The Hebrew Roots Movement: Analysis by Pastor Randy Powell of the survey conducted by Ben Frostad

 

 

This material was previously published as a simple blog post, now I've recorded it as a YouTube video.

The following analysis is taken from a thesis written by Ben Frostad, by his own account an ardent follower of the Hebrew Roots Movement (or, as he chooses to call it, the Messianic Torah Movement). It was written as a graduation requirement for the Torah Resource Institute (A One Law organization), and was sponsored by Tim Hegg, who until 2009 held a leadership role with the First Fruits of Zion. In other words, this paper and the survey it contains were created by, and overseen by, true believers in the Hebrew Roots Movement on behalf of an organization promoting those beliefs. This is thus NOT the supposition of critics of this movement (which I admit to being in my defense of orthodoxy), but the views of those from within the movement as portrayed by someone within the movement.

Sermon Video: God's plan: A Flood and a Covenant, Genesis 6:14-22

God shares his plan with Noah, giving him instructions on how to survive the Flood that is coming and entrusting him with the care of the animals that are also to be spared.  In that process, God promises to Noah that he will establish a covenant with him, further deepening their already existing relationship.

In the end, Noah did what God commanded.  The narrative never tells us what Noah thought about any of this, we simply learn that he obeyed.

Sermon Video: God's Wrath and Noah's Righteousness - Genesis 6:7-13

 

As the Flood narrative begins, God expresses his intention to pour out his wrath on the human population which had embraced evil, especially violence.  At the same time, we note that Noah is different, his life is characterized by righteousness and a deep relationship with God.  As this re-creation through the Flood unfolds, we will see Noah's faithfulness and note that the righteousness of even one person can change the course of history.

The Only Begotten Son - by Daniel Lancaster (FFOZ) - critical review and analysis (video version)

 To read the original post where I responded to this publication from Daniel Lancaster:

The boldly heretical anti-trinitarianism of Daniel Lancaster (One of the key leaders of the FFOZ and Torah Clubs) in his own words

Or the follow-up that explored what was edited out of the transcript:

The original audio version of Daniel Lancaster's Only Begotten Son is even more heretical.

The following 4 videos combine the information in those two posts in this more accessible format:

Only Begotten Son (part 1) by Daniel Lancaster (FFOZ) - A critical review from Pastor Randy Powell

Only Begotten Son (part 2) by Daniel Lancaster (FFOZ) - A critical review from Pastor Randy Powell

Only Begotten Son (part 3) by Daniel Lancaster (FFOZ) - A critical review from Pastor Randy Powell

Only Begotten Son (part 4) by Daniel Lancaster (FFOZ) - A critical review from Pastor Randy Powell

Sermon Video: God is deeply troubled by human evil - Genesis 6:1-6

Transitioning from the story of the line of Seth that came before it, and the story of Noah and the Flood that follows after, Genesis 6:1-4 is a passage with a wide variety of interpretations throughout its history.  That being said, it continues the story of Genesis 1-11 of God's work at creating order vs. humanity's ongoing introduction of chaos (through rebellion).

Starting in vs. 5, the chapter shifts its focus to God's observation that humanity has become, "evil all the time."  This, we are told, greatly grieves the heart of God, so much so that God regrets having created humanity in the first place.  This startling conclusion will set the stage for the judgment to come in Noah's day as it sets the God of Abraham apart from those deities worshiped in the Ancient Near East in that the LORD actually cares about humanity and evil, having created the former and being wholly apart from the latter.