My Friend:  I have been researching a lot on Judaism and Christianity. Something that really bugs me now is the Statement of Faith that I read from the Messianic Bureau International (www.messianic.com). It seems to me that the Messianic Jews actually got it right. There might have been many elements of the pagan world that are incorporated into Christianity today.

Cody:  MBI is a rather small and obscure group that I don’t think is a fair representative of the larger Messianic Jewish population.  I have a friend that serves with Chosen People Ministries and can also recommend the folks from Jews for Jesus.  Try checking them out at http://www.chosenpeople.org and http://jewsforjesus.org .

     MBI, at first glance, seems a little radical and perhaps pharisaical for my taste.  Their list of “errors” of Christianity just sounds reactionary and paints all Christians with the same brush.  I’m sure you’ve seen the list, but let me respond to it below.  Basically, this is a list of the things MBI believes that Christians have erred in during the past 2,000 years.  For ease of reading, I’ll put the words of the Messianic Bureau International in ALL CAPS:

1.         ACCEPTED THE CHURCH COUNCILS AS DIVINE AUTHORITY

     I didn’t do that, did you?  Here’ s just the first example of painting all Christians with the same brush.  It is the legacy of the Reformation – which I as a Baptist follow – to affirm sola scriptura.  As helpful as the teaching ministry of the Church and historic councils may be, they are not divinely inspired and are, thus, susceptible to error.

2.       CHANGED SEVENTH DAY SABBATH TO SUNDAY; CHANGED PASSOVER TO GOOD FRIDAY; CHANGED FIRST FRUITS OF BARLEY (RESURRECTION DAY) TO THAT OF THE GODDESS EASTER (ISHTAR, ASTARTE, ASHEROT); CHANGED BIRTH OF MESSIAH FROM FEAST OF TABERNACLES TO THE PAGAN SOLSTICE (CHRISTMAS).

     I’ve already mentioned the Sabbath.  The Good Friday thing is all about Christ’s death and I wasn’t really around to weigh in on the date of Easter.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t worship Astarte on Easter, I worship Jesus Christ.  And what Biblical evidence is there that Christ was born on the Feast of Tabernacles? 

     I get these holiday arguments often from Jehovah’s Witnesses and others.  I find them kind of silly and laced with heavy doses of ignorance.  First is Scriptural ignorance.  We have freedom in Christ to honor Him any day we want to.  If I want to invent a new holiday tomorrow to celebrate the feeding of the 5000, I can (Rom. 14:5-6).  Next is anthropological ignorance.  Symbols change all the time and their “original” meaning can often be superseded by a new one.  The Lord Jesus himself did this with the Passover meal at the “Last Supper.”  If we were to analyze how much pagan symbolism is in the everyday life of MBI people or Jehovah’s Witnesses, it would be scary.  I mean do they ban the eating of Lucky Charms cereal?  Do they have bridesmaids at their weddings?  Wedding rings?  Do they use the word “God”?  Do they use the English names for days of the week in their conversations?  Where do they get off worshiping the one true God on Saturday, a day named after the pagan god Saturn?  I am adamantly for taking over pagan holidays and symbols and transforming them into things that honor Christ.  Someone may criticize me for decorating with a Christmas tree, claiming that it is an old pagan custom.  I respond, “It isn’t in my house.  In my house it is all about Jesus Christ and the death he died on a tree to give us everlasting life.”