Page 6 - Attractive Deception - The False Hope of the Hebrew Roots Movement

Now, if the study of the Old Testament, and familiarity with all the words Yahweh has delivered to
mankind through Hebrew men, were in fact what was in focus when people speak of the Hebrew
roots of Christianity, I would be all for it. If adopting Hebrew roots meant no more than embracing
all 66 books of the Bible as divinely inspired and profitable for Christians, then I would be judged
as one of the most ardent proponents of Hebrew roots today. I have devoted major portions of my
books and writings to discerning the types, shadows, and various parables contained throughout the
Old Testament. I have sought wisdom in the historical accounts of patriarchs, kings, and prophets.
I have delved deeply into the types and shadows of the Law delivered to Israel through Moses. I was
even destined by God to bear the name Joseph, one of Israel’s twelve sons. Adding to the remarkable
nature of this last fact is the knowledge that my parents were not even Christians at the time of my
birth.

There is a growing faction among Christians at this hour called the Hebrew Roots Movement. Those
who are the main actors in this movement, those who serve as teachers to tens of thousands of men
and women across the world, intend much more when they speak of Christians returning to the
Hebrew roots of their Christian faith than the mere study of the Old Testament. Many are stating that
Gentile believers should conform themselves to the lives of their Jewish brethren. By this they mean
that the Gentile believer should become Torah observant, taking upon themselves the Law as
schoolmaster and guardian after the manner determined by Yahweh for the Hebrew people before
the time of their promised Messiah.

In speaking of returning to the Hebrew roots of Christianity, some are suggesting that the Gentile
believer should begin to study the Talmud and Midrash, giving equal or even greater weight to these
rabbinical interpretations of the Scriptures than they do to the Bible itself. Some are suggesting that
Gentile believers should keep the dietary laws, observe Sabbaths, new moons, and Feast days. They
are even leading the Gentile believers to embrace Jewish traditions that are extra-Biblical, such as
wearing the kippah and the tallit, reading the daily parashot and haftarot, observing non-Biblical
holidays such as Hanukkah, and adopting Jewish practice such as never writing out the name of
Yahweh, replacing it with “God,” and even when using this title to not spell it out, but rather to omit
the vowel as in “G_d.” People who are joining Hebrew Roots fellowships are adopting many Hebrew
words in place of English (or their native language), as if speaking, singing, or writing in Hebrew
is a sign of spirituality, bringing them closer to Christ and a return to authentic Christianity.

In adopting many of the traditions and symbols of Judaism, these Gentile Christians and Messianic