Honoring Our Jewish Roots: The Mission and Beliefs of Eagles’ Wings
Eagles’ Wings believes in receiving the whole counsel of Scripture contained in the Old and the New Testaments, of which our Jewish roots are an essential, unmistakable foundation for our lives as Christians. As Gentiles, we have much to glean from the principles that God entrusted to the Jewish people, and we deeply enjoy learning about the Biblical roots of our faith. We also believe, however, that as Gentiles we are not required to observe the letter of the Judaic law.
As Christians, the feast days on the Jewish (Biblical) calendar are an opportunity for us to enter into a deeper understanding of who our God is. The Bible bids us to recognize the importance of aligning ourselves with these days of celebration, as we see in verses such as Zechariah 14:16-17. It is interesting to note in Scripture that God declares these as “the feasts of the LORD” for all people, for all time, not simply feasts of the Jewish people (Leviticus 23:4).
Rev. Robert Stearns and Eagles’ Wings spring from within the evangelical Christian tradition. From that context, we seek to educate the Christian world about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and our need to stand with Israel and the Jewish people. We find that the Christian Scriptures call us to a unique and supportive relationship with the Jewish people.
As Christians, we respect that the Jewish faith has a strong commitment to an individual, yet to appear, as Messiah, who will be recognized by all peoples as such. As Christians, we likewise have a strong commitment to Jesus as Messiah. We treat these strong theological disagreements with the respect and honor that they deserve, understanding that good theology is not done in short sound-bytes or momentary press releases, but rather in the lifetime process of spiritual pilgrimage. We recognize that there are many places and values where our faith communities are united, and that indeed, both are united in the faith expectation of the coming of the Messiah, whose identity will ultimately be revealed to all.
While we wait for that time of ultimate clarity to come, we have before us the formidable task of sometimes agreeing to disagree, while standing in full faith in the character of the other and mutual solidarity based upon trust.
Dr. Billy Graham has stated, “I believe God has always had a special relationship with the Jewish people…In my evangelistic efforts, I have never felt called to single out Jews as Jews…” Likewise, Eagles’ Wings does not have as its mission the proselytization or missionizing of the Jewish people. While respecting others’ rights to religious freedoms, we additionally disavow in the strongest terms any missionary tactics that utilize deception or target children.
