Philosophy
Over 3,800 years ago, God spoke to Abraham: "Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you" (Gen. 13:17). From the outset, God's choice of a Hebrew nomad was linked to the selection of a specific land where God's redemptive work would take place. For us to better understand God's plan and purpose for his people, we must first understand the nature of the place he selected for them.
God's people settled in the land and developed customs and tradition and culture. And so when God's Word became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus lived like a Jew, talked like a Jew, and worshipped like a Jew. Jesus was a Jew. Thus, Jesus' words, actions and teaching methods, for example, were in keeping with the customs, traditions and religions of the Semitic culture into which he was born.
One way for us to know Jesus%u2014and thus God the Father and the Holy Spirit%u2014more intimately, is to carefully assess our 21st-century culture and Western attitudes in relation to and in light of the 1st-century world of Jesus. Immersing ourselves in the culture of Scripture and Jesus of Nazareth often brings additional insights to our understanding of the text. It is helpful to learn to "think Hebrew" in the way that the original writers of the Text thought.
What does it mean to Think Hebrew?
May your experience with the Jewish biblical culture capture your head, heart, hands and feet in total commitment to God. May the cultural message of the Text encourage and equip you to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength.
We subscribe to the Mission Statement, the statement of Faith and the Statement of values of the National Association of Evangelicals. The link those three to the following:
NAE Statement of Faith
NAE Mission & Vision
We subscribe to the Educational Mission of the Holland Christian Schools.Â
