Landing Page for Yeshua?

An agnostic, a Muslim, 2 Hindus, a Jew, and a Christian walk into a bar are about to land on your blog. They’ve never heard of “Yeshua”, and the probably think of the Masons when they hear the term “Messianic”.

If you were to provide them with a link explaining who Yeshua is, and what this Messianic thing is about, where would you point them? Is there a good landing page for Yeshua the Jewish Messiah?

Here’s why I ask: Chavah, the best darn Messianic radio on the web, is about to get a wave of traffic. I’m writing an article about the Chavah software to be published on a popular software developer website. Once published, I expect Chavah will get several hundred to a few thousand hits from a diverse audience, mostly folks who’ve never heard of Yeshua, and whose exposure to religion consists primarily of napoleon trolls on internet forums.

With that in mind, the first thing that comes up when running Chavah is the Chavah logo:

I’d like something in there, perhaps the word “Yeshua”, to link to an explanation of who Yeshua is, and what the Messianic thing is.

I’m not fishing for sneaky conversion tactics – the point of the article is a description of how the software was built, it is not an evangelism effort. Instead, I’m looking for a page that explains for the curious who Yeshua is and who we are, and it’s gotta be in language that makes sense to normal, non-religious people. (Light on the Bible-ese, please!)

Any suggestions?

Some things we agree on

We’ve all seen the disagreements Messianics have on various issues – Torah, gentiles, Israel, you name it.

The theology battle has been played out and rehashed a thousand times over, as we regularly say nasty things about each other through blogs, comments, and forum posts. (Hooray for the anonymity granted by the internet! It transforms otherwise decent people into vicious peanut galleries.)

Disagreements aside, there are some things we can agree on. There are some fundamentals we don’t actually fight about on the internet. (Surprising, yeah?)

Whether an unaffiliated Messianic Jew like Gene Shlomovich, a Bilateral Ecclesiologist like Derek Leman, a One Law guy like Dan Benzvi, a Jewish Christian like Joe Weissman, a Two House guy like John McKee, or maybe a Jew for Jesus, a Messianic gentile, or just plain independent Messianic without formal association, there are some things we crazy Messianics do find common ground on – oh yes! –  praise God.

We agree that…

• Yeshua is Israel’s Messiah.
  
  
• The Torah is a basic moral guide for all of God’s people, and lays the foundation for all of Scripture.
  
  
• The Torah has different rules for different people. Women, farmers, Levites, foreigners, for example, all have different commandments applying to them.
  
  
• The Torah was given to Israel.
  
  
• When Messiah comes, gentiles will take on more Torah, including commandments traditionally reserved for Jews. Keeping the Feasts, shabbat, and even serving as Levites in the Temple, for example.
  
  
• The Jewish people have an irrevocable calling and purpose in God’s great plan, and that purpose is distinct from that of the nations.
  
  
• Gentiles in Messiah are part of the commonwealth of Israel.
  
  
• Gentiles do not need to become Jews to be saved or accepted in God’s sight.
  
  
• Jews do not need to become gentiles to be saved or accepted in God’s sight.
  
  
• A person is not saved through keeping the Torah alone.
  
  
• The Messianic movement is one in which God is restoring the people of Israel.
  
  
• The Tenakh and the Brit Chadasha (“New Testament”) are writings by men inspired by God’s spirit. They are basic, trustworthy guides to living a Godly life.
  

Those are pretty important issues, folks, and correct me if I’m wrong, but the various factions within the broad Messianic movement actually find common ground on these cruces.

Do we Messianics actually agree on these things, fine and diverse Kineti blog readers?

Weekly Bracha 31

This week in the Messianic blogosphere, plus related items from the Jewish world.

• Paul’s “Rule in All the Churches” and Torah-Defined Ecclesiological Variegation (PDF) – Messianic Jewish scholar David Rudolph has published a paper on 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, which suggests Jews should remain Jews, and gentiles should remain gentiles. Interesting read. Additional discussion and Q&A with David Rudolph in the comments here.
• Do You Really Want Moshiach? – DovBear wonders whether we really want Messiah to come, suggesting living under the Torah is not as cool as it might sound. Plus, if Messiah’s not [your sect of Judaism], you’re screwed:

  If you're like most Jews you sort of unreflectively expect that the messianic era means your sect will dominate, but how can you be sure? Perhaps the King Moshiach will be a reform Jew. Perhaps he'll argue that all the familiar and cherished rabbinic pieties we've accumulated over the last 2000 years are invalid, or no longer needed. Will the Orthodox stand for that? And even if he's Orthodox, he might not be your kind of Orthodox. What if he's a Litvak? Will the Hasidic rebbes resign their authority, and recognize his? Unlikely. And what if he's Satmar? Would Lubovitch stick around for a Satmar king? No chance.

• Torah of Messiah - is it different? – Efrayim examines the Law of Christ, and where it differs from the Law of God, the Torah.
• World Cup Transfiguration:

  

  

• Comparisons – Amusing: James Pyles starts reading the controversial book Post-Missionary Messianic Judaism, and is pleasantly surprised that its author, Mark Kinzer, is nothing like the hostile crowd that James has interacted with online.
• Israel’s New Iron Dome – In a bit of Israel news, the tiny Jewish state has a new hi-tech system utilizing cameras and radars to shoot down incoming rockets within seconds of launch. The project was paid for by the US and Israel, both contributing over $200 million towards completion of the system.
• Siddur Containing Isaiah 53-as-Messiah – The Rosh Pina bloggers have been discussing Isaiah 53 with anti-missionaries as of late. The anti-missionaries claim Isaiah 53 is not about Messiah, but rather about Israel. Now, Gev discovers a Jewish siddur which, in the prayers for Yom Kippur, also interpret Isaiah’s suffering servant as Messiah:

  The Moshiach our righteousness has turned from us (meaning, He once had been here, but now has departed from us). We are alarmed, we have no one to justify us. Our sins and the yoke of our transgressions He bore. He was bruised for our iniquities. He carried on His shoulders our sins. With His stripes we are healed. Almighty G-d, hasten the day that might come to us anew: that we may hear from Mt. Lebanon a second time through the Moshiach, who is called Yenon.

• Forked – As a gentile married to a Jew, James lists pros and cons, as he sees it, with Messianic, Church, and synagogue.
• Jewish Groups Hail Presbyterian Outcome – After a group within the Presbyterian leadership sought bring the church to an official condemnation of Israel, level heads prevailed. My question is, how long will this last before being overturned?

  
  
  J-BOMers: Jewish Book of the Month

• Smooth Cookies - As a Driven Leaf – Commentary on June’s selection.
• Let Your Yes be Yes – Yahnatan draws parallels between a statement from July’s selection, The Promise, and a statement from Yeshua in the gospels.

  
  
  Podcasts

• Isaiah 53 and the Salvation of the Jewish People – Michael Brown touches on a subject of great debate in the Jewish-Christian community.