The Bridge Builders Forum
The Bridge Builders Forum Podcast helps Jews and Christians better understand their faith, the Bible, and each other. Each episode features individuals and perspectives that foster mutual enrichment and the goodness we can bring to our communities and the world when there is a bridge, rather than a gulf, between Jews and Christians.
Episodes
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 teachi...
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:
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 m...
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/...
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 ...
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 Website
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jew...
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 ...
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.
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-Christia...
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 Website
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians unders...
Many Jews and a growing number of Christians have great affection for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Purim is also a somber reminder of the ongoing presence of what Jewish tradition refers to as “the spirit of Amalek.”
In the book of Exodus, “Amalek” was a nation that attacked the Jewish people without cause. So in Jewish thinking, “Amalek” represents a timeless antisemitic force that seeks to undermine God’s ...
Jews and Christians have a complicated history, marked by distance and often hostility. Recently, this relationship has improved, with both sides seeking respect and understanding. However, there’s still a lot of work to do to repair and strengthen this connection.
Gidon Ariel, an Orthodox Jewish teacher, is dedicated to healing the rift and helping build the bridge between Jews and Christians. Gidon is my g...
Was Paul legalistic?
Most people would say, “Absolutely Not!”
There’s no way, shape, or form that Paul was legalistic. Right?
Well, there’s a little problem with dismissing this question.
Paul’s letters include several sections with detailed legal discussions, which advise his Gentile Christ-followers how to appropriately apply Jewish law in their situation.
So does this mean that Paul was legalistic? W...
It is traditionally assumed that when Paul became a Christian, he no longer kept the Jewish and Biblical kosher dietary commandments recorded in the Bible.
How does that commonly held viewpoint harmonize with multiple New Testament texts that affirm Paul as a Torah/Law observant Jewish follower of Jesus?
Check out this 3-minute video to find out!
Bridge Builders Forum Website
An educational enti...
Can learning Jewish insights and Hebrew words help Christians grow in faith?
Many Christians are discovering that learning the Jewish roots of their faith and a little bit of Hebrew goes a long way toward a deeper faith and a better understanding of the Bible.
“Aussie” Dave Adamson is a pastor dedicated to helping Christians understand the Bible through Hebrew insights. And Aussie Davie has a brand...
Paul’s physical appearance has captured the imagination of many!
Ancient and modern commentaries and artistic depictions of Paul frequently present him as average-sized and healthy. The New Testament does not provide explicit details about Paul’s physical appearance. However, clues in Paul’s letters, the Book of Acts, and later sources suggest that Paul's physical features were far more modest than his r...
It is widely assumed that Saul the Jew became Paul the Christian on the Damascus Road. According to traditional interpretations, this name change resulted from Paul’s conversion from Judaism to Christianity. But does the New Testament actually say that Paul experienced a name change? And why does this matter?
Ryan's book on Paul, "The Weird Apostle"
Bridge Builders Forum Website
An education...
The path to greatness typically includes a lot of practice, ups and downs, and honing your craft in an environment where only a small number of people know what kind of work you’re putting in to climb the ladder. Making it to the “major leagues” in any field…typically requires a commitment to a journey filled with peaks and valleys.
As a professional baseball manager coaching in the minor leagues, Patrick And...
Jesus was called Rabbi. John the Baptist was also. But how about Paul? Was he a Rabbi? And does that make a difference in how we understand the Apostle to the Gentiles?
Check out this short video for the sense in which we should and should not think of Paul as a Rabbi.
Ryan's book on Paul, "The Weird Apostle": https://a.co/d/fsGrhg6
Bridge Builders Forum Website
An educational entity dedicate...
For two thousand years, this question has stumped commentators and inspired a lot of creative interpretations. There’s a consensus that Paul’s “thorn” in 2 Corinthians 12 is symbolic. Paul’s not referring to a literal thorn.
But what does the thorn represent?
Ryan's book on Paul, "The Weird Apostle": https://a.co/d/fsGrhg6
Bridge Builders Forum Website
An educational entity dedicated to ...
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