People seem to have a lot of false impressions about me. In a world full of labels, it's easy to grab one that's handy and use it, and sometimes that's helpful. We generalize and stereotype because it helps us to sort out the world and deal with the plague of Too Much Information. Unfortunately, those labels never really fit anything perfectly, and they fit some things and people--yours truly, for example--less perfectly than others. If you only read one of my articles about the Torah, you might think I'm Jewish. If you only read one of my articles about polygamy, you might think I'm a rogue Mormon. If you read all of my articles, you might just have a whole fistful of labels, not all of them so benign. Let me sort some of them out for you:
Christian - If a Christian is someone who follows the teachings of Jesus, then I like this label. People have different ideas about what he taught, though, so let me clarify. I believe that Jesus, whom I prefer to call by his Hebrew name of Yeshua, is the only man ever conceived as a Son of God, meaning that he was conceived in the womb of a virgin by the direct action of God. I also believe that he existed before he was conceived, and, in fact, existed before everything. He was the Voice of God that spoke the Universe into existence. He appeared as a man and an angel to the patriarchs and to Moses and Joshua. He lived a perfect, sinless life, never violating the Torah, and then, of his own free will, he was crucified by both gentiles and Jews, his blood making a perfect atonement for all the world's sin. He was raised from the dead, ascended to Heaven, and has promised to return again in physical form. I believe that he wants us to live as he lived, honoring the Torah by his love for the Father and for men. I take him seriously when he says that, so long as heaven and earth still exist, we should live and teach the Torah and the Prophets. So if my life labels me as a "little Christ" then so be it.
Jewish - As far as I'm aware, I don't have any Jewish ancestors. But then, I've only been able to trace my family back a few hundred years to the Korpers/Kerbers in 17th century Hesse-Darmstadt. On the other hand, there is an old Jewish family by the name of Korper a few hundred miles away in Hungary. I've read speculation that the Korper name came from the scribes or unit historians that accompanied Roman military units which settled in the fringes of the Empire. Some of those scribes may have been Jewish, since Jews tended to be more literate than the general population at the time. Some of them might have adopted the occupational name of Korper, and some of those might have migrated a little further north into Germany. Some big maybes there. I don't see any reason to stretch the point though, so I'm operating under the assumption that I am not of Jewish descent. I'm not sure it would make any practical difference if I am. (Update 2016: It turns out I do have some Jewish DNA, less than 1%, but its origins are so lost in the mists of family history, that it might as well not be there at all. It's irrelevant to salvation or citizenship in the nation of Israel.)
No, the other Jewish - I'm not the other Jewish, either. The religious kind, I mean. I don't recognize any inherent authority in anyone calling himself a rabbi, nor do I adhere to the teachings of the Talmud. I think that Judaism has a lot of good things going for it, but it has a lot of bad, too. The Jews are at least as far off the mark as the Catholics or the Mormons, and not as far off as some others that I might still consider brothers in the faith. I practice some common Christian traditions, such as baptism and
Flake - There might be a grain of truth in this label. I'll let you be the judge.
Messianic - The term "messianic" refers to the Messiah, and "Messianic Jew" refers to a Jew who has accepted Yeshua as the Messiah. If you leave off the commonly included "Jew", then I'll accept this label. I prefer to call myself a Messianic Believer rather than a Messianic Jew, because I don't want to give people the wrong impression if I can help it. I accept the Messiah and his commands, but I don't accept Judaism. (Update 2022: Torah-keeping Christian? Pronomian Christian? Follower of Yeshua? Labels, schmabels.)
Rabbi - Maybe I teach on occasion, but I can't claim to be a master of anything, let alone Jewish theology, and that's really what most people mean by rabbi. So, no, I'm not a rabbi and have no intention of becoming one.
Legalist - I suppose it depends on how you define a legalist. If you think a legalist is someone who tries to follow the laws, especially the laws of Moses, then I guess I'm a legalist. That's not the definition that I would use, however. I say that a legalist is someone who elevates the law above the law-giver and/or the law-keeper. I do not keep the Torah for my salvation. The only power it holds in regards to eternal salvation is the power to condemn. Yeshua's atonement and resurrection took that authority away from it if we are willing to accept him. I accept his gift with faith, and keep the law only to please him and for the sake of well being, mine and everyone else's.
Polygamist - Having only one wife, and no intention of acquiring another, I can't see how this one applies. I don't support the right of man-made, civil government to meddle in marriage. I also don't support the monogamist doctrine that our western churches have inherited from Greece and Rome. If you want to have two or three or more wives in your family, it's probably a really bad idea, but it's nobody's business but yours. Maybe a better label would be poly-friendly.
I'm sure there are a hundred more labels just waiting out there for me. If you have one that you think applies, let me know. Maybe you're right.
But probably not.
2022 note on eschatology: I generally disapprove of eschatological systems. People like it when everything fits neatly into its designated slot, but I don't think things usually work that way in the real world, including prophecy. Whatever -ist you want to put me into, call me a partial -ist.
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