Author: Michelle Van Loon
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Lifeway’s Survey About Jewish Evangelism
At the recent National Religious Broadcasters convention, Lifeway Research released a survey exploring the current state of Evangelical attitudes regarding Jewish evangelism. This is a topic that has been a lightning rod in the Church for a wide variety of reasons including but not limited to: the belief that God has an entirely different salvation scheme…
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Esther Speaks
Who doesn’t love the story of brave Esther, the young Jewish woman who worked in concert with her insightful uncle Mordecai to save her people from holocaust in ancient Babylon? The book of Esther is an example for me of what it looks like when exile becomes pilgrimage. Esther’s people had lost their homes and…
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Christian Conference Vs. The Local Church
“They’re back from another conference,” one of my former pastors said in a staff meeting, shaking his head in mock exhaustion. He didn’t need to explain who “they” were, or even what conference “they’d” attended. We knew he was referring to a clique of women who went as often as they could to conferences featuring…
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Hebrew Roots 101: Lois Tverberg’s “Rabbi Jesus” Books
As a Messianic Jew, I’ve been heartened by the interest I’ve seen among some lay people to connect with the Jewish foundations of their faith. Academics have access to scholarly works, and the tools to thoughtfully assess them, but there aren’t a lot of sound materials out there that can help connect a popular audience…
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Some Netflix Picks To Introduce You To Modern Israel
I’m often asked questions about Judaism by my Gentile friends. I count it an honor to help educate them about Jewish culture and history. I’m always happy to share the story of my own faith journey, as well as correcting misconceptions about what Jewish people may or may not believe about God. Recently, I’ve had…
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Wearied by Spiritual Warfare?
I once sat in a prayer meeting where a well-meaning woman prayed to cast out a demon named “The Spirit of Menopause”. Apparently, the afflicted woman was having a difficult time with hot flashes, and the pray-er diagnosed her as dealing with a case of spiritual warfare. My family and I spent many years in…