"The Bridge Builder" Book Review and Giveaway

May there be no mistaking it. 

I am a born again, evangelical Christian who believes that God chose the children of Israel as His chosen people to showcase His might. I believe Jesus was fully God and fully human. The human side was Jewish and because the Jews rejected Him as Messiah, salvation was opened to the Gentiles. I also believe that the Church has NOT replaced the Jews in any way. 

I also want to make clear that I have long thought of the Jews with favor because I wish to line my heart up with God's.  And if God says, in Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." then my desire is to do just that. This makes me extremely Pro-Israel. I support Stephen Harper as Prime Minister of Canada for this very reason and believe that this is the sole reason Canada fared so well during the 2008 financial crisis.

Now to the actual review of the book. (You'll understand why I felt I needed to explain where I'm coming from in just a moment.)

"The Bridge Builder" by Zev Chafets is the biography of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. Truthfully, I hadn't heard of Rabbi Eckstein before and had no idea why he was of importance. As it turns out he's given his life to raising funds for the Jewish people to allow them to immigrate to Israel from places such as Russia, as well as a long list of social and welfare programs. Truthfully, that is putting it mildly. Eckstein has literally fundraised 100s of millions of dollars for the Jewish people. An astounding achievement by anyone's standards. For this I applaud him.

Then it breaks down.

As it turns out, most of the money comes from people like myself - born again Protestant Christians who also cling to the promise of Genesis 12:3. Awesome! To God be the Glory! But, as I've come to learn through this book, a lot of the time, they don't want our money because they see us as idol worshippers. Fair enough. I'm actually totally okay with that and see where they're coming from. But what irks me is the way Eckstein refers to Christians. He might think he loves them but when he talks about the number of Christians in the various countries and then says "This is too much potential to be ignored." I says to me, "I love Christians like a person loves the gold in the gold mine." Not flattering.

By itself, it's a small thing but when you add it to the number of times in the book he refers to how ardently against Christian Missionaries he is, I start to scratch my head. Let me tell you something, the more I love you, the more I feel the need to tell you about Jesus. Therefore, does it not lead to the conclusion that if Christians love Jews, they want to tell them about Jesus? Don't be offended by it, see it for what it is - loving concern. (I do understand that much that has happened to the Jews in the 'name of Christ' are nothing short of the devil's work but that's for another post)

Eckstein flatly admits he does not believe Jesus is the Messiah. He also says he didn't want Jews going to Christian worship services for fear they might convert. In other passages of this book, he admits to "to being drawn to Eastern spirituality" and says "In Jewish mysticism it (Shabbat) is associated with the Shekinah, a feminine name for God. 'The days of the week are masculine,' says Eckstein, 'The Shabbat is a queen."  What?  Again, if this is what he believes so be it. I rally for religious freedom. Just don't patronize me when you want me to write a check.

The book itself was not really worth reading in my opinion. It was a list of names, what they believed about Christian - Jewish relations, how Eckstein overcame it and the amount of money he raised. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I didn't find in inspiring in anyway.

At the end of the day, "The Bridge Builder" did nothing to garner my Christian support for the Jewish people. In fact, the exact opposite was accomplished. Actually it would be true except for one quote not from the book but from THE BOOK:

 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
 Matthew 5:44-46

I do not believe I'm to love the Jews more or less than others. I'm to love period.

Would you like a copy of "The Bridge Builder"? Perhaps you feel much differently than I do about the situation. If you'd like your name added to the draw for a free copy, leave a comment below. The Draw will be made on Aug 24th, 2015. Good Luck.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”