The Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

Did the Apostle Paul abandon the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel?
Many Christians assume he did—but the Bible tells a different story.

In this special Bridge Builders Forum episode, released for Israel’s Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut), we explore Paul’s deep commitment to the Abrahamic covenant and why that matters for how we understand the biblical promise of the land. 

Far from teaching Replacement Theology, Paul calls God’s gifts to Israel—including the land—"irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).

This episode is essential for anyone seeking to build bridges between Jews and Christians, challenge anti-Jewish readings of the New Testament, and rediscover Paul as a faithful Jew, not a theologian of replacement.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

Is the Apostle Paul anti-Jewish? Or have we misunderstood him for centuries?

In this episode of Bridge Builders Forum, we confront one of the most damaging legacies of Christian interpretation: the misreading of Paul that has fueled antisemitism. We unpack three common distortions of Paul’s writings and explore how reclaiming his Jewish identity can lead to healing, not harm.

🔍 You’ll learn:

Why Paul didn’t reject Judaism—but stayed rooted in it

How “the law vs. grace” has been misused to paint Judaism as lifeless

Why Paul’s words don’t support supersessionism—and what he really meant by “branches grafted in”

This is a call to rethink Paul, resist antisemitic theology, and build bridges—not barriers—between Christians and Jews.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

Was Paul’s body as robust as his reputation? In this episode, Dr. Isaac Soon joins us to discuss his groundbreaking book, A Disabled Apostle. We explore compelling historical evidence that Paul lived with multiple disabilities—and how this impacts how we read his letters. From “thorn in the flesh” to ancient views on circumcision and stature, this conversation offers a powerful new lens on Paul’s life, theology, and mission.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

Jesus' resurrection was indeed a cause for celebration in Paul's mind!

But when would Paul have celebrated the resurrection? Would it have been Easter or Passover? And what would Paul think about Christians celebrating Jesus' resurrection on Easter in modern times?

We discuss all this and more in this 3-minute video!

Bridge Builders Forum - https://www.bridgebuildersforum.com/
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians better understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

Within a few hundred years after Jesus and Paul, very few Christian groups maintained a connection to Passover. But what would it have been like for the Christ-following communities that Paul visited and wrote to?

Would they have celebrated Passover? 
And would Paul support them doing so?
And what would Paul think about Christians celebrating Passover today?

We cover these questions and more in this 3-minute video.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

Moving forward, this podcast will be known as the Bridge Builders Forum.

Why the change?

Watch this 4-minute video and find out!

Bridge Builders Forum - https://www.bridgebuildersforum.com/
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians better understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

The Apostle Paul has been used to support a longstanding viewpoint that assigns a timeless responsibility for Jesus’ death to “the Jews.” This has led to countless Jewish people being persecuted for being “Christ-killers,” even in modern times.

One of the texts used to justify the continuous, generational guilt of “the Jews” for killing Jesus is found in the letters of Paul. 

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 has the Jews killing Jesus…and opposing all mankind…
And some satisfaction seems to be taken that “at last,” wrath has come upon the Jews.

But there's a problem with associating Paul with the viewpoint that Jews have singular, perpetual responsibility for killing Jesus.

Check out this 5-minute episode to learn more.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

What is Paul’s gospel?

Is it the Christian message of salvation?
Is it Paul’s view of how to get to heaven?
Did Paul's gospel serve to replace Jewish legalism?

Despite how often this term is used, there is a lot of misunderstanding about Paul's gospel.

Check out this 3-minute video where I briefly discuss what Paul's gospel is...and what it's not.

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

A growing number of Christians are celebrating Passover to restore the foundations of their faith…and out of a desire to celebrate the holidays that Jesus celebrated.

But there are Christian and Jewish voices that push back and don’t see Christians celebrating Passover as healthy or appropriate.

My guest in this episode is Jewish theologian David Nekrutman. David is a veteran voice in Jewish-Christian relations and education. In our conversation, David offers guidance on how to positively navigate Christian participation in Passover, and other Jewish practices.

The Isaiah Projects: David's website for Christians who want to learn more about the Hebraic roots of their faith

Biblical Excavations: David's podcast and resources for homeschool education

Your Sabbath Invitation: David's book about the Sabbath for Christians

The Weird Apostle: Ryan's book on the Apostle Paul from a Jewish perspective

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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail

Paul’s opposition to circumcision is one of the biggest concerns in his letters.

However, Paul’s viewpoint on circumcision is widely misunderstood by many Christians.

In this 3-minute video, Ryan explains Paul's nuanced view of circumcision and how this can help us understand Paul better 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.

Olive Tree Affirmations Ryan's book for Christians who want greater clarity on standing against replacement theology

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum