Are We the Real Israelites?

Dear friend,

I have told this story more than once. A young man in a church took his list of questions to his pastor. The pastor promised to get back to him and never did. That young man left and became a Hebrew Israelite. He did not leave because he stopped wanting to be a Christian. He left because he found more answers to his questions in a false belief than in the true one.

Stories like his are why we wrote this guide with you in mind: the parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, youth leader, Sunday school teacher, pastor or mentor who has heard a young person quote Deuteronomy 28, call someone an Edomite, or ask whether Christianity was forced on our ancestors.

The street camps and the clips online are answering real questions about identity, suffering and the Bible. Our job is to answer those questions better, from Scripture and history, with more patience than a street debate allows.

In seven movements you will find why the camps pull young people, who the camps are, what Deuteronomy 28 actually says, who belongs to God’s people, how to talk about Jesus, the law and the Sabbath, how Black history and the Christian faith belong together, and what to do when it is your child. You will also find words worth knowing, readiness by age, conversation starters, and help for the hard moments. Everyone quoted here spoke on our podcast, and you can hear each conversation in full.

Read it alone, with your spouse, or with a small group. Answer the questions yourself before you ask anyone else one. Then go have a conversation, and when you don’t know an answer, say so, find it, and come back.