| Thank you for entering my page! Right now, you are probably searching to find out more about Jewish beliefs in Jesus. Perhaps, you are questioning your faith, and are looking at different options. Congregation Ruach Israel is a Messianic congregation in Needham, Massachussets. Ruach Israel states that it is a "Messianic Jewish Synagogue", directed by Rabbi Richard Nichol. However, the truth is that it is not at all a Jewish organization, but a completely Christian organization! I will prove this, using information from their site and other Christian sites. Each time, I will provide links to the proof, so that you can see the evidence for your own eyes. The Leader
Dr. Richard C. Nichol is the Rabbi of Ruach Israel, and a leader of multiple Messianic Jewish organizations. He also happens to be a Christian minister, with absolutely no Jewish Rabbinical ordination. His bio from the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute reads as follows: "Richard C. Nichol, M.A., M.Div., D.Min., Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, serves as the Messianic Rabbi of Congregation Ruach Israel in Needham MA., and is past President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and Vice President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance (IMJA). He has also studied at the Spertus College of Judaica.
Here is the link to the proof:
Click Here So, what is the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary? Why, it is an evangelical Christian school! Here is a quote from their Mission Statement: "Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is an educational institution serving the Lord and His Church. Its mission is to prepare men and women for ministry at home and abroad. The Seminary undertakes this task as a training partner with the Church so that what is learned on campus may be complemented by the spiritual nurture and the exercise of ministry available through the Church."
Serving the church? Exercise of ministry? A real Jewish leader would never have degrees from Gordon-Conwell, but a Christian missionary would! Here is the link to the Gordon-Conwell Mission Statement, the quote is from the first paragraph:
Click Here So let's look a little closer at Nichol and Gordon-Conwell. If you look at the quote from the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, you will notice that he has a M.Div (Master of Divinity) and D.Min (Doctor of Ministry) from Gordon-Conwell. According to Gordon-Conwell, the goal of their Master of Divinity is: The Master of Divinity program is designed primarily for those who expect to enter the formal ministry: either the pastorate or in organizations associated with the work of the local church. It is, however, a flexible program and allows for special emphasis in the areas of:
evangelism
missions
urban emphasis (Boston Only)
counseling
Christian education
allied interests
The concern of the program is to educate men and women to promote the building of the Church, the growth of individual Christians and the sharing of the gospel with all people in accord with the biblical mandate. A strong interest in the total implications of the gospel for society pervades the program. The Master of Divinity degree prepares students to meet the requirements for ordination by the major Protestant denominations in America."
Clearly, this is nothing even close to a program that a real Jewish leader would attend. Here is the link to the M.Div program, the quotes are from the first four sections of the program description:
Click Here It does not improve when you look at the Gordon-Conwell's Doctor of Ministry program. The goal of the program is: "The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) is the highest professional degree for men and women already successfully engaged in ministry. This program enables leaders in Christian ministry to increase their effectiveness in the church, parachurch organization, or mission in which they minister. Graduates of this program will have improved their skills and understandings in a specialized area of ministry to such an extent that they can impact their congregation or community more powerfully for God."
Again, no real Jewish leader would get this degree from Gordon-Conwell. Here is the link to the proof:
Click Here This leads to another question. What exactly is the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute that Reverend Nichol works for? Well, acccording to the Institute: "In the Fall of the year 2000, at the beginning of the new millenium, Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (MJTI) will open its doors for the first time. MJTI is a new training center for leaders in the Messianic Jewish movement. Based in Pasadena, California, and in partnership with Fuller Theological Seminary, MJTI will provide a graduate-level education equipping congregational and movement leaders to serve the Jewish people with integrity and mature wisdom."
Here is the link to the quote:
Click Here So, the MJTI trains Messianic Jewish leaders. But, with integrity...not really. If you look carefully at the quote they stated that MJTI has parterned with Fuller Theological Seminary. What is Fuller Theological Seminary? It is a Christian evangelical school! A real Jewish group would never partner with them! Here is what Fuller says about itself: "As one of North America's largest seminaries, Fuller is training Christian leaders for service in the new millennium...
Noted for helping to shape today's evangelicalism, Fuller remains on the front lines of evangelical thought, while committed to evangelism and mission that is grounded in scholarship.
Its obvious that a real Jewish group would never join with Fuller! Here is the link to the proof, the quotes are the first and third paragraphs:
Click Here Reverend Nichol also happens to be an adjunct faculty member of Fuller Theological Seminary. Here are links that show him on their course catalog for Fuller's School of World Missions. You will find Nichol listed as the instructor for course number MJ511:
Click Here and under course number MR523:
Click Here Would a real Rabbi teach at Fuller? Of course not, but a Christian leader would. Sharing Christian Space
Ruach Israel states that its services are held at 754 Greendale Ave. Here is the link to the proof, the location is at the top of the page:
Click Here Who else is at this same address? Well, Churchangel shows that the Cornerstone Assembly of God (Pentecostal movement), the Greater Boston Baptist Association and the Good Shepherd Christian Fellowship all meet at that address. Would a real Jewish synagogue share space with these groups? Never! Here is the link to the proof:
Click Here
Violating the Ten Commandments Congregation Ruach Israel breaks the Ten Commandments, in a manner that is common among Messianic groups, that a real Jewish group would never do. Ruach Israel has a Shabbat School. Here is the link to the proof:
Click Here So what is the problem? Well, what do you do at school...write, draw, cut, paste, make projects...all of which is work. That is why all real Jewish synagogues have Sunday School and not Saturday school. No Jewish group wants to violate the Ten Commandments by doing work on Shabbat. The idea of having school on the same day as the Sabbath is a Christian practice, not a Jewish one! Inventing the Patriachs Interestingly, Ruach Israel has photos on its web-site. One of the pictures is particularly fascinating. It shows Reverend Nichol (referred to by them as Rabbi Rich, which has already proven to be false) and his wife dressed as Abraham and Sarah. The picture shows Reverend Nichol playing a drum and his wife playing a tambourine. That is pretty interesting, as there is not a single part of the Bible that says anything about Abraham or Sarah playing instruments. Reverend Nichol and his wife invented this about Abraham and Sarah. A real synagogue would never make up information on Abraham and Sarah. Here is the link to the photo:
Click Here
Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus There are many reasons why Jews do not accept Jesus, and the links below are some of the better explanations on this topic. Of course, if you have questions that are not covered on the links, you can always e-mail me with your questions. An Answer from Rabbi Stuart Federow Click Here
An Answer from Rabbi Shraga Simmons Click Here Ask the Rabbi from Ohr Somayach Click Here An Answer from Rabbi Tovia Singer Click Here Countermissionary Counseling
There are a number of groups that provide Countermissionary Counseling. Here are links to a few of them:
Jews for Judaism Alternatively, you can call them at 1-800-4PROOF1 with general questions about missionary claims.
Torah Atlanta
Outreach Judaism
Torah Life and Living Great Sites, Priceless Information
Here are a number of great sites that counter missionaries and explain the differences in belief between Judaism and Christianity, including addressing the Biblical verses that missionaries try to use against the Jews and explaining why the missionaries are incorrect. For the most in-depth analysis of verse by verse questions, go to Messiah Truth (sections on Counter-Missionary: Multi-media training [this can be read without being "multi-media"], Knowing Your Orchard and Judaism's Answer), Jews for Judaism (in their Reference Section (please note that the Isaiah topics tend to be under "Suffering Servant" part of the "Proof Text" section) and the Q & A section of Outreach Judaism. Messiah Page Messiah Truth Jews for Judaism Outreach Judaism Counter Missionary Reference Torah Atlanta Messianic Verses in Tanach Kosher Judaism Escape From Counterfeit Judaism Talking to Kids About Missionaries
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