The birth of Jesus Christ, which is celebrated annually on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, forms the basis of the religion known as Christianity.
But did you know that Jesus himself was born and raised in the Hebrew faith?
“The Gospel (of Jesus) is best understood within the context of Hebrew language and culture,” says Rev. Mark Hume, director and pastor of Living the Word Bible Institute & Evangelism Center in Battle Lake.
Hume, who has more than 20 years of pastoral ministry experience in both Minnesota and California, is fluent in both Hebrew and Greek, and is currently studying Biblical Hebrew and the early Messianic church under the supervision of scholars from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.
He will be at the Holiday Inn in Detroit Lakes on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 8-9, to present a program on “The Hebrew Roots of Christianity.”
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The purpose of both presentations is to educate the public on the relationship between the Hebrew and Christian religions, and hopefully stimulate further exploration of the topic amongst local pastors and church study groups, Hume noted.
“I’m not coming here to start another church,” he said. “Hopefully, they (people attending the seminars) will catch how beautiful it is to study the Word through its Hebrew foundations.”
Some of the topics that will be included in the presentations include the Hebrew alphabet and language; the Bible as a Hebrew text; the nation of Israel and the church in prophecy; and of course, Christianity’s roots within the Hebrew language and culture.
Hume said in addition to the evening sessions, which will be held from 6-8 p.m. on both Jan. 8-9, he will make himself available to come speak with local pastors and congregations during the day.
Cost to attend one of the sessions is $10, though Hume said local pastors and their spouses can attend free of charge. Tickets will be sold at the door.
For more information, please call Rev. Mark Hume at 218-853-2820 or 952-406-1753, or visit the website at www.livingthewordbible.com .
Follow Detroit Lakes Newspapers reporter Vicki Gerdes on Twitter at @VickiLGerdes .
