About once a week, I send the same email to my Substack readers and to my RealStevo.com readers, as I’m doing today. The rest of the week, I send different emails to each group, still meant to encourage you through this period, still mean to help you be bold, still meant to help you double down on your values. Sign up in both places to get both sets of emails.
This week in an email that went out to the RealStevo.com email list, I sent a response to a Jewish reader who wrote with some advice on how I should read the Bible alongside radio host Dennis Prager’s books on Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy.
So I reported that I was already preparing to do so and invited her to read the Bible with me.
Boy am I happy that some of the wise folks out there don’t totally disown me when I miss the mark and take time to try to speak a little reason into my life.
A reader who I feel so endeared to at times, at once a gentle spirit and a lion spirit, wrote lovingly with a roar. Jewish himself, he did not at all like the hate with which I approached the situation.
And when I say “hate,” I quote atheist entertainer Penn Jillette, who has commented on not respecting Christians who do not proselytize. The guy’s got a point:
“I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward, and atheists who think that people shouldn’t proselytize — ‘Just leave me alone, keep your religion to yourself.’
“How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? If I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”
Yes, you saw that right — that is an atheist urging evangelism. And why? Because if you are consistent in your views and walk those views out in life then spreading that good word is what you need to do regardless of how uncomfortable it may make you feel.
So accordingly, my lion-like friend, who is himself Jewish spoke quite resoundingly of such hate expressed by me. One might call it the true anti-semitism: being unwilling to talk about Jesus to a Jew because you’d rather have them perish than have an uncomfortable situation.
Here goes the lion:
“Hi Allan,
“If we care about the salvation of unsaved Jews, we WILL try to convert them. If they don't want to hear it, then we don't persist, but we don't refrain from bringing up the subject once.
“As for Prager, he doesn't have as much Biblical wisdom as you might think. In John 5:46 Jesus said, "If you had believed Moses, you would believe in Me, because he wrote of me." So according to Jesus, Prager does not believe Moses. Prager is ignorant of the main point of Moses. He is still trusting in his own morality before God, and God hates that, because Prager refuses to accept God's free gift of righteousness by faith in Y'shua.
“Both Prager and the Jewish mother are headed to hell unless they repent. Let's make sure to keep the main thing the main thing, and not soft-pedal the gospel for the sake of relationship.”
You heard that right. I am being told to quit pussy-footing around and to take life more seriously. Boy do I like when people talk to me like that. I like when I think I’m sticking my neck out there, going out on a ledge for my values and someone comes along and says “Hey buddy, you’re hardly even trying — better is needed of you.”
It takes love for another to offer such feedback. And it does my heart good when a reader comes along and makes time for that.
Don’t get me wrong — plenty of readers have an easy time offering critical feedback (the trolls write me all day long), but not every reader takes the time to understand what values I am trying to espouse and then offers me critical encouragement in doing a better job promoting those values — both in my own life and to others, but those emails (often a few a day) mean so much to me in helping me see more clearly and to get out of my own way.
Another member of the tribe speaks up on the matter of this email. I do not know exactly what he is saying here, but I have a feeling that it is spicy and provocative, so I’m going to add it here. Hopefully Substack doesn’t one day deplatform me for daring to quote whoever Rabbi Meir Kahane is.
“Love your response to the Jewish woman [I am Jewish also]---Prager debated the greatest Jew of the 20th century, Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the JDL and was vivisected by the Rabbi. Keep up the good works.”
I know this much — anyone who uses the term “vivisected” to describe a debate is A-OK in my book.
Vivisected is just one of those words where the English language meets chutzpah.
Another reader has some criticism of Prager’s “rational” approach to the Bible, and to me referring to the Old Testament as “the Jewish part.” He paints a picture of an integrated whole.
“Dear Allan,
“Good job on steering this person to the greek scriptures.
“The problem with spending time on non-believers material like Prager's is Prager is not filled with the Spirit and so is blinded to the fact of Christ being heavily present, if not the main subject of the hebrew scriptures.
“For example refer to the gospel presentation in the geneology of Genesis 5 and in the counting of Numbers 1 and 2.
“Another problem with non-believing jews like Prager is he doesnt really believe the creation account in Genesis. God is tellling us what He did in pretty precise terms but Prager like almost everyone else on the planet wants to add millions and billions of years to it.
“There really isnt a jewish and non-jewish part of the bible. It is one integrated message from outside our spacetime continuum. You cannot understand Revelation without understanding the hebrew scriptures and so much of the hebrew scriptures dont make sense without the greek scriptures.”
Something I’m discovering this past month in this process of encouraging others to read the Bible every day is that A LOT of readers of my work read the Bible every day.
“Allan,
“I hope that you are very successful in getting lots of people to join you in reading the Bible cover to cover this year. This is something I have enjoyed doing several times with Daily Audio Bible, which I love, because Brian reads a portion every day, with background information which is very helpful. It’s new again, every day of every year. This year my church studied the OT, and in 2023 we will begin the NT. If I weren’t involved in that study, I would join you.”
Now some say that reading the Bible is a more important act than listening to the Bible. I don’t know enough to make such a statement. But what I do know is that if you have no or little interaction with the Bible six days of the week (or even seven days of the week), then switching to daily interaction with the Bible is a game changer.
This reader describes the Bible project as “a challenge” which is probably a marketing approach I should consider to invite more people into this. But he also says something else that is so very powerful: “Learning the Bible, I personally believe, is the only hope we have of restoring America to the great republic it once was.” Woah! That is a powerful statement and he and I are on the same page with that one. This is a spiritual battle and the Bible is one of the keys in unlocking victory in that spiritual battle.
“Hi Allan. I think your one year Bible reading challenge is an excellent idea. I’m not sure it would do anything for me. I’m 71 years old, and have read the Bible literally everyday for the last 35 years. I took on the challenge when my son was one year old. He is now 36. I have read several different versions cover to cover, both OT and NT. Including the NIV, HCBS, KJV, and the Geneva Bible with the commentaries in the margins. Recently, last few years, I’m now in a more study mode than just reading. I currently read 1 chapter per day from both OT and NT. And often make comparisons between versions.
“No matter what, I will continue this regimen. Even if I’m travelling, I always find time to read the Bible everyday. So, I’m not sure if I can add anything to the success of your one year challenge. I do indeed think your challenge is an excellent idea. Learning the Bible, I personally believe, is the only hope we have of restoring America to the great republic it once was.
“I wish you well on your challenge. It’s an excellent method to get people reading the Word of God.“
How cool that for 35 years he has had a daily discipline of reading the Bible. And clearly the coming of his child played some role in getting him straightened out on that topic.
We are to be the teacher of the child, but how often we find ourselves being taught by the child or even by the mere existence of that child. How quickly the child snaps us back to reality simply be being their and being childlike. A child has a way of bringing an abrupt ending to the promise of perpetual childhood that modernity offers an adult.
Realizing that, I realize how sinister it is that any program or societal suggestion exists to delay the coming of children into the life of an adult — abortion, birth control, family planning, porn, hookup culture, perpetual childhood, artificial wombs — whatever it may be, there are endless ways that society acts to try to prevent the snap back to reality that a child brings.
If that Bible project sounds like your kind of thing, tap here to get in on the 15 minute challenge.
Allan Stevo
I take issue with anyone of any faith who gives Israel a pass on the cruel genocide they commit against the Palestinians. There are Jews who speak out against these crimes.. Sadly, their voices rarely see the light of day.. not unlike the doctors and scientists who tell the truth about Covid/treatments.