| Personal Reflections |
|
of Dr. John D. Garr |
I believe that among the great works which the Holy Spirit is bringing to pass in our generation are a revived commitment to the survival of the Jewish people and their religion and a revolutionary awakening of Christians of various communions to their heritage in biblical Judaism. This awareness is expanding in most, if not all, denominations of Christianity. It is a healthy sign of spiritual maturity when men are able to conquer their prejudices and traditions to recognize the roots from which their faith springs. And, it is a healthy sign of spiritual revival when such an awakening is taking place across denominational lines and throughout the world.
As we gain a clearer insight into the inherent Jewishness of the gospel, we also receive a greater appreciation and love for those ancient people, his kinsmen according to the flesh, who have suffered such atrocities because of their dedication to the God of the Bible and who have defied all the laws of history to be preserved as a people and testify to the immutability of the Eternal God. Restoration of Christianity's Hebrew foundations is an expansive effort which touches on every area of Christian life and worship. Many scholars throughout the world are researching various aspects of this idea, documenting the historical correlation of Judaism, the faith of the Old Testament, and Christianity, the faith of the New Testament.
It is my personal belief that such efforts as these will produce an appreciation for the Hebrew faith and will set the stage for the return of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, to establish a kingdom patterned after biblical Judaism. We know from the scriptures that Jesus will rule from Jerusalem, Israel, and that various aspects of the religious system that pleases God will be required during the time of that kingdom (Isaiah 66; Zechariah 14).
This is the reason for the formation of a new networking organization, Restoration Foundation. There are thousands of people throughout the world who share a common burden for Judaic restoration and the salvation of Israel. They are, however, fragmented and isolated, a fact which has kept their efforts minimized both in their own eyes and in the eyes of the world. It is time, however, for those whom God has given this burden to network together to share their burden, to share their ideas, and to share their resources in the overall interest of impacting the entire Christian church with this message of restoration.
For over thirty years, one of the major facets of my own intellectual and spiritual life has been an analysis of the Judaic heritage of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My early impetus for this abiding interest in Judaica as it relates to Christianity came from my education in the principles of divine immutability and the continuity of biblical religion from my mentor, the late Bishop Grady R. Kent. During these thirty years, I have studied and written extensively concerning various aspects of Judaeo-Christianity. This ministry of restoration has burned into my heart a vision to share the inherent Jewishness of the Christian faith with all believers throughout the world.
In 1992, interactive dialogue with many leaders in the restoration ministry convinced me of the need for a vehicle to facilitate the actualization of this ministry. I began to envision a networking organization that would bring together biblical scholars, church leaders, and other persons interested in Judaic restoration in a forum free of denominational or other agendas to do research and development into the restoration of the Judaic heritage of the Christian church and to devise means of marketing this concept to the Christian community. Thinking about this need over a period of time, I was inspired with the idea for Restoration Foundation.
Restoration Foundation is a non-profit research and development educational foundation. The vision of Restoration Foundation is to promote the restoration of the Christian church to its Judaic heritage. The purpose of Restoration Foundation is to promote Christianity's return to the faith of Abraham perfected and extended to the entire world through Jesus the Messiah by researching the historical and theological understanding of the Hebrew foundations of the gospel of Jesus Christ, developing the concept and its practical applications, and encouraging its implementation in the church.
Restoration Foundation, by virtue of its basic nature and intention, is non-denominational and functions entirely apart from any denominational agenda. This is not to say that Restoration Foundation is anti-denominational. Indeed, it is transdenominational, an educational resource to the entire body of Christ in all of its communions. The integrity of the foundation is protected from either direct or indirect denominational or organizational influence or manipulation. It seeks to bring together leaders in the field of Judaic restoration to pool their resources for research, development, and marketing of this important part of the prophetic restoration ministry.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that over forty percent of American Christians prefer not to be identified with any denomination. This represents a large constituency of believers that Restoration Foundation can enlist in support of such a worthy spiritual and intellectual cause as Judaic restoration. At the same time, however, a fair and non-threatening relationship with established denominations and existing power structures can enlist already organized support for the overarching goals of Restoration Foundation for bringing the Christian community to an understanding of its biblical heritage.
The first practic of Restoration Foundation is
the development and maintenance of a network of individuals, ministries, and organizations
that share a common interest in promoting Christianity's Judaic heritage. It is designed
to provide a vehicle for interfaith and inter-organizational fellowship, dialogue, and
cooperation. It establishes retreat forums to provide intense and interactive Bible study,
private and corporate prayer, personal interaction and fellowship, and think-tank sessions
that promote creative thinking, idea exchange, and concept testing among peers in a
non-threatening atmosphere free from hidden agendas and denominational/organizational
objectives. This forum has been and will continue to be one of the most important parts of
the Restoration Foundation agenda. It fulfills another of my longstanding ambitions to
bring leaders together in a spirit of true ecumenism. That is not just a spirit of unity
but a unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). It is an irrefutable biblical axiom that
"in the multitude of counsellors is safety" (Proverbs 24:6). When leaders come
together in mutual submission, they can function in a team relationship that is patterned
after the Judaic model that Jesus espoused among his disciples (Matthew 20:25). Team
management and servant leadership are the guiding principles for the oversight and
operation of Restoration Foundation.
Restoration Foundation also focuses on a very
vital aspect of Judaic restoration - the marketing of this concept to a Christian church
whose traditional Judaeophobia causes it to be biased against Judaism and the Jewish
people and to be predisposed not to receive this message. In this effort we focus the
attention of experienced scholars and ministers on the evaluation of terminology,
methodology, and attitudes for their effect on the potential acceptance by the church of
its inherent Jewishness. The foundation is careful that its language communicates truths
in a way that does not alienate those who have not yet gained an appreciation for their
Judaic heritage.
To assist scholars and researchers in the quest
for greater understanding of Judaism's influence on the origins of Christianity,
Restoration Foundation is creating and will maintain a resource center that makes
available to members, scholars, and Christian leaders books, periodical articles, and
audio-video presentations that analyze Christianity's Judaic heritage. There is simply a
wealth of material that has been developed by many researchers and authors on various
aspects of the interrelationship of Judaism and Christianity. It is important that these
resources be gathered and made available to leaders in the body of Christ.
Restoration Foundation promotes, organizes, and
produces seminars and other teaching forums for instruction in Judaism's legacy to the
Christian church. Many of its constituent members have their own teaching ministries, the
effect of which Restoration Foundation merely seeks to augment and promote. There is room
in the field of this ministry for many specialists, each of whom can make invaluable
contributions to the overall understanding of the Christian church and its constituent
congregations and ministries. Restoration Foundation promotes each of these worthy
ministries without influencing their individual structural integrity. While it may be
possible that some ministries will desire to work collaboratively and corporately within
the Restoration Foundation structure, the assimilation of other ministries is not its
designed purpose. It does not seek to control its members, nor does it attempt to
establish an orthodoxy. While the foundation maintains certain central theological
non-negotiables, it does not seek to establish orthodoxy in peripheral matters. Instead,
it promotes the Judaic concept of unity in diversity in contrast with the traditional
Christian concept of unity through uniformity which has produced nothing but division.
Development, production, and marketing of
materials for educating families in the Judaeo-Christian faith as it is confirmed in both
the Hebrew Scriptures and the Apostolic Writings are a featured and important part of
Restoration Foundation. Works that constituent members of the foundation are doing in this
area of ministry are promoted by the foundation. It is my personal opinion that the most
readily accessible channel for conveying the understanding of Christianity's Jewishness is
through emphasis of the family heritage of Judaism. When it is demonstrated that Judaic
principles strengthen the family, the millions of people who are hungry for restored
family relationships will be open to receive additional truths conceming the Judaic
heritage and Christian faith.
Through its Golden Key Publishers, Restoration
Foundation seeks to publish books and other materials and to produce audio and video
presentations of seminars and other instructional and promotional materials that
facilitate understanding of the interrelationship of Christianity and Judaism. Restoration
Foundation also publishes Restore! magazine, a high quality journal that is
helping Christians around the world recover the Hebrew foundations of their faith. The
name Restore! is an imperative to all believers in the Christian church, for
everyone must restore the Jewish roots of his/her faith. We believe that if restoration is
a sign of the coming of Jesus, then God's imperative to the church is, "Restore!"
Restore! presents theologically sound, methodologically practical teachings
on the church's Judaic heritage.
An important underlying work of Restoration
Foundation is its use of every means possible, including prayer, education, and promotion,
to eradicate Judaeophobia and anti-Semitism from the entire Christian church and from the
world at large. As the church comes to understand its rightful inheritance in biblical
Judaism, it will repent of its historical and traditional anti-Judaism and outright
anti-Semitism and will turn to the Jewish people with mercy, affirmation, and love for
Israel.
In aid of this effort Restoration Foundation
works to minister love, commitment, and assistance to the nation of Israel and to all
Jewish people. It seeks to create opportunities for interfaith dialogue with leaders of
Judaism throughout the world. It promotes the input of Judaism's rich heritage into the
Christian church by the spiritual leaders of the Jewish community. It also seeks to
communicate greater understanding to the Jewish community of the Christian belief in Jesus
as Messiah and Lord.
My vision for Restoration Foundation is admittedly expansive; however, I believe it is biblically based and serves a function that is demanded of prophecy. With the help of countless others who will want to enlist in such a biblical cause, I pray that Restoration Foundation will be empowered to take the message of Judaic restoration into the entire Christian community worldwide so that the body of Christ can be prepared to receive the returning Jewish Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ.
We invite your comments, criticism, and advice. We also trust that you will want to join Restoration Foundation as a Golden Key Partner.
Let us hear from you!
John D. Garr, Ph.D.
