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One Law, Two Sticks:
A Critical Look at the Hebrew Roots Movement
A position paper of the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS) Steering Committee 1/15/2014
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Table of Contents: ! I. Introduction 2 ! II. Definitions 4 ! III. History and Background 6 ! IV. The Post-Armstrong era: The Two House of Israel Movement 17 ! V. The Hebrew Roots Movement 29 ! VI. One Law Theology and First Fruits of Zion 50 ! VII. Conclusion 55 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! One Law, Two Sticks: ! A Critical Look at the Hebrew Roots Movement ! I. Introduction: !Preface: We, as Messianic Jewish leaders, have become increasingly concerned that there are a growing number of individuals and groups today promoting the idea that all the world’s believers in the Messiah - Jewish and Gentile alike - ought to be keeping the Torah, particularly the Shabbat, the feasts, and kosher diet. The doctrine which is the subject of this paper has been around since the day of the Apostles, in different forms, but today it has come to be known as “One Law One People” or just “One Law,” for short. It insists upon Gentile Torah observance universally. Most of those who teach it, also promote false theories about Israel identity as well. Recently, some of the more prominent One Law teachers have banded together and begun using the label “Hebrew Roots” to describe themselves as a movement. This nomenclature is regrettable from our point of !view, since it causes confusion. Obviously, the roots of the biblical faith are Jewish. Thankfully, many non-Jewish believers worldwide recognize the fact that their faith is rooted in a Jewish Messiah, Jewish Apostles, and a Jewish gospel. We note that many precious, well-meaning Gentile believers are drawn to Messianic Judaism because they wish to connect with Israel; they want to understand the Bible in historical context, or they simply have a desire to enrich !their faith by acquiring a more Jewish understanding of the Lord. Therefore, we wish to be clear up front that not everyone who uses the label “Hebrew Roots” is necessarily part of that “Hebrew Roots” camp which is the cause for our concern. Since we don’t invent the names for these movements, we are resigned to have !to use the names and labels which they apply to themselves. !One Law Doctrine: One Law doctrine is based on the idea that everybody everywhere ought to be keeping the Torah given to the Jews at Sinai. In their view, the law wasn’t intended just for Israel, but for everyone. Moreover, neither the coming of Messiah, nor the atonement provided in the New Covenant changes anything in terms of what they see as the universal human !need to relate to God through the laws of Moses. Accordingly, One Law teachers, as embodied today in the Hebrew Roots movement, are highly critical of what they see as the historical error of the Gentile church in not keeping the laws which God gave to Moses and Israel at Mount Sinai. Of particular concern to them seem to be the laws pertaining to Shabbat and festival observance, as well as the