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Antisemitism is being talked about more than ever—but understanding it clearly remains a challenge.

Narratives move quickly. Headlines simplify complex realities. And ancient ideas often resurface in modern forms without being recognized for what they are. In this episode of the Bridge Builders Forum podcast, we explore how those dynamics shape attitudes toward Jews today—and why biblical interpretation and media narratives matter more than we often realize.

I’m joined by Tricia Miller, Director of the Partnership of Christians and Jews at CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis). Together, we examine the Book of Esther as a powerful lens for understanding how antisemitism forms, spreads, and is sustained—both in Scripture and in the modern media environment.

Our conversation explores:

How media narratives shape public perception of Jews—and sometimes Christians as well

Why Esther remains one of the most important and misunderstood biblical texts for understanding antisemitism

How misreadings of Esther have reinforced harmful ideas about Jews and Jewish power

The work of CAMERA’s Partnership of Christians and Jews in responding constructively to distorted narratives

What courage and responsibility look like today when confronting antisemitism thoughtfully and honestly

This episode invites listeners into a deeper, more careful conversation about Scripture, storytelling, and the responsibility we all share in responding to antisemitism with clarity, integrity, and courage.

Visit CAMERA's website at https://www.camera.org/

Visit CAMERA's partnership of Christians and Jews website at https://www.cameraspartnership.org/

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Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

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Many Christians want to stand clearly against antisemitism and with the Jewish people—but often struggle to explain why doing so is a deeply biblical expression of Christian faithfulness.

In this special episode, Ryan Lambert introduces the Olive Tree Campaign, a new initiative from Bridge Builders Forum designed to help Christians develop clear, responsible, and biblically grounded language for supporting the Jewish people—without erasing Judaism, repeating harmful assumptions, or relying on inherited theological frameworks that strain Jewish–Christian trust.

Drawing on the Apostle Paul’s olive tree imagery in Romans 11, Ryan explores how Scripture envisions Jews and Gentiles not in rivalry or replacement, but as distinct companions sustained by the same covenant-keeping God. The Olive Tree Campaign centers on the Olive Tree Affirmations—ten biblical commitments rooted in Romans 9–11 that articulate what it looks like when God’s enduring covenant with the Jewish people is taken seriously.

This episode also introduces the Olive Tree Course, a four-week guided learning experience designed to help Christians move beyond abstract affirmations and into thoughtful teaching, conversation, and lived practice.

Beginning Wednesday, January 14, Bridge Builders Forum will host a free, four-week Pilot of the Olive Tree Course, meeting Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. The course includes focused teaching and guided discussion in a shared learning environment—designed not as a lecture series, but as a space for clarity, better questions, and faithful language.

To learn more or register for the Pilot Course, visit
www.bridgebuildersforum.com/olivetree and click “Join the Pilot Course.”

If you care about strengthening Jewish–Christian relationships and helping shape a better theological path forward, we invite you to walk with us in the Olive Tree Campaign.

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

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As we come to the close of 2025, Ryan Lambert shares a short, heartfelt message with the Bridge Builders Forum community.

In this brief episode, Ryan reflects on the growth of the podcast over the past year, thanks listeners for their thoughtful engagement, and looks ahead to the important work still to come in 2026. Bridge Builders Forum exists to help Jews and Christians better understand their faith, the Bible, and each other—and this episode offers a glimpse into how that work extends beyond the podcast through Zoom studies, conversations, teaching resources, and new initiatives.

With antisemitism on the rise, the need for healthier, more honest bridge-building between Jews and Christians has never been more urgent. Ryan also introduces what’s ahead in the coming year, including the continued rollout of the Olive Tree Campaign, designed to help Christians express support for the Jewish people in ways that are clear, accessible, and deeply biblical.

If Bridge Builders Forum has helped you learn, think differently, or engage these conversations with greater clarity and humility, you’re invited to partner with us through a year-end gift or by becoming a monthly Bridge Builder.

To learn more or to give, visit bridgebuildersforum.com and click “Donate.”

Thank you for being part of this community and for helping us continue building bridges together in 2026.

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

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In this episode of the Bridge Builders Forum podcast, Ryan Lambert is joined by Lois Tverberg, one of the most trusted Christian voices helping readers understand Jesus within his Jewish world.

For decades, Lois has helped Christians recover the historical, cultural, and Jewish context of the New Testament—inviting readers to approach Scripture with deeper humility and greater respect for Judaism, both ancient and modern. Her books, including Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, and Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, have shaped how countless people read the Bible and think about the Jewishness of Jesus and the New Testament.

In this conversation, Ryan and Lois explore:

Her journey from molecular biology into biblical studies

The influence of Ray Vander Laan on her work

Why serious engagement with scholarship matters for everyday Bible readers

How Jewish readers have responded to her writing

Why the Shema should be understood as an oath of loyalty, not just a statement of belief

And why learning to read the Bible as a “we” can transform how Christians engage Scripture

This episode reflects the heart of Bridge Builders Forum: helping Jews and Christians think more carefully, listen more deeply, and relate to one another with clarity, humility, and respect.

Here's a link to Lois's most popular book - Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: https://a.co/d/50tG721

Lois's website: https://ourrabbijesus.com/

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

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Did the Apostle Paul celebrate Hanukkah?

As more Christians become interested in the Jewish roots of their faith and in learning about Jewish holidays, this question is being asked more often. And it’s an important one. Exploring it helps us step more fully into the world of Jewish life in the time of both Jesus and Paul.

Paul never mentions Hanukkah directly in his letters, and the festival doesn’t appear in the book of Acts. But that silence doesn’t tell the whole story.

In this episode, we turn to 2nd Maccabees, an ancient Jewish text that preserves some of our earliest traditions about Hanukkah and shows that Jews living outside the Land of Israel were encouraged to celebrate the festival. This source helps us better understand how Hanukkah was observed in the Jewish diaspora and what that likely meant for a Torah-observant Jew like Paul.

We explore how Hanukkah functioned differently inside and outside Israel, why it remained a relatively minor festival in the first century, and how Paul’s consistent participation in Jewish communal life makes it reasonable to think that Hanukkah was part of his yearly rhythm.

More importantly, this conversation helps correct one of the most persistent misunderstandings about Paul: the idea that following Jesus required him to abandon Judaism. As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul remained deeply Jewish, continued to observe the Torah, and celebrated Jewish festivals, likely including Hanukkah.

Whether in Jerusalem or in diaspora communities like Corinth or Thessalonica, Paul very likely joined other Jews this time of year in remembering the rededication of the Temple and celebrating God’s faithfulness.

If you want to better understand Paul within his Jewish world and why that matters for Jewish-Christian understanding today, this episode is for you.

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

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Fifteen years ago, Dr. Pamela Eisenbaum released a paradigm-shifting book with a provocative title: Paul Was Not a Christian. Since then, her work has reshaped how scholars, pastors, and everyday readers understand the Apostle Paul—his mission, his message, and his identity as a Jew within Judaism.

In this episode, Ryan Lambert sits down with Dr. Eisenbaum to explore:

Why Paul must be understood within Judaism, not outside of it

How Krister Stendahl influenced a generation of Pauline scholarship

Why Paul’s letters should be read as addressed to Gentiles

How misunderstandings of the Pharisees distort Christian readings of Paul

The rise of Jewish engagement with Paul in recent years

Why Paul sometimes sounds “more anti-Jewish in English than in Greek”

What Dr. Eisenbaum would update if she rewrote the book today

How a better reading of Paul can help Christians confront modern antisemitism

This is a deeply relevant conversation about how we read Paul and why it still matters for Jewish–Christian relations today.

If you care about understanding Paul in his original context, building bridges between communities, or engaging Scripture with greater clarity and humility, this episode is for you.

Here's a link to Pamela Eisenbaum's book, Paul Was Not A Christian: https://a.co/d/38QZcZC

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us a text

Most Christians assume Paul wrote all thirteen letters that bear his name in the New Testament. But for nearly two centuries, scholars have asked two important questions:
Which letters did Paul actually write?
And what do we do with Hebrews?

In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, Ryan breaks down the difference between undisputed and disputed Pauline letters, explains why Hebrews is almost certainly not written by Paul, and shows how scribes (or “secretaries”) shaped the final form of Paul’s letters.

This exploration helps us read Paul more faithfully—because the letters in the New Testament were, quite literally, letters written to real communities facing real challenges. Understanding authorship, context, and the historical circumstances behind each letter helps us hear Paul’s Jewish voice more clearly and appreciate how these ancient texts functioned as pastoral guidance rather than systematic theology.

Whether you’re new to this discussion or diving deeper into Pauline studies, this episode gives you accessible insight into one of the most influential figures in history—and how his letters continue to speak today.

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us a text

There’s a growing shift in parts of the Christian world — a movement questioning Christian support for Israel and even the value of the Jewish-Christian relationship itself.
Why is this happening? What ideas are driving it? And why does it matter for the future of Christian engagement with Israel and the Jewish people?

In this episode, Ryan Lambert is joined by Luke Moon, Executive Director of The Philos Project, a Christian organization that equips believers to engage the Near East with faith, integrity, and understanding. Luke recently wrote a widely shared article in The Christian Post responding to Tucker Carlson’s critique of Christian Zionism — arguing that attacks on Christian support for Israel are really attacks on the moral alliance between Christians and Jews.

Together, Ryan and Luke explore:

What “Christian Zionism” actually means (and what it doesn’t)

Why the Jewish-Christian alliance is essential to Western moral and spiritual life

How political narratives are driving new divisions among believers

The Philos Project’s groundbreaking partnerships — including its Hebraic Studies program at Yeshiva University

How Christians can build principled, practical relationships with both Jews and Muslims

And simple, faithful steps believers can take to strengthen these bridges today

If you care about the relationship between Jews and Christians and want to understand how ideas shape that relationship, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about The Philos Project at https://philosproject.org/

Sign up for the Bridge Builders Forum Email Newsletter - https://www.bridgebuildersforum.com/

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians at https://www.bridgebuildersforum.com/free-pdf

Make a tax-deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum at https://www.bridgebuildersforum.com/donate

Check out Ryan's book, The Weird Apostle, at https://a.co/d/cehW5Iy

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us a text

Was Paul a Christian Zionist?
It’s a question gaining traction again — especially as headlines and debates challenge whether Christian support for Israel and the Jewish people is truly biblical. In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, Ryan Lambert explores what Paul actually believed about Israel, the covenants, and the Land.

Through key texts in Romans 9–11 and Galatians 1–2, Ryan shows how Paul’s heart and mission remained deeply connected to Jerusalem and the people of Israel. Paul’s language — “to them belong the covenants” and “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” — reveals that God’s promises to Israel were still active, including those involving the Land. Far from rejecting Israel’s story, Paul saw it as ongoing and central to God’s faithfulness.

Whether or not you identify with the term Christian Zionism, this episode will help you see why standing with the Jewish people and affirming God’s covenant promises flow naturally from Paul’s own worldview.

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us a text

What happens when we take seriously the reality that the Apostle Paul, even at his most Jewish, lived and worked within a pagan, god-congested world?

In this episode, Ryan Lambert speaks with distinguished scholar Dr. Paula Fredriksen about the newly released volume she co-edited, Paul within Paganism. Together they explore how Jews and pagans mingled across the Mediterranean, why Paul’s message was socially disruptive for both Gentile and Jewish authorities, and how reading Paul within the Greco-Roman landscape sharpens — not weakens — our understanding of Paul as a Torah-faithful Jew.

This conversation seeks to reframe Paul within his own historical context, helping modern readers avoid the distortions that result from removing him from the world in which he actually lived.

To better understand Paul in our world, we must first understand him in his own.

The new book Paula co-edited, Paul within Paganism: https://a.co/d/5tWkWNO

Paul: The Pagan's Apostle, by Paula Fredriksen: https://a.co/d/3VGkyBL

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum