This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
Before concluding his letter, the Apostle Paul offers an extended military metaphor about spiritual warfare. We learn that our enemy is not other human beings, but rather the schemes of the Devil and his minions. Against such foes we don't need the weapons of man, but the armor gifted to us by God: truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God.
Our call, in this fight, is to stand firm. Stand where we have been planted by the Lord.
Pray as other pastors and church leaders are made aware of FFOZ that they too will recognize the danger, and pray that they will have both the courage to act and wisdom in how to address the issues.
 Lesson 41 page 6: "The church's loud and predominant teachings about God's grace also make it difficult for people to believe in God's wrath. Ever since the Protestant Reformation, the emphasis on grace has tipped the scale so severely off balance that many Christians anticipate no consequences for sin whatsoever. That's a good recipe for neutralizing the fear of the LORD, neutering the gospel message, and storing up wrath." It turns out that First Fruits of Zion has a problem with grace. Technically, they have a problem with the Protestant Church's emphasis on grace because they think it undermines God's wrath. Once again in this Torah Club lesson we have the Straw Man brought out to tell us that "many" Protestants think that there are no consequences, at all, to sin. Why would Protestants think something so foolish? Apparently because they spend to much time praising God's grace. Set aside for the moment that this is patently false. There is no substantial part of the Protestant Church that teaches that believers are free to sin because grace has "neutered" God's wrath. Given that there are hundreds of thousands of pastors worldwide, I'm sure FFOZ could trot out a few examples of crackpots in defense of their spurious claim, but to claim that this is so widespread that it needs a correction (that's coming) is ridiculous. This is a logical fallacy known as argumentum ad absurdum. If you claim that your opponent (and FFOZ's opponent is most assuredly the Church) believes something so foolish, those listening to you will be more likely to believe your "cure" for the non-existent disease. What then is the point? Why would FFOZ make such an explosive claim, attacking the fundamental viewpoint about the Gospel of 1/3 of the Church? What are they trying to put in the place of grace?  |
| Lesson 41,page 7: "It's important to remember that the New Testament Greek word translated as grace (charis) is the Greek equivalent to the Biblical Hebrew word we see translated as 'favor.' It's the same concept and should be translated consistently to avoid confusion." First Fruits of Zion wants to redefine grace. Redefine it how?? In a way that contradicts what the Church, particularly Protestantism, has long celebrated about God's grace. Why would it matter if FFOZ wants to equate grace in the NT with favor in the Old? The 2023 edition of HaYesod lays forth the whole plan {HaYesod's 2023 edition (First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club) heretically redefines grace: "grace is earned" and claims humans can atone for sins by suffering}: Grace = favor = earned. FFOZ has built its false teaching on the foundation of an eternal, perfect, and unchanging Torah that must be observed by all peoples, in all places, for all time. When rule keeping is the heart and soul of what you say and do, the natural result is to drift ever further into legalism. This is human nature, it happens every time. Conveniently, then, FFOZ now teaches that because Moses earned God's favor, and favor equals grace, we too can earn God's grace. Not only that, the HaYesod chapter proclaims that human beings can share their extra grace (earned by unjust suffering) with others. In case you're wondering, grace in the NT and favor in the OT are not one and the same. Word usage determines word meaning, context is king. The argument that FFOZ is making doesn't hold water, to simply proclaim that two words in different languages from texts written many generations apart are equal does not make it so. However, FFOZ must proclaim absolute continuity between the testaments on even things like word definitions because they are viewing all of scripture through the lens of Torah, but that's not how communication, and certainly now how translation, works. Nobody is earning the grace connected to the Gospel that is proclaimed in the NT. God chooses to whom he will give it, and God freely gives it. To say otherwise is an abomination.  Lesson 41 page 9: 'The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah' (Numbers 26:46)...The census mentions a woman named Serah, the daughter of Asher. She's the granddaughter of the patriarch Jacob, and she also appears in the list of Jacob's seventy children who entered Egypt about three hundred years earlier: 'The sons of Asher: Imnah and Ishvah and Ishvi and Beriah and their sister Serah' (Genesis 46:17)" To warn about the disparagement of grace in this Torah Club lesson is the proper focus. That's one of the most dangerous ideas that FFOZ has ever put forth (tough competition there). So, why am I also highlighting this odd embrace of Jewish folklore as the means of interpreting Genesis 46:17, Numbers 26:46, and 1 Chronicles 7:30? The answer is simple enough: poor hermeneutical methods result in foolish teachings, or worse. Why is FFOZ telling Torah Club members that the Serah in Jacob's day was still alive during King David's reign? Jewish folklore says so.  Lesson 41, page 10: "At the very least, she must have had longevity comparable to that of the earliest generations recorded in the Bible. Jewish folklore depicts her...According to one legend, she lived into the days of King David, and it was she who saved the inhabitants of Abel from the king's wrath. You certainly don't need to take that literally or believe it all, but, for the record, there really was..." I've seen this type of caveat many times in FFOZ materials. A bold claim is made that is pulled from extra-biblical literature, the lesson says "you don't have to believe it," and then the lesson moves ahead with that bold claim assumed as fact. The "but, for the record" reveals where the heart of the author of this chapter lies. In case you are wondering, there are plenty of names in the Bible that occur a few times over spans of generations. To assume that it is the same human being who is still alive solely on the basis of the name is NOT a normal exegetical conclusion. If the interpretation is just a folktale, and whether Serah lived the normal spans of years or 600 doesn't have any real theological significance, why should we care? We should care because FFOZ is using these extra-biblical sources to interpret holy scripture. The other times they use this method are much more consequential. It is part of a dangerous pattern of treating God's Word as if it is putty to be molded and shaped as needed. Do other teachers and ministries also selectively utilize and interpret God's Word to suit their viewpoint? Absolutely, it is sadly far too common. "What about..." is no excuse. All who treat God's Word in this manner should be held accountable. In the end, Lesson #41 of the Beginning of Wisdom is yet another reminder of why no follower of Jesus Christ ought to entrust his or her discipleship to FFOZ. |
In the video I break down each of the 15 statements, paying particular attention to the most dangerous (unbiblical) ideas and pointing out one big omission.
This new teaching, 2025, from FFOZ is a bold new heresy, one utterly rejected by every N.T. author. In a nutshell, FFOZ is now teaching that the "radial" geography of the tabernacle/temple is eternal. Thus, they teach that gentile followers of Jesus are eternally 4th class citizens of the kingdom of heaven (behind the priest/Levites, Jewish men, and Jewish women) in accordance with the physical layout of the Temple. There are also two statements that hint toward the conclusion that because the Jewish people are eternally the "people of God," with permanent status of closer access, they don't need to accept Jesus as Savior.
If you're new to my blog, or my YouTube channel, note that all of my research has been primary source. I don't write about what people say about what FFOZ says, I write about what FFOZ teaches in their own publications, the things they choose to publish and profit from. You may not agree with all of my conclusions, that's ok, they come from an Evangelical Baptist perspective, I wouldn't expect them to be universally understood and embraced. If my thoughts get in the way, look at the direct quotes, I flood my posts and videos with them. I believe in the priesthood of all believers, and I believe that the Holy Spirit is more than capable of guiding each follower of Jesus Christ into Truth. Weigh what FFOZ is saying against the Word of God for that is the ultimate judge, not me. I am doing my best to apply God's Word to these weighty matters, if I fall short God's Word will not.
Paul interrupts his own thought about being a prisoner of Christ Jesus to reflect upon the journey that brought him to the place of being the Apostle to the Gentiles. That act of God's grace was part of the revelation of the mystery of Christ: God's plan to include the Gentiles in his covenant people by calling all men equally to repent and believe in Jesus.
The Apostle Paul offers us hope with a well placed "But." Immediately after proclaiming that humanity is spiritually "dead" Paul continues by telling us that God didn't leave us in that woeful state, but did something about it "because of his great love for us." Love was the answer to humanity's turmoil, God's love. God worked with mercy to provide salvation through Jesus Christ.
The diagnosis is terminal. The patient will not survive. That's what the Apostle Paul wants us to understand in the verses prior to his great ode to salvation by grace through faith in Ephesians 2:8-9. He demonstrates the seriousness of humanity's plight by calling those who are Lost apart from God "dead." They are physically alive, but spiritually dead. The grip of sin is tight upon them.
This is the state of humanity, individually and collectively, apart from our Creator. For this reason we need to be saved, we cannot save ourselves.
To everyone who follows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,
While we all
ought to enthusiastically support deep study of the Bible, including its Jewish
cultural and linguistic roots, all such study should occur within the framework
of a Church history-based orthodoxy, and an Apostolic understanding of the
Gospel. The First Fruits of Zion with
their Torah Clubs, are not an acceptable option.
Why are groups
associated with the Hebrew Roots Movement, like the First Fruits of Zion
dangerous? Ample documentation* has demonstrated
from primary sources, in their own words, that the First Fruits of Zion
organization, and the Torah Clubs materials they publish, are replete with the
following theological errors and/or heresies:
1. A
non-Trinitarian view of God in the forms of two ancient heresies rejected by
the Early Church: Modalism and Subordinationism. Through these heresies, they deny full
personhood and/or full deity to Jesus Christ.
2.
A
foundationally flawed hermeneutic {including the use of paraphrases, “my
translation,” out-of-context quotations, and word substitutions resulting in
more palatable texts} for interpreting scripture that proclaims that all
relevant passages have been wrongly understood throughout Church History, and
in fact mean nearly the opposite of what the Church has nearly universally
taught.
3.
A
consistent hostility toward the Church which is seen as the ‘mission field’ in
need of correction to bring it back to its supposed roots as a Torah observant
movement within Judaism. They teach the
Church should never have existed.
4.
That
the books of Moses, the Torah, are more fully the words of God than other
portions of holy scripture, making them the lens through which all scripture
must be interpreted. Even Jesus Christ,
the eternal Word of God, has no authority to establish anything beyond the
Mosaic Law.
5.
That
Jesus did not fulfill the Mosaic Law, rather it is still operative and
normative for all of God’s people, Jews and Gentiles alike. That it was designed by God to be the only
rubric for holy living for all peoples, in all places, and at all times.
6.
That
there is no covenant with the Gentiles, thus all followers of Jesus Christ who
accept the Gospel must be grafted into Israel by ‘becoming a Jew’ in spirit
through Torah observance.
7.
That
on this basis true Christian discipleship requires the keeping of the Mosaic
Law, including the dietary (kosher), Sabbath, and festival provisions, which is
how Christians demonstrate their love of God as these have been redefined by
FFOZ as the true “fruit of the Spirit.”
If the tree
is diseased, so will its fruit be. Christians have already been warned against
the use of bible study materials produced by the Watchtower Tract Society (JW)
or LDS (Mormon) organizations, and would not use them even if locally 100% of
the parent organization’s theology was not being adopted. The risk that heretical teachings would gain
a foothold is simply too great. The same
danger exists when using materials published by FFOZ. If the desire is to learn about Judaism or
from Messianic Judaism, a host of materials from an orthodox point-of-view are
available for Christians to utilize. To
use that which comes from the FFOZ is an unnecessary risk, in addition,
purchases support an organization whose stated goals would harm the Church and
warp the Gospel.
In the end,
while protesting that they do not offer a works-based salvation, and claiming
that faith in Jesus is sufficient, this movement is built upon and structured
around the claim that all faithful Christians will begin observing the Law of
Moses once they become followers of Jesus, that faithful Christians will, in
essence, live like Jews. They may not outright
claim the Law of Moses as the gatekeeper to salvation and Christian
discipleship, but when you make it the gauge of genuine faithfulness you are
adding it to the Gospel message, casting dispersion upon the faith of 99% of
the world’s Christians, both past and present, and spreading doubt and division
within the Church. This movement is no
benign appreciation of the scriptures, but rather an aggressively proselytizing
misappropriation of them contrary to the established teachings of Orthodox,
Catholic, Protestant Churches, and Messianic Jewish congregations, alike.
Given this,
it is necessary to warn individual Christians and congregations against
participation in these groups, and call upon those who do so now, and
especially those who are promoting them, to repent and return to the faith our
ancestors rejoiced in as, “you are not under the law, but under grace.”
(Romans 6:12)
* For documentation, see the page on this blog with the same title.
One of the things that the First Fruits of Zion (HRM), Christian Fundamentalists (KJV Only zealots), and Latter-Day movements (JW, LDS, etc.) have in common is the belief that they alone have the Truth with respect to Jesus Christ.
But what are the implications of such a belief? What does it say about God if 99% of those who have ever put their hope in Jesus Christ were actually in fundamental error?
The answer is that in their view God is weak, a failure.
But that's not what the Word of God proclaims.
When you are someone as important to history as Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited Messiah, curiosity about your ancestry is only natural. Matthew begins his Gospel by addressing this desire and does so in unexpected and interesting ways: (1) He starts with the titles of "Messiah," "son of David," and "son of Abraham." Each of these carries weight and adds to the claims about Jesus that Matthew's Gospel will be making. (2) The inclusion of four mothers with strong Gentile connections in a list that otherwise only contains fathers. In so doing Matthew points toward God's concern for the whole world as well as his willingness to utilize people who would otherwise be overlooked, two key themes in the Gospel narratives. (3) Matthew leaves in the list (while some have been left out to form thy symbolic 14,14,14 symmetry) men both good and bad, heroes and villains, making what Jesus will prove himself to be even more remarkable.
Today many of my friends and collogues in ministry are sharing wonderful stories of their many interactions over the decades with American Baptist pastor, scholar, and advocate Tony Campolo. As most of you know, I didn't grow up in Pennsylvania, nor in an American Baptist Church. Tony's name was not one that I ever heard discussed, in fact I knew little about him until he was invited to speak at First Baptist Church of Linesville (in our French Creek Association) for the Spring Gathering of 2013. Being new to NW PA and the kind of fellowship that associational events and relationships can offer, I had every intention of attending. I'll share the text from my 2013 post on the evening next, but after that make sure you read the next portion because there was a lot more to that story that I didn't share back then.
From 2013: This past spring our regional Baptist association invited Tony Campolo to speak at our annual gathering. The suggested topic for Tony was the problem of complacency among Christians (in other words, what do we do to get people on fire for serving God?). Prior to going to the event, I received a letter written by one of the pastors of our association and signed by all of his board members that condemned the invitation of Tony and warned us that his teachings were dangerous. The letter included snippets of quotes from a variety of Professor Campolo's books, many of which seemed to be out of context. As a former English teacher, seeing quotes taken out of context sends up a huge red flag to me. I went to the meeting, having heard good things about Tony's presentations from my friends, Pastor Jeff Little (First UMC) and Mother Holly (St. John's Episcopal).
What type of message would we hear? Would the Gospel be clear or lost in the social efforts that Tony's critics accuse him of replacing it with?
It is amazing what you can learn when you give someone the chance to share what is on their heart. Throughout his presentation, Tony Campolo gave a heart stirring call to the Church to truly be the servants of Jesus Christ that we have been called to be. The Evangelical nature of his message was beyond doubt, there at the heart of everything he was preaching was the need for each man, woman, and child to find a relationship with God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to turn that relationship into a life-altering experience of righteous living. What more could any believer in the fundamentals of the faith want?
The hype, fodder for television commentators and blog posts, was entirely overblown. The venom directed at Tony from his critics was a farce. If this man's commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not genuine, then nobody who publicly declares their faith in Christ can be trusted. If this man's passion for the Lost is not acceptable to you, then your problem is with the call of Jesus to champion the poor.
Which brings me to his book, Speaking My Mind, which I finished reading today. I won't claim that everything in the book made me happy, nor am I in agreement with all of it, I will however confirm that the passion for the Gospel I found while listening to Tony last spring is part and parcel of his written works as well. Are there things in the book that will cause some Christians to write Tony off as a liberal? Yes. Are there things in the book that those same Christians need to hear because they echo the words of the Gospel? Yes. Do yourself a favor, read the book, think about it, weigh what it says by the scale of Scripture, and then decide what God would have you do about poverty, nationalism, homosexuality, environmentalism, politics, etc.
If you close your mind, you won't be listening to God either. If you truly are committed to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, don't you owe it to God to admit when you are in error? Speaking My Mind may not have all the answers, but at least Tony Campolo was brave enough to ask the questions.
Listening to Tony Campolo in-person certainly put to bed any hesitation to think of him as a positive force for the Church today. He was that and then some. There are two other aspects of that story I'd like to share now in his memory. The first is that I went to the gathering at Linesville with Arlene Harrington. Those from my church remember Arlene fondly, she was the widow of our long-time pastor, John Harrington who served my church for twenty years from 1964-1983. After his passing she moved back to Franklin and rejoined the church where they had spent so many years together. Arlene was a pistol. When I arrived here she told me, "Let me know if you have any trouble with anyone, I lived in that parsonage before you did, I'll handle it." Thankfully, I never had to take Arlene up on her offer, but I appreciate her passion for protecting me as her pastor. We had a wonderful conversation on the drive there about how she used to go to French Creek Association gatherings as a child in her parents' model-T. On our way home after hearing Tony's message we were in the middle of another conversation when I pulled the car over and told Arlene, "I need to go back." She graciously allowed me to follow what my conscience was saying to me, fifteen minutes later we reentered the church to find Tony still talking with the people that remained.
What made me turn the car around? During his message Tony had offered up supporting Compassion International as one way in which those attending could make a difference for the Kingdom in this world. He encouraged us to sponsor a child, holding up pictures of several to inspire us further. I hadn't responded. The reason was simple, my wife and I were still massively in-debt from the decade of multiple part-time jobs that I had struggled through in Michigan before we moved here. The math just didn't work, that's what my mind told me. We were living without much fluff, I couldn't justify $30 per-month, I just didn't have it to spare. But God spoke to me as I drove away from the church, it wasn't an audible voice, but it was real, it was a gut-check moment, and I responded to it.
I told Tony this when there was a break in his conversation with the others who remained, and took one of his cards. I don't remember the words we exchanged 11 years ago, I just remember the impact that his passion for those in need had on my heart.
There is an epilogue to this story. My wife Nicole told me she was pregnant in the Fall of 2014. As previously mentioned, we were still trying to claw our way out of debt, perhaps 50% of my paycheck went to that cause each month. I knew we'd have to tighten our belts even further, and that's what we did. I didn't want to, but I called Compassion International, told them what we were facing, and let our then 18-month-old sponsorship lapse...Fast forward to 2019. We had finally put our debt in the past, our beautiful daughter Clara was 4 years old, it was time to find a way to sponsor another Compassion International child.
That's Sonite. She's the child that my daughter chose to sponsor. I showed Clara pictures of a dozen or so girls born on the same day that she was, and she chose this precious child from Haiti. Clara and Sonite exchange letters, our small connection to her life circumstances teaches my daughter valuable lessons about how blessed we are in life and our obligation to share some of that blessing with the many in our world who are much less fortunate. It is one of the ways that we're trying to mold Clara into the kind of kid whose heart and mind beats like that of Tony Campolo.
"Well done good and faithful servant."
I'm the author of the Pastoral Letter to the Cornerstone University Board of Trustees. I'll put that right up front. I've learned a lot about the leadership of Dr. Moreno-Riaño, and it saddens and disturbs me greatly. That being said, this interview that he gave paints him as the victim, as someone unjustly opposed because he is doing God's will. It also portrays the God-honoring men and women who opposed him, most of whom were fired or driven out, as "dross" that needed to be "refined" from the University. This is both inaccurate (untrue) and highly dangerous. It is unacceptable.
In this video I react to the statements of Cornerstone's President, I do so based on both biblical truths about leadership and character, and based upon the testimony of those who have been hurt by the administration.
Pastoral Letter to the Cornerstone University Board of Trustees - Word version in Google Docs
*This letter, with signatures, will be sent to each member of the Board of Trustees after the 1st of December, 2024.*
To the board and administration of Cornerstone University,
This letter is written on behalf of the undersigned alumni who have been called to serve in the role of pastoral leadership within the Body of Christ.
We write to express deep concern, as shepherds of the sheep, about the conduct of Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño as President, the approval of this conduct by the board of trustees, and the transformative vision that has been set forth for the future of Cornerstone University as first and foremost a market-driven career preparation institution with an identity defined by a political agenda. We believe that on its current course, many pastors like us, and parents, will be unable to in good conscience recommend Cornerstone University.
Our experience at Cornerstone (and/or GRTS/CTS) involved much more than gaining knowledge and marketable skills that would enable us to have a successful career. We learned these things, certainly, but they were not the heart of our experience. We were not taught what to think from a singular viewpoint, but how to think critically and biblically in ways that would fortify us for the challenges of ministry. We treasured as mentors and friends the professors and staff that were a part of our faith journey. These God-honoring men and women were one of the primary reasons why Cornerstone was a valuable partner to the Church in furthering the gospel.
Our love for this institution and what it has meant to our lives and ministry has led us to react with sorrow and concern to the numerous credible reports of fundamental changes to the university and seminary, and the conduct of its leadership in effecting these changes. These changes, and how they were made, do not reflect well upon the institution of higher Christian education that we once knew, or upon the reputation of the gospel.
Our concerns are centered around the following areas:
1. Toxic leadership that has manifested itself in repeated examples of the treatment of professors and staff in ways that are unworthy of an organization acting in the name of Jesus Christ. This includes, but is not limited to, demands for unquestioning loyalty, intimidation of staff and faculty as well as ignoring their concerns, the purging of voices attempting to respectfully express differing viewpoints, and most recently, the abrupt revoking of the signed contracts of eight faithful faculty members, including nearly the entire Humanities Department and the seminary Dean.
2. A lack of honesty and transparency when communicating with Cornerstone’s employees, students, and alumni. This includes, but is not limited to, the financial status of the university, the way in which professors and staff were terminated, projects and initiatives that were abandoned, and policies that were changed without input from those affected by them.
3. The vision championed by Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño {As expressed in his 7/27/24 Fox News essay} that leans heavily upon more profitable asynchronous online instruction, cheaper adjunct professors, and the purposeful diminishment of the Humanities Department. We recognize that financial realities must be taken into account, but these realities cannot be the driving force behind what Cornerstone is and does. Quality instruction for all students in the humanities is essential to the development of a robust Christian Worldview and ethic. Without this instruction, Cornerstone University is losing one of the pillars of its character.
4. Significant steps in the direction of aligning the school with one political party and one cultural viewpoint, instead of the Kingdom of God. Politicizing the gospel, by bending it to the right or to the left, is a grave theological error that marginalizes true brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world whose faith and hope are in Jesus, but whose politics or culture may differ. Like the Church and all of its members, Cornerstone should seek first the Kingdom of God, not any transient human political agenda.
It is our hope that this letter will speak to the hearts and minds of board members, administrators, and Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, and lead to meaningful conversations with concerned students, staff, and alumni in the hopes that the future of Cornerstone University will remain firmly connected to the Christ-honoring qualities that have been its hallmark for generations.
Respectfully submitted in our effort to serve and support the Church and the gospel,
To sign the letter, click on this Google Form link: Signature Page for alumni pastors
To sign the letter if you are a non-pastor CU alum or any concerned CU-stakeholder (parents, non-CU pastors, prayer supporters, former staff, donors, etc.), click on this Google Form link: Signature Page for all other stakeholders
This is the video version of the work that was previously released in written form: Restoration by D. Thomas Lancaster (FFOZ): A review - This is "another gospel" built on a foundation of lies
I've taken the material from my previously published study {What does the New Testament say about the relationship of Jesus’ followers to 2nd Temple Judaism?} and turned it into a series of YouTube videos in order to make its 53 pages of argumentation more accessible to the public, and hopefully encourage further study of what God's Word actually says about this topic on the part of those who have been tempted to take up the yoke of the Law of Moses.
I'll admit off the bat, this section contains one of my pet peeves, "taking the Bible literally." In most cases, when someone talks or writes about taking the Bible literally it is a indication that he/she is about to do an awful job of interpreting the Bible. Why? Because the Bible's author's don't take the Bible "literally," and those who have learned to interpret the Bible according to its own ideas know that full well. Biblical authors write with a host of analogies, metaphors, similes, parables, as well as prophetic and apocalyptic language. What I think Lancaster is trying to say is that the people he is lambasting don't take the Bible "at face value" or "as authoritative." But I digress, the real issue with The Beginning of Wisdom lesson 20 is that here Lancaster reveals his contempt both for the modern Church and for modern Judaism. This is yet more evidence that FFOZ is trying to carve out their own unique (and new) niche in a space that is neither Christianity nor Judaism but some amalgam of both that is unrecognizable to either.
This is not the first time that I've demonstrated the animosity of FFOZ's leadership to both the Church and Judaism, but it is a reminder that the canard that their intention is to help followers of Jesus witness to Jews rings hollow when they choose to display this level of contempt to both Christianity and Judaism, and teach it to their followers.
Let's look at the specific claims to see if they hold any water or are in fact more straw men.
"Rather than teaching the Bible's wisdom, churches prefer to teach creeds and sacraments construed from elaborate theologies that are only loosely based on cherry-picked collections of Bible verses. They don't know the Torah or understand it."
Now, when the Church is in error, both historically and today, it has earned honest criticism. This isn't that, I'll give FFOZ credit for writing against things like "Christian" Nationalism (as I have done many times) and other such perversions of the scriptures, but that's not at all the focus of Lancaster's ire here. It isn't the materialism and greed of the Prosperity Gospel or the charlatans in the New Apostolic Reformation that he's aiming at, but the ordinary churches that are going about the business of sharing the Gospel they inherited and making disciples. FFOZ, through Lancaster's Torah Club materials, is teaching its followers that the whole Church is adrift and in error, not because of sin or a lack of the Fruit of the Spirit, but because they are not teaching obedience to the Torah. It doesn't matter that the vast majority of the Church is solidly trinitarian, while FFOZ is not, in Lancaster's telling the thing that makes the Church hopelessly lost is a failure to place the yoke of the Law of Moses upon those who have faith in Jesus.
Perhaps that feels like too much of a conclusion based on this one lesson, and it would be if this was all we had from FFOZ on the topic, but as my seminar and writings have demonstrated, this theme runs through the entirety of their work because they've elevated Torah to an idolatrous level making it the very nature of God, and thus eternally unchangeable (even non-expandable, non-updatable), even by Jesus himself.
Should the Church be doing a better job of teaching the, "whole counsel of God"? Absolutely. We need to be open to God's direction and correction to overcome our blind spots and the sins we tolerate. Is our answer to cling to the Law of Moses as if it has the answers? Not at all.
"Liberal synagogues steer their flocks away from taking the Bible literally, preferring to offer popular social platitudes instead of the unpopular mandates of the Torah's laws. In academic circles, men and women who make careers out of studying the Bible rarely believe the words they are studying."
I've spent my whole life within Christianity and the Church, so I won't hazard to speak about the integrity of either the liberal or orthodox branches of Judaism in the world today, but it appears that Lancaster has no such qualms about ripping into both. As the example at the end of this post demonstrates, FFOZ's leaders have equal contempt for Messianic Judaism as well. Who is left? Who is it that is interpreting the Word of God aright and doing God's will in this world? Ah, that's right, FFOZ and the HRM, and nobody else.
As I've written about Fundamentalist Christians who think only those who believe exactly as they do are acceptable to God: If 99.9% of those who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are still lost in sin and heading to hell, according to your own view, how pathetic is the Gospel that you're proclaiming and how weak is the Holy Spirit that you're talking about? We believe that Jesus Christ overcame Sin and Death, and yet your thesis is that only you know the true Gospel, that God was incapable of implanting it correctly in anyone else?? The hubris is stupefying.
Here is that hubris in action from Boaz Michael's own mouth, "Your efforts as Torah Club leaders and students is a direct, and in my opinion, fulfillment of these words of our master. The reconciliation of Israel and the restoration of the world are in God’s hands, but the mission is in yours." (Michael, Boaz, Malchut Conference 2022, session #5, "Then the End Will Come")
I have seen Torah Club supporters over and over criticize the Church for following the "teachings of men." The irony is incredible, they're risking everything on the belief that Boaz Michael, Daniel Lancaster, and the rest are true prophets in sole possession of the key to God's Word. That's an awful lot of faith in men.
For other examples of how they view Christianity, Messianic Judaism, and their own self-aggrandized role in God's will:
An example of of Boaz Michael espousing an antisemitic trope (that they only care about money) at Messianic Judaism: By espousing these premises, Messianic Judaism has maintained a convenient niche right next to the evangelical Christian church. Since they are not teaching that the Torah is the biblically prescribed way of life for all peoples and nations who call upon the name of the God of Israel, they can conveniently co-exist in cooperation with the Church’s anti-Torah theological assumptions. They can receive financial support, utilize their buildings, speak at their conferences… – (Michael, Boaz, “Encounters with an Ephraimite: Identity through a Lost Heritage”, p. 8)
An example of Boaz Michael claiming Messianic Judaism falls short of God's will (something he believes that his organization is fulfilling in their place): The matrix of the Messianic Jewish Movement simply is not big enough for the restoration that God is doing in the Body of Messiah. The Hebrew Roots movement has outgrown Messianic Judaism. - (Michael, Boaz, “Encounters with an Ephraimite: Identity through a Lost Heritage”, p. 11)
An example of Boaz Michael claiming that his movement alone has the Truth of the Gospel, unknown before this generation: So, the responsibility of this message falls on us, a small minority of God‘s people who’ve come to an understanding of the gospel of the kingdom and whose lives are being transformed by the undiluted power of Yeshua’s message. And we’re called to take this gospel message to the kingdoms: 'Repent for the kingdom of God is it at hand.' And this prophetic movement has only become possible in our generation. It’s our responsibility. (Michael, Boaz, Malchut Conference 2022, session #5, "Then the End Will Come")
An Example of Daniel Lancaster saying that FFOZ's followers are the only true disciples of Jesus ready to face the End Times: "Until then, however, there’s a small remnant, right. It’s a pretty small remnant of the kingdom on earth. There’s a few of us. There’s a few of us clinging to the Commandments in the testimony of Yeshua as it says in the Book of Revelation." (Lancaster, Daniel, Malchut Conference 2022, session #9, "Band of Survivors")
John 19:10-11 New International Version
10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
When I was a kid, maybe around 10-12 or so, I used to play a game involving army men and my neighbor Eric Blum's sandbox. Eric and I would build sand fortifications, tunnels, and hideouts on our own half of the sandbox and then strategically hide our dozen or so army men throughout these prepared positions. At this point, we would take turns tossing a heavy, to us at least, rock at each others' side until one or the other of us had no army men left that had not been smashed by a rock or buried in their sand fort. I'm not sure which one of us came up with this game, it was akin to Battleship in that the best way to win was to cunningly hide a guy or two where your opponent wouldn't think to toss a rock, but it entertained us for a few summers in between games of tag, dodge ball, and Little League.
The point of this stroll down memory lane? We were as far from real power playing in the sandbox as Pontius Pilate was thinking he had real authority over Jesus. Now, in the real world real tyrants like Pilate hurt real people, but those tyrants' power compared to the authority of Almighty God is no greater than kids pretending to lob artillery at plastic soldiers. It may impress a child, but adults should know better. The point is not to minimize the harm that evil people can do when they posses this comparatively limited power here on earth, after all God was concerned enough about these things to send prophets to oppose such abuses, but rather to remind us that all such power here on earth is delegated, transitory, and ultimately feeble in comparison to that of him who will judge the living and the dead.
The connection to 'Christian' Nationalism is obvious. Why are 'Christian' Nationalists willing to compromise their ethics to grasp after power that is, at best, only limited and temporary? In reality, those who follow Jesus have much higher, much more noble, and certainly more lasting power to aim at and utilize: The Gospel.
The power of God in the Gospel will save souls, transform hearts and minds, and set lives on the course of righteousness. Only a fool would trade this power for the ability to rule over other people in this life.
In the benediction to his letter to the church at Rome, the Apostle Paul reminds his readers of God's marvelous Gospel, of the grace given in this generation through the coming of Jesus Christ who brought salvation to all the people of the world by faith.
