Shoulder to Shoulder

Pesach and Doug tackle the holiday of Hanukkah... but this episode is not about dreidels and potato pancakes. They ask whether the common idea of Hanukkah as "the holiday of religious freedom" might completely miss the point, and whether its actual themes of religious purification and dedication to the God of Israel are ignored by the majority of those who celebrate. You may agree or disagree with Pesach's conclusion, but you'll walk away from this episode understanding the real history of Hanukkah, and perhaps why its popular image - ironically - might be the opposite of the truth.

Doug and Pesach are joined by Lars Enarson, a Bible teacher, theologian, and early leader of the Christian Zionist movement. Lars shares his journey to love of Israel which began in the early 1970s, long before the movement was mainstream. The conversation then turned to points of Christian theology that he believes ought to be reevaluated in our time. But first, Doug and Pesach open the episode with some pointed thoughts about Kanye West's recent anti-Semitic pronouncements. Don't miss this episode of Shoulder to Shoulder!

Doug and Pesach dive into the Ten Commandments, or as Doug put it, "God's top ten list." On the menu are differences in counting between Christians and Jews, why God introduces Himself as He does, why the Sabbath is featured so prominently, and what the entire order teaches us about how to build a Godly society.

In this episode, Pesach flies solo and has a conversation with one of America's leading academic theologians, Professor Gerald McDermott. The topic is the long-held Christian position that the church has replaced the Jewish people as God's covenant people. Prof. McDermott explains how this anti-Jewish theology began, why it is wrong, and how Christian thinking is changing regarding the Land of Israel and the Jewish people. You DON'T want to miss this important conversation. Plus: Pesach explains why Israelis, perhaps more than any other people outside the United States, should consider celebrating Thanskgiving.

On this episode Pesach and Doug talk to retired Marine and two time Purple Heart recipient, Jeremiah Hill. Listen as Jeremiah tells us of how God protected him as he was blown up not once but twice. It's an incredible journey of an American war hero whose faith has informed his life.

On the morning after what was supposed to be a RED WAVE, sweeping the Republicans to power, Doug and Pesach ponder the early results. Pesach has questions about the way Americans count ballots, in light of his past experience as a poll watcher and vote counter in Israeli elections. Plus we get into the dynamics of "the Jewish vote" and Pesach shares a Biblical teaching that makes a case for government by the will of the people.

Pesach, Doug, and our friend Elliott Chodoff discuss the Israeli Election results, who won, who lost, and how likely is it Israel will have Prime Minister Netanyahu again.

(Please note that the audio at the beginning of the podcast is a bit faulty; but stick with it, it clears up as the podcast goes on.)

Pesach and Doug talk about the beginning of the Bible and its description of the beginning of all things. These three short chapters tell a story that, depending on the interpretation, leads to extremely significant differences in theology and perspective between Christians and Jews. Listen in as they share, discuss, and ask each other respectful yet challenging questions.

In this episode, Doug expresses his disdain for the Halloween season, Pesach shares a fascinating rabbinic source about Ecclesiastes, and then they're joined by Gidon Ariel of Root-Source.com, an educational initiative aimed at teaching Jewish wisdom to Christians.

Pesach and Doug sat down with Reverend Forbes Matonga of the Methodist church in Zimbabwe, to discuss the future of Christianity in mainline denominations and Christendom at large. As America becomes increasingly secular, the center of Christianity is moving south and east as churches, pastors, and missionaries are being raised up on the continent of Africa.