Israel and the Church -
 
 Understanding Some Theological Options
 
 by John J. Parsons
 
 
 
 When studying the Jewish roots of Christianity, certain questions often arise regarding the nature of the “Church,” the nature of “Israel,” and the relationship between them. Do Gentile Christians become “Jewish” on account of their relationship to Jesus?  Does the “Church” somehow replace the Jewish people in God’s plan as the “new Israel”?  Exactly how should we understand the relationship between the Church and Israel today?

In general, Christian theology has developed three different interpretative systems that attempt to answer such questions:
 
 
Replacement Theology
The Church and Israel refer to the same group of people.

Separation Theology
The Church and Israel refer to different groups of people.

Remnant Theology
The Church and Israel overlap in some manner.
 
 
 As we will see, each of these systems leads to radically different conclusions, but before we attempt to explore them in detail, we will need to define some terms. In particular, we will need to define “Israel” and the “Church.”

This is the teaser. Read the article at:

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Israel/israel.html

Kay