Can Transform Society” and basically extends the argument Clayton made for how better theology can breathe life and light into churches to the realm of the broader culture.  Clayton calls us to move beyond traditional liberal/conservative battles, to embrace a more holistic understanding of the nature of our problems as human beings and how the gospel addresses them.  He calls us to a bigger understanding of what salvation is and how it works, and encourages us to allow these new understandings to move beyond the church and have a transformative effect upon our culture (by “culture,” Clayton seems to mean “American culture”).  In sum, Clayton’s is a call to unite social action and traditional evangelical zeal for cognitive and emotional embrace of the truth of Christ into a more robust and “progressive” Christianity that involves hearts, minds, hands, and feet.

According to Clayton,  the “progressive” Christianity he advocates is characterized by:

A spiritual vitality and expressiveness, including participatory, arts-infused, and lively worship as well as a variety of spiritual rituals and practices such as meditation;

Intellectual integrity, including a willingness to question;

An affirmation of human diversity;

An affirmation of the Christian faith with a simultaneous sincere respect for other faiths;

Strong ecological concerns and commitments;

Social justice commitments.

Rather than a lengthy excursus on what I think should/should not be on a “progressive Christianity” checklist (or whether I think compiling such a checklist is even a worthy endeavor), I thought I would simply solicit your feedback.  We postmoderns are all about the wisdom of the community, and learning from the insights of diverse voices, right?  So what do you think?

Does the summary above accurately reflect what ought to characterize progressive (or any other kind of) Christianity?

• What do you like on the list?
• What’s missing from the list?
• Do lists like this serve a useful function?
• Does this list describe a Christianity you could/would embrace (or have embraced)?
• What questions does a list like this provoke?

What say you?

On this edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts interact once again with polls taken at a Christian convention, this time relating to the doctrine of justification. Why is this doctrine so central, and how is it related to the gospel of Christ? That’s what’s on tap this week, at the White Horse Inn!

If someone were to ask you what is the heart of Christianity, how would you answer? Some possible answers could be: Missions, evangelism, social justice, loving God and others. These are all good answers and should be part of any institute that goes by the name ‘Christian,’ but I don’t think these things are the true heart of the Christian faith. The true center of the Christian faith is the gospel of justification alone by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Most Christian churches and denominations are actively involved in missionary work and evangelism and fighting for social justice and are interested in promoting the love of God and neighbor, but many of them are apostate when it comes to the gospel.

It is the gospel, and in particular the doctrine of Justification, that separates true Christianity from the pretenders. I know the minute I say this, there will be those who will (some vehemently) disagree with me. How can I elevate a point of doctrine above resolving and curing many of the world’s social issues, or in spreading the ‘good news,’ or in promoting love? The reason is that the gospel is the one true distinctive feature of Christianity. Without the gospel, there is no Christianity! As Paul said, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

This week’s White Horse Inn audio clip tackles this issue regarding the heart of Christianity. If you want to know why the Doctrine of Justification is so central to the gospel message, then give this audio clip a listen.

White Horse Inn Broadcast from June 28, 2009:

For those who desire purity, the sexual body is not the evil with which we must contend. Far from being evil or even tainted, the body, and sexual union itself, contain a value and dignity that we can barely fathom. But we must fathom this value and dignity if we are to live according to the true ethos of Christ’s words.

+ Christopher West, Theology of the Body Explained

The Road, is a movie that started as a novel in 2006 by an American writer Cormac McCarthy. The novel won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize award for Fiction. The film by the same name The Road was directed by John Hillcoat and written by Joe Penhall. The film stars Viggo Mortensen as the Man \ father and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the Boy \ son, a father and son surviving in a post-apocalyptic 2012 doomsday wasteland. Along the way, they encounter grave struggles and hardships avoiding bands of cannibals along the road. The 2012 doomsday apocalyptic event is showing the beginning of the next ice age and destruction of the northern grain belts outlined in the H2onE2 and H3onE3 books.

Within the movie common themes can be drawn between “The Road” and many other 2012 doomsday type movies, like the Pandorum movie. To truly understand this film and its deep suggestive 2012 doomsday material an understanding of the Greek Gods and Hesiod’s Theogony is a must. It is suggested that you read my write up on the Pandorum movie review first and better yet the H3onE3 book posted free online.

The first suggestive material worth mentioning is the earth quakes. The earth quakes are a verbal representation of thunder, noting the presence and work of Zeus. From Theogony Zeus the high god holds the understanding of earth’s environment and is empowered for one reason, he controls earth’s most powerful energy source, lightning and thunder. Because Zeus could control lightning he has conquered all the lesser gods in heaven. Also in Theogony it is documented that Zeus plans on destroying the current age of this population, “the Iron Age” like he destroyed all the previous ages of humanity. In the Road Cormac McCarthy is both describing, perpetuating and foretelling the destruction of earth’s current population; utilizing movie media to continue the biblical prophecy.

The biblical prophecy is important to understanding the movie the Road, it actually has a lineage that started with classical Greek mythology, and was modernized by the later Greeks with the creation of the Old Testament. This gave the classical Greek gods a more modern earthly presence. The Romans, seeing what the dyeing Greek Empire had crafted, created and promoted the works of the New Testament, designed to sacrifice the future king, Oedipus prophecy and riddle hidden in the Old Testament. The War of Religion was not over yet, because the last Greek cultural strong hold had one last card to play. John of Patmos fashioned Revelations as the final capstone of all the previous works and prophecies, which in short dooms mankind at the death of future Prometheus also known as Oedipus. Humanity is required by the prophecy to find and empower this none mythical character or they will become cannibals and on the Road of their own destruction.

When the suggestive thunder appears in the movie it is followed by an interaction with cannibals, future man. Here the movie director John Hillcoat is suggesting that Zeus has forced the environmental disaster and here the thunder / earth quake is confirming his work.  One of the thunder scenes, one that includes cannibals occurs when the young mother and child are killed by the large gang of hungry cannibals. This event is soon followed by a church scene where a painting of the Holy Grail at a Last Supper is shown. Here the movie director and writer is hinting that the Greek gods and their 2012 doomsday prophecy has been evolved into Linear Western Religion, both the Old and New Testaments. And, that the last supper and the offering of a body and blood sacrifice is in fact a cannibalistic act. This scene is telling the aware and educated members of the audience that the prophecy of the Greeks is the same prophecies in Christianity and they both end on the same road, The Road.

The second most important element in the movie pertains to the reference of Fire. In the mention of fire, here the movie takes on elements of the classical Greek story of Prometheus, who stool fire for the betterment of mankind. The boy turns out to represent a modern variation of Prometheus when his father epitomizes all of the Greek God Pathogen, in many different scenes. In the movie scene where the Man \ father swims through frigid rough water to search a partially sunken fishing boat offshore, he takes on the powers of Poseidon. The scenes where the two characters take refuge in caves the father takes on the reference of the god Hade; god of hell and the underworld. When the father picks his son up and runs from the cannibals he represents the Greek God Nike and when he is armed with an axe he represents Hephaestus, the Greek god of the Forge. Many scenes reflect back to the Man’s wife who is a representation of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love.  His wife’s death is never shown for one reason alone, because you cannot kill a god, at least not in the realm of myth and science fiction.

The story well outlines the two primary characters from the H3onE3 book; H3one3 Universal Facilitator, Universal Sacrifice and Holy Pi. The two hidden and prophesied characters in all media aka (music, literature, plays and movies) are both shown as Homeric Heroes and sometimes Sacrifices. It could be said that there is no Zeus or UF without a Prometheus a US, as in the understanding that a classical comedy plays against and with the understanding of a tragedy and vice versa. The two primary characters uncovered in the H3onE3 work are divine figures, mixed and blended in all Homeric media as a mechanism of population control. In the Road the Man represents the Universal Facilitator and the boy the Universal Sacrifice.

The Road references to fire as being in the hart, maybe the hart of humanity and being human and humane, when in contrast the opposing group, the cannibals are suggested as more animal; solely thinking of themselves. The mission of the boy and man turns out to be a mission of humanity, to carry the fire to the coast, symbolized in the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

An interesting character appears in the movie called Eli or Ely played by, I believe an artificially aged Robert Duvall. Eli is a Hebrew name, which means High Priest and last of the Judges. (1 Samuel chapters 1-4) Eli served as the judge and high priest of Israel when The Ark Of The Covenant, contained the Ten Commandments. Although Eli was a good and righteous servant of God, he was unwilling to remove his “two” (UF and US) corrupt sons from the priesthood and this brought about his doom.

When the US and UF meet Eli an interesting geological formation is shown in the background. Clearly this geological rock formation demonstrates three erosional layers showing natures ability to end civilization but also the ages of man already ended by Zeus. Eli calls the US an angel and then later on, even more interesting a god.  Here the writer is playing both sides of the coin with an angel reference catering to Christianity and as a god respecting the original, evolved Greek pathogen. It is when Eli refuses to talk about his own child where his real identity is uncovered. Eli turns out to represent of a high god either Coronus or Zeus himself. Eli’s refusal to talk about his own child, this is the key to uncovering him as the high god, both Coronus and Zeus in Theogony are noted for eating their children. It is possible here the writer is suggesting that Eli representing Zeus destroys himself when he ends the Iron Age.

The Man the UF carries binoculars near his hart, this is because he has the ability to see the future and at his death the binoculars are taken or even passed on to his son the US. The binoculars are a metaphor to the ROAD humanity is on and being able to seeing the future, the end of the Iron Age. The prophecy will be forced upon humanity as a Revelation. Many references in the movie regurgitate a need to stay off the road, meaning that humanity survives by not continuing down the road, the same road, the road humanity is on.
(Click on a picture to enlarge it.)

One of the age-old debates in Christian theology has been the debate over the relationship of divine foreknowledge and human freedom. Historically, both of these concepts have been accepted by the Church as being the teaching of scripture, however there have been differing views on how to reconcile them. The two most notable of these are the Augustinian/Calvinist view and the Molinist view.

Molinism is named for Luis de Molina, a Jesuit theologian and apologist of the late 16th century. Molina saw Calvinism as a particularly dangerous theological threat and so he developed a view to counter it.

The Molinist attempt to reconcile sovereignty and free will goes like this. First, humans have libertarian free will: that is, when they choose, they have just as much of a possibility of choosing one thing as another. Second, they hinge their reconciling on the concept of middle knowledge, or knowledge of counterfactuals.

A counterfactual is a conditional statement such as, “if John goes golfing, his wife will go to the mall” or “If A happens, then person B will do C.” The reasoning is that God knows the conditionals, therefore he can actualize a world in which A happens and therefore he can know that B does C.

They use this view to explain foreordination as follows:

1. God’s knowledge of necessary truths (e.g. 2+2=4, a triangle has three sides)
2. God’s knowledge of counterfactuals (e.g. all possible worlds)
3. God’s creative decree (e.g. His actualization of that possible world which is the actual world)
4. God’s free knowledge (e.g. His knowledge of what actually is)

I think that one can see easily that this ordering, while preserving sovereignty, still leaves now room for libertarian free will (LFW). In LFW, one has a choice and makes it with no inside or outside coercion–no psychology, no character, nothing–to determine the outcome. How, then, could God have knowledge of the outcome? The choice is undetermined! There are multiple counterfactuals, any of which could happen–or, since God knows all counterfactuals, He could choose to actualize one possible world, as Molina maintained, and therefore could know the future, right? But if the choice is determined, then it is not free.

The conundrum is hopeless, unless something goes: either the orthodox position must be denied (openness theism) or else compatibilism (e.g. Augustinianism/Thomism/Calvinism) must be affirmed, in which case the definition of “free will” has to change. In fact, the Calvinist can affirm Molina’s ordering of the knowledge of God–it may even strengthen the Calvinist case. The problem is, that when held together with LFW, as Molinism tries to do, it becomes incoherent because LFW is incompatible with any sort of foreknowledge or determinism. Hopefully in a later post, I can demonstrate how libertarian freedom not only doesn’t work, but destroys responsibility altogether.

It’s that wonderful time of the year again–the Christmas season. But unfortunately, along with the fresh snow, smell of baked goods, time spent with family and friends, and joyous holiday memories in the making, this time of the year also comes with an unavoidable annoyance. No, not fruitcake. I’m referring to all the keep Christ in Christmas campaigns with their bumper stickers and yard signs, and it’s Ok to wish me a Merry Christmas car magnets and buttons.

Do I have a problem with Christ being remembered as the reason Christians celebrate Christmas? Absolutely not. Am I happy with the removal of Christ from the very holiday that’s supposed to be celebrating His birth? No way. Do I think the secularization of Christmas is a positive trend? Certainly not. Am I pleased with the mass consumerism that Christmas has become? Never. Is this post about whether or not Christians should even celebrate Christmas? Nope.

This post is about my issue with the yearly keep Christ in Christmas campaigns accompanied with all their recommended boycotts of stores that choose “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.” My issue with these campaigns, however, is not in the substance of their arguments (stopping the expunging of Jesus Christ from Christmas), but my issue is in their misapplied efforts to correct what they deem as a sin almost equivalent to Judas’ betrayal of Christ. These folks with the best of intentions have grossly misdiagnosed the problem: It’s not them (the world), it’s us (the church).

Before I continue I want to acknowledge that it’s true, Christmas’ origins aren’t even Christian and most of the Christmas traditions we cherish today (Christmas trees, candy canes, tinsel, bulbs, stockings, mistletoe, yule logs, eggnog, etc.) cannot be supported by Scripture. Although I understand that there are many who want to argue against Christmas on those points, this is not what this post is about. The basis of this post can be summed up by these two points:

1. – Many of the most vocal opponents of the secularization of Christmas make nary a peep all year long to the secularization taking place within the church itself.

2. – These same folks fail to recognize that the true source of the removal of Christ from Christmas is only a result of the removal of Christ from our culture due to the removal of Christ from our churches; something that began a long time ago (long before secular retailers opted for “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas”).

The secularization of Christmas is just a visible sore caused by the underlying affects of a cancer that’s ravaging the church. Trying to “save Christmas” while the bigger issue looms over us is like baling out a sinking boat with a thimble or putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. Your efforts may make you look busy and cause you to feel that you’re doing some good, but in reality they’re both just a waste of time against the tidal wave of the inevitable. Additionally, your efforts also adversely serve as a diversion from the real problem.

I am convinced that the efforts of these social-conscious Christians is not only futile, but distracting. You only hear from these Christians around the Christmas season bemoaning the secularization of the holiday while they remain passive to the secularization that’s crept into their churches all year long with its deadly poisons of lukewarmness and rank heresy.

So what’s my solution? Am I complaining just to complain and be a Scrooge? Not this time.

My recommendation is that first, these seasonal activists recognize that the world is acting like the world. We wouldn’t expect a goldfish to act like a tiger, so why do we expect unregenerate sinners to act like Christians during Christmas time, or at any other time for that matter?

Those of the flesh are hostile toward God. Forcing them to keep Christ in Christmas accomplishes nothing but provides them with a false sense of religious security: “But God, I went to church every Christmas.”

Secondly, stop holding Target, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and  GAP responsible for the spiritual stagnation of your community, church, and family, and start holding your pastors responsible! When your pastor preaches cutesy little candy-coated, Osteenesque-type, esteem-building, Christ-less lectures about your best life now, protest that!

Finally, teach your children the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas. Emphasize the real reason Christ stepped from Heaven to be born among men. Be faithful to your calling as parents to teach your children the faith, and don’t abdicate that responsibility to some biblically illiterate youth pastor.

Never let your kids for one moment think that the real story of Christ’s incarnation is about anything other than Christ and Him crucified. The whole point of Christ’s birth was not for gift exchanges and office parties, it was about God making Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

So here’s my question: If these proponents of keeping Christ in Christmas prevailed today, and everybody put Christ back in Christmas tomorrow, in the realm of eternity, what will they have actually accomplished? Would they have not successfully created a throng of hypocrites who honor God with their lips but whose hearts are far from Him?

Continuing to bemoan the absence of Christ from Christmas while remaining quiet on the absence of Christ in our pulpits is like complaining about the smoke burning your eyes while your house is burning down with your family trapped inside.

Have a Merry Christmas.

If a steer covers and impregnates a whole herd it is accounted a merit in him.  If the owner of the steer knows a single woman besides his wife, he is an adulterer.  The reason is that upon him has been imposed the law, ‘you shall not commit adultery’.  No law restrains the other.  — Huldrych Zwingli

Zwingli rightly notes that the basest impulses of animals are not covered by the law because animals are not expected to know or obey that law.  Similarly, persons who evade the law and behave as they wish demonstrate that they have abandoned humanity and become nothing more than animals.  They invert themselves, pervert themselves, degrade themselves, by casting aside the one thing that separates them from the animals- cognizance of and obedience to the divine law.

Is blogging superficial?  Only if done by superficial people.  Is blogging meritorious?  Probably not.  Is blogging important?  Absolutely- it is the best way to disseminate the most information to the widest possible audience.

But perhaps that’s the very point Packer fails to apprehend- since his goal has been and is now to communicate to the smallest number of persons the most useless sort of theological backwardlookingness.

As I’ve said before and continue to insist- publications are where serious work belongs.  Blogging in general and the internet as a whole is useful only to ‘get the word out’ as quickly and usefully as possible.

The internet, and blogging, can be blessing or curse.  Depending, of course, on who wields the weapon.  I think Packer does well to stay away from it, since it demands a certain fluency with the post world war two world which he lacks.

As the pastor of a large church, many things come across my desk asking for my support/backing/endorsement.  It is rare for me to participate in such things.  With that said, The Manhattan Declaration strikes at the very heart of those things that Southern Baptist hold so dear.  I can tell you that I signed this document without hesitation.

More than 150 Evangelical, Orthodox and Catholic leaders signed the statement, which was released to the media last Friday. You can click here to read the nearly 5,000-word declaration in its entirety, but basically it defends three core issues—the sanctity of human life, biblical marriage and uncompromising religious liberty. All three are issues that, unfortunately, are in grave danger in our great country today. I am providing just a few words here on what the declaration states:

Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.

God’s people cannot afford to be complacent as government and secularist attempt to force the Lord’s people and the Lord’s church to participate in those things that press against our most foundational beliefs and convictions. I want to encourage you to read the document.  Pass this link on to others.  Stand firm by your convictions and pray that the Lord will protect and preserve this great country as we yield ourselves to the principles and precepts of His Word.  Soli Deo Gloria—to God alone be the Glory!

The hajj, or pilgrimage, is one of the five pillars of Islam, things that all Muslim are required to do.  As part of the Islamic faith, all able-bodied Muslim are expected to make the journey to Mecca at least once in their lives.  The ritual at Mecca occurs over five days: this year, while you and I were celebrating Thanksgiving, three million Muslims were partaking in the ritual.  Muslims travel to Mecca from Istanbul, from Beijing, from Dallas, from Oslo—from all over.  It is a powerful symbol of the unity and diversity inherent within the community of Islam.

My question is: what if all Christians were expected to travel to, say, Jerusalem once in their life?  To walk on the same paths of not only Jesus, but also Abraham (his grave is in Hebron, in modern-day Israel), and David (his birthplace, Bethlehem, lies within Palestinian territory)?

How would that change the way we understand ourselves as a community of faith?  How would that put us in better touch with not only each other, but also with our common history?

Back in July 1979,  a rabbi sitting outside on a porch in the Catskils, with a friend or older bachur, he was listening to the Fabrengen. I was called over to listen to it because the Rebbe was speaking about Transcendental Meditation, he assumed that I would be interested.  I was not particularly enthralled since all I heard was “avodah zarah,”  “idols, incense and gurus” “worship of the sun and moon,” “it is OK for doctors to teach.” At the time, I felt that it did not reach the issues and was too removed, too Biblical, and was not really showing understanding.  Beyond that he treated TM as a pathology to be dealt with by physicians. He did not want any connection of meditation to Kabbalah.  Yet, for some reason I still remember the event, the cloudy evening, and my reaction, especially my disappointing mulling it over for some time that evening.

Yesterday, someone sent me a question on Yoga and Judaism, and after an initial email the response reminded me of the Rebbe’s sicha.

So here an audio- video of the original.

The Rebbe compares TM to the avodah zarah of the sun and the moon. The Rebbe does not address other religions but deals with the issue as part of the problem of cults. He wants the creation of something new called “Jewish meditation” to wean people away from TM. It should be seen as a medical problem and should only be taught by someone who  knows the laws of avodah zarah. It is interesting that the Rebbe is careful not to call all of it “ruah tumah” or “klipot nogah.” Rather, the problem is the incense, bowing, and the false gods or treating the guru as a deity. The patriarch Abraham is portrayed as engaged in solitude, yet the Rebbe does not want this new invention of Jewish meditation connected to Kabbalah, it should be done clinically by physicians.

Here are selections from the translation.

There in an issue, which is connected with the physical and psychological health of many Jews, that demands attention. It is quite possible that these words will have no effect. Nevertheless, the health of a Jew is such an important matter, that efforts should be made even when there is not a sure chance of success.

This issue is the idea of meditation. Meditation has its roots in the very beginning of the Jewish heritage. The Torah commentaries explain that Avraham and the other patriarchs chose to be shepherds so that they could spend their time in solitude.

The sun, the moon, and the stars are necessary for life of earth. They bring about manifold goodness. However, they also have been worshipped as false gods. One might ask (as the Talmud asks): “Since they have been worshipped as false gods, shouldn’t they be destroyed? However, should G-d destroy the world because of the foolishness of the idol-worshipers?” The same concept applies in regard to meditation. Though essentially good, meditation can also be destructive. There are those who have connected meditation to actually bowing down to an idol or a man and worshipping it or him, bringing incense before them etc.

The cults have spread throughout the U.S. and throughout Israel as well.

They have called it by a refined name “transcendental meditation” i.e. something above limits, above our bounded intellects. However, they have also incorporated into the procedures the bringing of incense and other practices that are clearly “Avodah Zorah,” the worship of false gods.

Since we are living within the darkness of Golus, many Jewish youth have fallen into this snare. Before they became involved with this cult, they were troubled and disturbed. The cult was able to relate to them and bring them peace of mind. However, their meditation is connected with Avodah Zorah, burning incense and bowing to a Guru, etc. Since the aspects of idol worship are not publicized, there are those who have not raised their voices in protest. They don’t know if such a protest would be successful and since no one has asked them, why should they enter a questionable situation.

Two conditions must be taken into consideration: 1) meditation should only be used by those who need it. A healthy person doesn’t need meditation. On the contrary, if he begins to meditate he will hurt his psychological health. The only meditation that all should carry out is one which is part of one’s service to G-d, for the Shulchan Aruch states that before each prayer one must meditate on “the greatness of G-d and the humble state of man.” However, that meditation is done with a fixed time and a fixed intent. Its goal is not to calm one’s nerves. 2) The meditation must be based on a Kosher idea or a Torah concept e.g. Shema Yisroel, the meanings of the prayers. Thus, this will bring one to an awareness of the greatness of G-d and the humble nature of man.

Also, since as in all treatments, the healer gains a certain amount of control over his patient, we must take care that the professional who is leading the meditation have a clear and well defined knowledge of what is permitted according to the Shulchan Aruch, what leads to Avodah Zorah, etc.

Even in Yerushalayim, the holy city, such a center has been established. I, myself, received a brochure from such an institution. It was professionally produced, containing pictures and a description of how in Yerushalayim, a center for meditation has been set up. They purchase American addresses, and send them this brochure. It makes a powerful impression and arouses curiosity. Thus, we can see how serious the situation is.

In view of this situation, psychologists, psychoanalysts, etc. have a holy duty to advance their knowledge of meditation, and work to develop a Kosher program. Furthermore, since we live in a country in which publicity plays a large role, efforts must be made to publicize the treatment in the broadest means possible.

Furthermore, this treatment should not be connected with any side issues. There are those who maintain that meditation must be connected with the secrets of Torah. Meditation on the secrets of Torah is very important, particularly in the present age when the Wellsprings of Chassidus must be spread outwards. However, the subject at hand is different. There are Jews who are involved in “Avodah Zorah,” worship of false gods, who must be saved. This is the first priority. If one begins by teaching the secrets of Torah, it is extremely likely that the majority of them will not respond. Even the few who might show an interest should be separated from “Avodah Zorah” first.

We cannot sit and wait practically until someone asks to be helped. We have to approach those who are afflicted and speak their language, without mixing in any other Mitzvos. Our object should be merely the Mitzvah of healing their troubled psyches.

Each one of us knows such a doctor. We can interest a doctor in such activities, and he will find a way to attract those who have fallen into these snares.

In all the other exiles, the redemption did not involve the entire Jewish people. However, the Messianic redemption will reach every Jew. The prophet Isaiah (27:12) declares: “You will be collected one by one” from even the furthest extremes of Golus. These efforts to draw Jews away from the Golus of “Avodah Zorah” will help hasten the fulfillment of the prophecy. The Talmud states that all the appointed times for Moshiach’s coming have passed, and everything depends on Teshuvah. When the Jewish people do Teshuvah, they will immediately be redeemed.

In 1979, The Rebbe had a yehidus with a couple from Australia, where he said the same thing.

Already in the prior year in 1978, the Rebbe turned to a doctor to help him with this request to develop meditation without idolatry. It gets reprinted around the web as if the Rebbe was answering a question from the doctor rather, in fact, the Rebbe was seeking out the doctor. Notice the Rebbe’s citation of  the Federal Court case.and his assumption that much of this is already part of medical practice. I did include parts that are similar to the Sicha- full version here, and here. We can see the Rebbe’s thought in formation

By the Grace of G-d Teveth, 5738
In as much as these movements involve certain rites and rituals, they have been rightly regarded by Rabbinic authorities as cults bordering on, and in some respects actual, Avodah Zarah (idolatry). Accordingly Rabbinic authorities everywhere, and particularly in Eretz Yisroel, ruled that these cults come under all the strictures associated with Avodah Zarah, so that also their appurtenances come under strict prohibition.

Moreover, the United States Federal Court also ruled recently that such movements, by virtue of embracing such rites and rituals, must be classifies as cultic and religious movements. (Of. Malnak V. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, U.S.D.C. of N.J. 76-341, esp. pp. 36-50, 78)On the other hand, certain aspects of the said movements, which are entirely irrelevant to religious worship or practices, have a therapeutic value, particularly in the area of relieving mental stress.

It follows that if these therapeutic methods – insofar as they are utterly devoid of any ritual implications – would be adopted by doctors specializing in the field of mental illness, it would have two-pronged salutary effect: Firstly, in the view of the fact that these methods are therapeutically effective, while there are, regretfully, many who could benefit from such treatment, this is a matter of healing of the highest order, since it has to do with mental illness. It would, therefore, be very wrong to deny such treatment to those who need it, when it could be given by a practicing doctor.

Secondly, and this too is not less important, since there are many Jewish sufferers who continue to avail themselves of these methods though the said cults despite the Rabbinic prohibition, it can be assumed with certainty that many of them, if not all, who are drawn to these cults by the promise of mental relief, would prefer to receive the same treatment from the medical profession – if they had a choice of getting it the kosher way. It would thus be possible to save many Jews from getting involved with the said cults.

It is also known, though not widely, that there are individual doctors who practice the same or similar methods at T.M. and the like. However, it seems that these methods occupy a secondary or subordinate role in their procedures. More importantly, there is almost a complete lack of publicity regarding the application of these methods by doctors, and since the main practice of these doctors is linked with the conventional neurological and psychiatric approach, it is generally assumed that whatever success they achieve is not connected with results obtained from methods relating to T.M. and the like; results which the cults acclaim with such fanfare.

In light of the above, it is suggested and strongly urged that:

Appropriate action be undertaken to enlist the cooperation of a group of doctors specializing in neurology and psychiatry who would research the said methods with a view to perfecting them and adopting them in their practice on a wider scale.

All due publicity be given about the availability of such methods from practicing doctors.

This should be done most expeditiously, without waiting for this vital information to be disseminated through medical journals, where research and findings usually take a long time before they come to the attention of practicing physicians. This would all the sooner counteract the untold harm done to so many Jews who are attracted daily to the said cults, as mentioned in the opening paragraph.

In conclusion: This memo is intended for all Rabbis, doctors, and layman who are in a position to advance the cause espoused herein, the importance of which needs no further elaboration.

Sofern er in ihm auch der Wahrheitsfrage gegenüber verantwortlich ist, ist jeder Christ als solcher auch zum Theologen berufen.

. . .

Es ist immer ein bedenkliches Phänomen, wenn man etwa leitende Kirchenmänner (mit oder ohne Bischofskreuz) oder auch gewisse feurige Evangelisten oder Prediger oder gut meinende Kämpfer für dieses oder jenes praktische christliche Anliegen wohlgemut und wohl auch ein bisschen wegwerfend versichern hört, Theologie sei nun eben nicht ihre Sache: I am not a theologian, I am an administrator! Und eben so schlimm ist die Tatsache, dass nicht wenige Pfarrer, nach ihren Studienjahren in die Routine des praktischen Dienstes übergegange, der Meinung zu sein scheinen, sie dürften die Theologie als eine für sie erledigte Bemühung hinter sich lassen wie der Schmetterling seine Raupengestalt.

Karl Barth, Einführung in die evangelische Theologie 6. Auflage 2006 (Theologischer Verlag Zürich), 48-49. Used by permission.

Too many Christians, just like their unsaved counterparts, are impressed by appearances rather than structure; are seeking thrills and excitement rather than substance; are more apt to respond to emotional manipulation than a rational discourse. How does a church compete in this rather crowded marketplace? If entertainment has become the standard way of life (as some are suggesting) then how can the churches vie unless they become a bastion of entertainment? But if it gives way to this powerful temptation has not the church been transformed into something other than the church?

- Garry Gilley