Description: As the Christian church moved from its inception in an Eastern/Oriental culture westward across Asia Minor (Turkey) into Greco-Roman culture with primarily a Western philosophy, theology, and values, Jesus' message and Paul's teachings began to be interpreted according to those cultural norms. While Paul kept calling his churches back to their Jewish roots and Eastern values, the Jewish voice was lost when the Jerusalem church dispersed as Israel fell during the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 AD. The temple was destroyed, its clergy silenced, and Judaism seemed irrelevant to the growing Christian church. The church had become primarily Gentile in theology and philosophy and its Hebrew foundation was largely forgotten and lost. In Beyond Christian Folk Religion, Beckstrom, brings the reader back to Jesus' roots (Romans 11:17-23) and to the core of Paul's message. Endorsements: In a style both engaging and conversational, Beyond Christian Folk Religion attempts to show us there is a lot more going on with the story of Jesus than we generally imagine. . . . Beckstrom admits his observations and interpretations may be new and shocking to some readers. But the goal of the work is to give us all a fuller, richer, and--Beckstrom would argue--truer picture of Jesus Christ. --Michael L. Rhyne, Pastor, Geeseytown-Newry Lutheran Parish In his thought-provoking new work, Ed Beckstrom maintains that the message of the early Christian movement has been profoundly redefined by the culture, values, and logic of the Hellenistic world. Drawing especially on late twentieth-century biblical studies and archeology, he encourages us to look behind Christian culture, of which we are inheritors, to the heart of the early church's proclamation of the crucified One. --H. Julian Gordy, Bishop, ELCA Southeastern Synod In this book you will meet the Jesus of the first century, a man whom many have never encountered. The Jesus Beckstrom reveals will be for most people a very odd and foreign man who looks nothing like the Jesus they presently know. He will provoke you and he will surprise you, but in the end he is the man who gave his life for the sake of the world. I recommend this book to anyone who is a follower of Jesus; you will be challenged and you will come away with a new understanding of our Lord Jesus who is the Messiah. --Randy Jones, Pastor, Messiah Lutheran Church About the Contributor(s): Edward A. Beckstrom is a retired minister and Air Force Chaplain. He is the author of Toward a Ministry of Families (1981) and King of the Jews: Jesus and the Messianic Age (2001). He has also authored numerous articles for the Pulpit Digest, Minister's Annual, and most recently the Biblical Theology Bulletin (2012).
