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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exploring Intermarriage from a Biblical Perspective, July 16, 2003
This review is from: Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage: A Guide for Couples from Two Traditions (Paperback)
Intermarriage between Jewish people and Christians have been growing exponentially since the 1950's. The effects upon the worldwide Jewish community has been devastating, as most children born of these unions are not raised as Jews. Several books have been published over the past decade or so to address the unique needs of these couples, particularly negotiating the religious flavor of the home and how to raise the children. For the most part, the options presented to intermarried couples are of the "either-or" variety (either exclusively Judaism or Christianity), or nothing at all. Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage is the first book about intermarriage written from a Biblical perspective. Author David J. Rudolph, himself intermarried, explains intermarriages in the Bible and G-d's view of them, as opposed to the views of the Rabbis. Using first-person interviews with intermarried couples, he presents Messianic Judaism as a viable option for a way of integrating the two faiths, for the purpose of finding a spiritual home and raising children -- even when the Jewish partner does not believe in Yeshua. Throughout the book, Rudolph stresses the need for children to be raised with a Jewish identity, which Messianic Judaism fulfills. He does not emphasize that the Jewish parent must become Messianic in order to be a part of a Messianic community -- after all, Messianic synagogues are welcoming to intermarried couples. In fact, several of the Jewish intermarried people interviewed in the book are not Messianic, but are perfectly comfortable with the lifestyle and faith. Highly recommended for anyone who is intermarried or considering intermarriage. - ...
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solution offered for intermarriage issues, August 7, 2003
This review is from: Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage: A Guide for Couples from Two Traditions (Paperback)
Intermarried couples represent a large demographic in the Messianic Jewish community. Now, for the first time, there is a book that treats the subject with the attention it deserves. "Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage" is written by one of the finest young scholars in the movement. It gives a readable, engaging and comprehensive look at the issues surrounding intermarriage and focuses on the difficulties confronting intermarried couples and their families-difficulties such as parental relationships, holiday and lifecycle events and the identity of Yeshua and His role in the family. It also describes the problems of assimilation and the shrinking Jewish population. The book does not just look at the problem, however. It offers a solution-Messianic Judaism. Using detailed statistical data and personal interviews with intermarried couples, David Rudolph, himself intermarried, lays out a way for couples to navigate difficult waters successfully. Of Messianic Judaism, he says it "...is the best kept secret in the world of intermarriage. It is an approach that honors the faith traditions of both spouses, conveys Jewish identity to the next generation and makes it possible for intermarrieds and their children to worship together comfortably as a family." His solution is not a "strange alchemy" of Christianity and Judaism. Rather, it is a uniquely Messianic Jewish life for the whole family, especially the children. Rudolph has constructed some excellent appendices ranging from definitions of "Who is a Jew?" to the growth of acceptance of Messianic Jews by the wider Jewish world. He also quotes from an array of Jewish, Christian and Messianic sources to demonstrate the growing credibility of Messianic Jewish congregational life. For Christians and Jews who are intermarried or contemplating it, and for Messianic Jewish rabbis and congregational leaders who minister to these families, this book will prove to be an essential resource.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A HAPPY MEDIUM, January 25, 2004
This review is from: Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage: A Guide for Couples from Two Traditions (Paperback)
Insightful, helpful, interesting book for ideas on Jew/Christian interrmaried couples' spirituality. The concept seems to work well for most couples that try it.
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