Paul Luckraft interviews author Steve Maltz about his latest book, ‘Shalom’.

Over the years, I have reviewed most of Steve’s books for Prophecy Today and in the past I interviewed him to find out what motivated him to go on writing. “I was born to write, that is my gift” was his reply, and it would seem that with Shalom, his 25^th book, that gift is still in full flow. But a valid question remains: why another book? And why this particular book?

Steve admits to being on a personal journey and that writing books is his way of continuing that journey. As he explains in the preface of Shalom, “every book is a personal odyssey and a time of great learning” (p9). Pressing him further on this, he added that “I always write what is on my heart and each time I finish a book I think the journey may have ended, but so far it hasn’t.”

The journey actually started when he was crossing London Bridge ten years ago and God began to show him how the Church had lost ‘the Way’ by detaching itself from its Hebraic roots. Many books later, Shalom brings that vision into greater focus.

Its theme is an exploration of what Paul in Ephesians calls the ‘One New Man’ (Eph 2:15). If the Church is ever to recover what it lost in the past and achieve God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile and that Gentiles are Gospel heirs together with Israel: members together of one Body, sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6). Steve’s argument is that embracing this truth will bring renewal to the Church, individually and corporately.

Searching for Answers

As such, Steve isn’t just writing for his own benefit. He believes others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers. This was dramatically illustrated just an hour or so before meeting up with me in London.

If the Church is ever to recover God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile.

Prior to our interview, Steve visited a major London bookshop to introduce his new book and drop off a couple of copies. While talking to the staff there one of the customers overheard him explaining the book and suddenly burst into tears! “This is just what I’ve been looking for!” she explained. And then added that she had been on a train on the Underground when God had told her to get off at that station and go to the bookshop there. She had no idea why at the time, but clearly God knew what she needed!

Just like this lady in the bookshop, readers new to Steve’s books can start with Shalom without having to read all that has gone before. Each of his books stands alone and usually contains several quotes or references to previous ones. To this end, the first part of Shalom takes us back over how the Church lost the Way, the Truth and the Life by severing ourselves from Israel and our Hebraic roots. Here, Steve explains the problems in the Church that show our need for God’s shalom, found only in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

After a short second part on ‘The Shalom of Salvation’, in the third part we are reminded how the key to recovering the Hebraic nature of the Christian faith is function, not form. In other words, it’s about discovering and developing our roles and callings – who we are and what we do - rather than about offices and structures; it’s about being and doing ‘church’ rather than church as an institution or set of rituals. This is a significant theme in his previous books.

After this comes Part Four, which is devoted to exploring what shalom means when it comes to the Church and the idea of the One New Man. It should be stressed that just because the title is ‘Shalom’, the book is not merely a study on this particular word. Rather, as the subtitle emphasises, here we discover ‘God’s Masterplan’ for oneness or completeness, which Steve unpacks through seven other Hebrew words (simcha, chaim, kadosh, chesed, mishpocha, limmud, berakhot). Through these we can reverse all the Greek thinking that has dominated Church life since the 2^nd Century and undo the unbiblical practices introduced by Constantine and others.

In short, Steve asks the big question: what would the Church look like if there had been no influence from Greek philosophy or Roman emperors? Through these Hebraic concepts the answer starts to emerge. The next big question is, who will be brave enough to try it the Hebraic way?!

Steve believes that others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers.

Joyous Conclusion

The final part of the book came as a surprise, even to Steve. “Here’s a chapter I never intended to write because it references a series of events that came after the writing of the first draft of this book” (p215). At the ‘Foundations 10’ Hebraic conference in Devon, Steve saw Hebraic church come alive, in practice – ‘it happened in Devon!’ is the joyous conclusion to the book.

Shalom is being launched this weekend at the 'Foundations 11' conference, being held at The Hayes in Swanwick. The conference is appropriately entitled ‘One New Man’ and will continue to explore the theme further through teaching and discussion.

That walk over London Bridge many years ago has certainly borne a lot of fruit. Is the journey reaching a conclusion? I doubt it. The next book, and 'Foundations 12', are already being planned!

‘Shalom’ (234 pages, paperback) is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10.

Windfall used to aid God’s great plan for the Jewish people

When a young barrister came into a great fortune over 200 years ago, he did not spend it on himself but instead used it to turn the key that would eventually unlock the fulfilment of numerous biblical prophecies.

Lewis Way must have been dumbstruck when, for no obvious reason, he became the main beneficiary of a friend’s will, the only stipulation for which was that the money should be used “to the glory of God”.¹

The inheritance was worth £300,000 – a colossal amount at the time representing at least £12 million in today’s money.

An Eton-educated ‘mover and shaker’ in influential circles, Lewis sought the Lord in prayer and duly felt the call of God to devote his time, energy and recently acquired wealth towards helping Jewish people to a knowledge of their Messiah and restoring them to the land of Israel.

He was particularly stirred by what has been dubbed his ‘Exeter Road encounter’ when, in 1811, he passed the home of two sisters who had also inherited a fortune and was reminded of how one of them was said to have planted a row of oak trees over which she had prophesied that they would stand until the Jews were back in Palestine.

“The spirit of that story really inspired him,” Rev Alex Jacob told an audience this week. “He knew at that moment that the return of the Jewish people to their ancestral home would be his chief cause for the rest of his life.”

Joining with Wilberforce

So he pursued this task with great zeal and became active with the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ), co-founded in 1809 by his close friend William Wilberforce and dedicated to investing in Israel’s spiritual rebirth.

Unlike today, it was quite fashionable – even politically correct – to be linked with such an organisation, especially with the Duke of Kent (Queen Victoria’s father) as patron…until he resigned because the mission was “too evangelical”.

Lewis became active with CMJ, co-founded by his close friend William Wilberforce and dedicated to investing in Israel’s spiritual re-birth.

There was an irony, too, in that the Way family had in earlier years acquired their wealth through slavery, yet now he was teaming up with an abolitionist! Rev Jacob, CMJ’s UK chief executive, explained that the Jewish emancipation and anti-slavery movements were two sides of the same coin.

And when, in 1815, CMJ hit a financial crisis, Way stepped in with a significant gift, without which CMJ would have been a footnote in church history.

Pleading with the Czar

A great networker, he then set up a successful work in Poland, where many Jews came to believe Jesus as their Messiah.

In 1817 he had an audience with Czar Alexander I of Russia, pleading with arguably the most powerful ruler of the time that the Jewish people should have their own homeland. And on 13 October the following year, with the Czar’s backing, he put the case for the issue – and for Jewish emancipation² generally – to the European Congress.³

His meeting with the Czar is said to have significantly advanced the Jewish hope for returning to their ancient land and eventually led to the issuing by the British Government of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which paved the way for the modern state of Israel.

Way was accompanied on this trip by an ex-Muslim Arab (his translator) and a former Jewish rabbi who embraced each other as they worked together in the cause of Christ and of Israel.

The briefcase Way used for the occasion has survived to this day and was actually displayed alongside the podium at which Rev Jacob spoke at CMJ’s Nottinghamshire headquarters.

Way and the Czar developed a bond as brothers in Christ and, after addressing the Congress, the Englishman wrote to his wife Mary: “Certainly, such an appeal for the Jewish people has not been made since the days of Mordecai and Esther.”

Way’s meeting with the Czar significantly advanced the Jewish hope for returning to their ancient land.

Storing up Treasures in Heaven

There is no doubt that Way’s sacrificial exploits greatly contributed to the cause of Zionism and the return to the Holy Land of Jews dispersed to every corner of the globe by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago.

His ultimate purpose, however, was not just in helping them back to their land but, more importantly, to their Lord. And he will have been thrilled to see the proliferation throughout Israel today – and in other parts of the world including the UK – of Jewish congregations worshipping Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus).

Lewis Way's family chapel, renovated in 1804 to include a stained glass window referencing the Jewishness of the faith. See Photo Credits.

The bi-centenary of Way’s presentation to the European Congress is being marked tomorrow (Saturday) with a special event at Stansted Park in Hampshire, once Way’s family home. It will be held in the historic St Paul’s Chapel, situated within the Park, from 11am to 4pm with access to tearooms and a farm shop. Dr Richard Harvey, Rodney Curtis and Rev Jacob will give talks titled From Russia with Love, The Forgotten Way and Money, Money, Money respectively. It is free of charge; just turn up.⁴

The chapel happens also to contain a unique stained glass window designed by Way while carrying out renovation work in 1804. It is the only window in a Christian place of worship which is wholly Jewish in design and symbolism.⁵

Recently restored with help from CMJ, this beautiful window is based on Genesis 9:13: “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

Despite his immense earthly wealth, Way successfully stored up his treasure in heaven, as Jesus advises us to do (see Matt 6:19-21).

Notes

1 It is suggested that his benefactor and namesake John Way (no relative) would have been hugely impressed by his friend’s integrity for, when he offered him an arranged marriage with a woman of high status, he turned it down, preferring to ‘marry for love’.

2 Jews throughout Europe had their rights restricted in many ways, such as being denied access to various professions.

3 Set up following the collapse of the Napoleonic empire as a kind of precursor for the League of Nations in a bid to help re-shape the map of Europe.

4 Find out more here.

5 Click here for a picture of the window.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'To Life!', the final instalment in Steve Maltz's trilogy on the Western Church (2011, Saffron Planet)

With this book the author completes his Way-Truth-Life trilogy (see previous reviews of How the Church Lost the Way, and How the Church Lost the Truth) and fittingly divides his final volume into three parts named The Way, The Truth and (the longest section) The Life.

As always, Maltz writes in an illuminating and witty manner, challenging us to rethink our traditions and natural tendencies in order to gradually shed our Greek way of thinking and become more Hebraically, and hence more biblically, minded. He explains that while the Greek mindset may have enabled us to make certain advances which we call 'progress', it is not comfortable with the supernatural, nor does it offer the correct tools for understanding God's word. Overall, Greek thinking "does not provide a natural interface for our dealings with God" (p38).

The Way: What 'Church' Should Look Like

In Part One, Maltz describes the early church and the way it operated, contrasting it with today where organised structures and hierarchies dominate - both in terms of buildings and management. Western churches now seem like distant cousins of those founded by the first apostles. So much baggage has been added over 2,000 years, largely squashing the original idea of church as a collection of 'called-out ones' each functioning according to gift and calling.

He devotes a few pages to certain small groups who did seek to exist independently of the mainstream Church and apply biblical principles. Brief outlines of such faithful (but often persecuted) remnants include the Waldenses, Albigenses and Hussites. Appendix 1 contains recommended reading for anyone wanting to learn more about this aspect of Church history.

So much baggage has been added to the Church in 2,000 years, squashing the original idea of a collection of 'called-out ones' functioning according to gift and calling.

He asserts that 'church' may have started out as a group of called-out ones but "once Greek thinking and personal ambition had been added to the mix, it had reversed metamorphosised, from the beautiful free butterfly of the earliest expressions to the ugly caterpillar of State control" (p36). He goes on to ask the key question: is any of this reversible? Is there a way back? He is not optimistic but in the remaining sections he explores this further.

The Truth: The Battle for Our Minds

In Part Two, The Truth, the author claims that what we usually classify as wisdom is very different from the wisdom that is 'from above'. We naturally strive to acquire wisdom by our own efforts and thought processes rather than by faith. Such pride can only produce a wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual, even devilish, rather than the pure kind which is transmitted to us directly from heaven itself (James 3:15-17). To highlight this the author takes us back to the Garden of Eden and the Fall to show us how Adam's thinking changed and what our default position now is.

The battle for our minds can be summed up as Hebraism versus Hellenism. The Greek mindset is man-centred, where self-fulfilment dominates our thinking. It drives us to exploit God for our own needs and creates a thirst for more knowledge, independent of that which God desires to give us. Greek thinking tries to work God out - to find out how he ticks.

It aims to remove all mysteries as it "seeks to know the unknowable, understand the un-understandable...To the Greek mind, the intellect must be exercised, even if this exercise is futile" (p100). By contrast the Hebraic mindset is one of reverence and respect which accepts God's majesty and greatness, and simply aims to please him by doing what he wants. Only this way can we be led into real truth, his truth.

Maltz contrasts Hellenism with Hebraism, outlining the battle between man-centred 'logic' and the Hebraic mindset of reverence, mystery and faith.

The author suggests that ideally, we need to install a new operating system and reboot our brains, but recognises this is impossible! The only realistic approach is an incremental one, a gradual process to encourage us to think more as God would want us to and less as the world has trained us to. In his third section he explores how this can happen as we head 'To Life!'

The Life: Working Out Kingdom 'Logic'

Part Three is more thematically arranged, including topics such as the family, money, the Bible and Jesus himself. The author argues that the Kingdom of God is not arranged according to Greek rules and logic. It is not always predictable and orderly. God is far bigger than this.

Maltz is equally concerned that we learn to act Hebraically, not just think Hebraically. He offers many practical tips to help our transformation and transition. There is also an informative chapter on the One New Man concept which would radically bring the Church back into line with God's purposes. The author critically examines its current situation and what is needed to make it a greater reality.

Maltz is concerned that we learn to act Hebraically – not just think Hebraically.

In this book Maltz continues to ask all the right questions which, if we are not afraid of them, will motivate us to change. Overall this is another absorbing read from a refreshingly honest writer, whose heart is to see a worldwide family of believers who are following the one who in himself is The Way, The Truth and The Life.

'To Life' (223 pages, paperback) is the final book in a three-part series by Steve Maltz on the state of the Western church. It is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10.

Next week: an interview with Steve Maltz!

Over the next few weeks we are pleased to feature the work of Steve Maltz. This week, Paul Luckraft reviews Maltz's 'How the Church Lost The Way...And How it Can Find it Again' (2009, Saffron Planet)

In this engaging and entertaining book, the author is very clear about his agenda: "to restore the understanding of the Hebraic roots of Christianity that has been lost, since the early days of the Church" (p43). Equally clear is that in this book he has succeeded in making a considerable contribution towards what is an immense but vital task.

Maltz's style is chatty, but not trite. He pulls no punches – he admits he may not just be upsetting the occasional sacred cow but disturbing the whole herd – but his aim is analysis, rather than attack. Certainly at every point he makes you think, and feel, and search for a proper response.

His title is apt in two ways, suggesting a straying from a correct path, but also reminding us that the early Christians were originally called The Way (Acts 9:2, 24:14), rather than the Church. Maltz points out that there has been a process of stripping out every trace of Jewishness from the established Church, starting early in its history and developing over time. The Body of Christ was meant to be One New Man (Eph 2:15) with both Jewish and Gentile elements in balance, and without this it is greatly diminished and largely unfulfilled.

How We Wandered

In Part One, the author tells 'a tale of two summits', taking us to two important councils: Jerusalem in AD 49 and Nicaea in AD 325. In an entertaining fly-on-the-wall (or rather peering-round-the-pillar) account, Maltz contrasts these two occasions, the former advocating the inclusion of Gentiles into the Church, the other the exclusion of Jews.

The most telling quote is from Constantine's letter circulated to churches throughout the Christian world concerning the timing of Easter: "Let us then have nothing in common with the most hostile rabble of the Jews" (p48).

In chapter 2, Maltz provides a fascinating potted history of the main Greek thinkers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, highlighting their 'big ideas' and the equally big consequences of those ideas on Church history. He demonstrates how the early Church fathers reconstructed Christianity in Platonic terms, mixing the Bible with Platonic thinking.

Maltz provides a potted history of the main Greek thinkers – Socrates, Plato and Aristotle – and the influence their ideas have had on Christian thinking.

As we are shown the long slide away from our Jewish roots into Greek dualism we are given excellent summaries - neither too long nor too short - of Philo (and allegory), Origen, Augustine, and Aquinas. In each case there is just enough detail to convince us that "the great doctrines of Christianity had become a philosopher's playground" (p42).

This may only be an introduction to a very large topic, but the main point comes across clearly. The Church is "far more Greek in its outlook than people could ever imagine and this is not a side issue, but very much a key battleground for the truth" (p60).

Reclaiming Our Heritage

Part Two is largely comprised of a series of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the Hebraic worldview that we need to reclaim.

Maltz starts by looking at the Bible itself and how it should be interpreted from a Hebraic perspective, and then goes on to examine the Hebrew language, family life and marriage, the Sabbath and especially the Jewish festivals and calendar. This latter section is the longest and most informative. The Jewish biblical festivals are "so instructional, so rich in meaning, so bursting in Jesus, that it can do us nothing but good to be aware of them" (p106).

Part Three revisits the idea, mentioned earlier in the book, that the body of Christ is meant to be One New Man. Here is a fascinating discussion on what this should entail, namely a balance between the two distinctive elements of Jew and Gentile. Not a blurring into one but a partnership, and a preparation for heaven!

Maltz's discussion is fascinating, looking at the balance that should exist between the two distinctive elements – Jew and Gentile.

No Apology Needed

At one point towards the end the author seems to apologise that he has meandered all over the place (though he adds hopefully, not randomly). In fact, there is no sense of meandering as you read through this book. It can be taken as a whole, or in parts. Although there is no index, there is an appendix of recommended further reading, helpfully arranged to coincide with the chapters of this book.

It covers its main themes well, and also ends with a plea for each Christian believer to take personal responsibility to examine the Bible through the eyes and experiences of the early Jewish believers, rather than the contact lens of Greek philosophy.

If we all individually re-evaluate our image of God and attitude to worship and fellowship then, as the subtitle suggests, the Church can find The Way again.

'How the Church Lost The Way' (190 pages, paperback) is the first of three books by Steve Maltz on the state of the Western church. Steve's website, Saltshakers, can be found here. It is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10.