It sounds like the beginnings of (a perfectly tasteless) joke: An Israeli Jew and a black Christian walk into a synagogue… But no! It’s real, and the inspiring setup for a spiritual, cultural, and archaeological tale of interfaith friendship and mutual challenge and discovery.
Two billion Christians worldwide consider the Lord’s Prayer the ultimate expression of their faith—but few know the stunning story of its Hebrew origins. A Prayer to Our Father is the unfolding story of an exciting journey of faith, involving a Jewish Bible scholar and an African American pastor who join forces to uncover the truth about the most beloved prayer in the Christian world.
Their provocative new book reads like a detective novel. Written by two most unlikely collaborators, the charismatic personalities of the authors are as riveting as their story. Former chaplain to the Minnesota Vikings, Keith Johnson has ministered to some of the top names in the NFL and NBA. Jerusalem-based Jewish scholar and author Nehemia Gordon has spent his career translating the Dead Sea Scrolls and studying the deep mysteries of the Jewish faith.
Johnson and Gordon’s gripping adventure begins in the ancient city of Jerusalem and takes them to the very spot in Galilee where Jesus taught the multitudes to pray. Along the way they discover a Hebrew version of the Lord’s Prayer, preserved in secret by Jewish rabbis for over a thousand years – and that’s just the beginning. Could it be that one of the four canonical Gospels was originally penned in Hebrew, before being copied in Greek or even Aramaic? Johnson and Gordon’s riveting journey and extraordinary relationship are chronicled in A Prayer to Our Father.
How many of you were Ooze Viral Bloggers when we first offered The Shack, like a year before anyone else ever heard of it? A small press book with a big message and real word-of-mouth factor…well, I think lightning is about to strike twice. The authors here had a major publishing contract but they turned it down; they wanted to do it right, and do it their way. In just a matter of months since its June 2009 publication, a burgeoning viral phenomenon has brought this book fans in 66 countries! This is a provocative and unforgettable book.
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This Title Has Been Closed for Review
:: Special Viral Blogger Section ::
Link-love for your review:
http://www.aprayertoourfather.com [1] – official website
http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Prayer-to-Our-Father/64724168340 [2] - book fan page
http://www.wfae.org/wfae/18_93_0.cfm?do=detail&id=10404 [3] – authors’ interview on NPR
http://www.sanctuarycov.org/ee-assets/my-uploads/sermons/2009_07_12_Get_A_Bigger_Box.mp3 [4] - Keith Johnson’s message at Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, “Get A Bigger Box”
Interview Availability:
The authors are available for blog and podcast review, as well as for booking to speak at churches, universities, and public events in 2010. You will receive their contact information if you select A Prayer to Our Father this month.
Buzz
“The impressions are deep and stirring. I want to recommend this book far and wide. It is one of the most inspiring, instructive, and spiritually important works I have read in a long time.”
Dr. James D. Tabor, Chair, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
"Both Jews and Christians could learn a great deal from this book… I highly recommend it!"
Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman, Congregation Kol HaNeshama, Jerusalem
“There is much power in this story. And along the way the insights gained from reading the prayer with a Hebrew lens fascinate and inspire.”
Curtiss Paul DeYoung, Professor of Reconciliation Studies, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota
“If you enjoy detective mysteries… this book is a veritable gold mine… as we discover hidden truths and marvel together with the authors.”
Christine Darg, Exploits Ministry
“I am so thankful to the Father for this book. …Once I started reading, I could not pull myself from the book… I felt like I was on a spiritual journey with so many things confirmed and also revealed.”
James Thrash, NFL Player
“This is a wonderfully written book by two men who chose to humble themselves and honor God.”
Qadry Ismail, ESPN Sports Commentator and Ex-NFL Player
“It almost sounds like the beginning of a joke of some type: what does a white Israeli Jew have in common with a black American Christian pastor? …the answer is not a joke, but rather a wonderful journey into the Lord’s Prayer…”
Judith Koch, The Porterville Recorder (June 27, 2009)
“This book… contains thoughts and feelings about the Scriptures and also background information which are invaluable for Bible lovers.”
Diamond Wong, Hong Kong, China
Your Commitment:
Remember, your commitment is to write a blog post (minimum 50 words) about A Prayer to Our Father within 30 days of getting it, and cutting & pasting your post to this one. Thank you!
For Podcasters & Bloggers: Suggested Review and Interview Topics
Reggie White - The late Football Hall-of-Famer Reggie White was involved in Keith Johnson’s ministry Christian Athletes United for Spiritual Empowerment. Through this connection, Nehemia Gordon got Reggie White in to see the most important manuscript of the Hebrew Bible in a secret vault in the bowels of the Israel Museum. White later described seeing this manuscript as the best day of his life, better than winning the Super Bowl, and “an answer to prayer”. [pages 32-37]
Hebrew Manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew - The authors examined a Hebrew manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew that was pillaged by Nazis during World War II and taken to Hitler’s “Museum of the Extinct Race” in Prague. [pages 119-120]
Interfaith interracial collaboration - One author is a university trained white Israeli Jewish Bible scholar who works with Hebrew manuscripts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The other is a seminary-trained African American pastor, ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church, with over twenty years experience in ministry. Their collaboration on uncovering the Hebrew origins of the Lord’s Prayer is unique.
Prayer and Reconciliation Meeting - The authors presented their book at a “Prayer and Reconciliation” meeting hosted by Sanctuary Covenant Church of Minneapolis, MN. The event was attended by a wide variety of people of various ethnicities and denominations. At the meeting, the Lord’s Prayer was recited in 5 languages: English, Spanish, Swahili, French, and Hebrew.
Search in Israel for the place the very spot where Jesus taught the multitudes to pray - The traditional site of the Sermon on the Mount (of which the Lord’s Prayer is a part) shown to most tourists does not fit the biblical accounts. The authors traveled around Israel in search of the true location. They discovered that the evidence in the New Testament and the oldest Christian traditions pointed to the Horns of Hattin, an archaeological site better-known as the mountain where Salladin routed the Crusader army on July 4, 1187. [pages 75-81]
Our Father sign - Referring to God as “Father” is often thought of as a Christian thing to do, even by many Jews. During their travels in Israel, the authors came across a billboard with large red Hebrew letters proclaiming God to be “Our heavenly Father”. A quick investigation located the author of the billboard, an eccentric old rabbi who wore a Jewish prayer shawl draped across his shoulders like a superman cape. The rabbi and the authors fellowshipped on the shore of the Sea of Galilee discussing God’s role as our heavenly Father. [pages 92-95]
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[1] http://www.aprayertoourfather.com/
[2] http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Prayer-to-Our-Father/64724168340
[3] http://www.wfae.org/wfae/18_93_0.cfm?do=detail&id=10404
[4] http://www.sanctuarycov.org/ee-assets/my-uploads/sermons/2009_07_12_Get_A_Bigger_Box.mp3
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