Arad is one of the many Israeli cities that is both ancient and modern. This ancient city is mentioned in the Bible. Numbers 21:1 tells of the king of the southern Canaanite city of Arad who attacked Israelites making their way from Egypt to the Promised Land, and captured some of them. In all likelihood, […]
The Story of the Bible, God’s Master Story, consists of many individual stories and some non-narrative material, as well. About 75 percent of the Bible is in story form, with approximately 15 percent poetry, and 10 percent propositional form. The stories in the Bible are stories of life, of families and individuals, spanning centuries and […]
This year (2016/5777) Hanukkah and Christmas fall on the same day. December 25 is Christmas Day, and also the first day of Hanukkah. So the question is, Do these two holidays have anything in common? Although the two holidays have completely different backgrounds, they are both “festivals of light.” Both are celebrating that the light […]
Caspari Center hosted a seminar on fundraising in the beginning of November. At the two-day seminar, 16 participants were introduced to key development topics to help their non-profit organizations achieve their funding goals. The seminar was led by Gerald H. Twombly, founder and executive director of Development Marketing Associates (DMA), an international consulting group committed […]
But I Tell You During the past few years I’ve had the privilege to get to know two Jewish views on the Sermon on the Mount. One comes from a Jewish rabbi and the other from a Jewish professor (for the sake of clarity I’ll call them Rabbi Zvi and Professor Uri). Both of them […]
The 1st of November (or the next Sunday after that) is celebrated as the All Saints’ Day in the Western Christianity. Originally the day was to commemorate the believers who had died because of their faith as martyrs. Later on the All Saints’ Day has gotten more broad meanings by becoming the memorial day of […]
Walk down any given street in Israel, and you will notice Israelis around you: walking … and staring down at their smartphones; waiting for a bus … and staring down at their smartphones; crossing the street … and staring down at their smartphones. According to statistics compiled by www.internetworldstats.com, 73% of Israelis use the internet. […]
“I envy you, you are doubly blessed! You are Jewish and have Jesus. I only have Jesus,” came a comment from the audience after a speech given by a former Caspari Center colleague touring Finland some time ago. While theologically misguided, this comment demonstrated an appreciation and respect many Finnish Christians have for the Jewish […]
The first time I remember reading that there’s a day dedicated to the remembrance of the destruction of the temple was during my first years as a pastor in the Lutheran Church in Finland. The note was in the lectionary that contains the texts that are to be read in churches on Sundays, and which […]
When a Protestant Christian meets a Messianic Jew, they often find that they use the most basic terms in very different ways and with very different meanings. At its best, these encounters may lead to a clearer understanding of faith on both sides if we are open to new questions and perspectives we have never […]