Beyond Christian Folk Religion: Re-Grafting Into Our Roots (Romans 11:17-23)

Description: As the Christian church moved from its inception in an Eastern/Oriental culture westward across Asia Minor (Turkey) into Greco-Roman culture with primarily a Western philosophy theology and values Jesus message and Pauls teachings began to be interpreted according to those cultural norms. While Paul kept calling his churches back to their Jewish roots and Eastern values the Jewish voice was lost when the Jerusalem church dispersed as Israel fell during the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 AD. The temple was destroyed its clergy silenced and Judaism seemed irrelevant to the growing Christian church. The church had become primarily Gentile in theology and philosophy and its Hebrew foundation was largely forgotten and lost. In Beyond Christian Folk Religion Beckstrom brings the reader back to Jesus roots (Romans 11:17-23) and to the core of Pauls message. Endorsements: In a style both engaging and conversational Beyond Christian Folk Religion attempts to show us there is a lot more going on with the story of Jesus than we generally imagine. . . . Beckstrom admits his observations and interpretations may be new and shocking to some readers. But the goal of the work is to give us all a fuller richer and--Beckstrom would argue--truer picture of Jesus Christ. --Michael L. Rhyne Pastor Geeseytown-Newry Lutheran Parish In his thought-provoking new work Ed Beckstrom maintains that the message of the early Christian movement has been profoundly redefined by the culture values and logic of the Hellenistic world. Drawing especially on late twentieth-century biblical studies and archeology he encourages us to look behind Christian culture of which we are inheritors to the heart of the early churchs proclamation of the crucified One. --H. Julian Gordy Bishop ELCA Southeastern Synod In this book you will meet the Jesus of the first century a man whom many have never encountered. The Jesus Beckstrom reveals will be for most people a very odd and foreign man who looks nothing like the Jesus they presently know. He will provoke you and he will surprise you but in the end he is the man who gave his life for the sake of the world. I recommend this book to anyone who is a follower of Jesus; you will be challenged and you will come away with a new understanding of our Lord Jesus who is the Messiah. --Randy Jones Pastor Messiah Lutheran Church About the Contributor(s): Edward A. Beckstrom is a retired minister and Air Force Chaplain. He is the author of Toward a Ministry of Families (1981) and King of the Jews: Jesus and the Messianic Age (2001). He has also authored numerous articles for the Pulpit Digest Ministers Annual and most recently the Biblical Theology Bulletin (2012).