The Bridge Builders Forum

Send us Fan Mail Many Christians want to stand clearly against antisemitism and with the Jewish people—but often struggle to explain why doing so is a deeply biblical expression of Christian faithfulness. In this special episode, Ryan Lambert introduces the Olive Tree Campaign, a new initiative from Bridge Builders Forum designed to help Christians develop clear, responsible, and biblically ground...

Send us Fan Mail As we come to the close of 2025, Ryan Lambert shares a short, heartfelt message with the Bridge Builders Forum community. In this brief episode, Ryan reflects on the growth of the podcast over the past year, thanks listeners for their thoughtful engagement, and looks ahead to the important work still to come in 2026. Bridge Builders Forum exists to help Jews and Christians better...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Bridge Builders Forum podcast, Ryan Lambert is joined by Lois Tverberg, one of the most trusted Christian voices helping readers understand Jesus within his Jewish world. For decades, Lois has helped Christians recover the historical, cultural, and Jewish context of the New Testament—inviting readers to approach Scripture with deeper humility and greater res...

Send us Fan Mail Did the Apostle Paul celebrate Hanukkah? As more Christians become interested in the Jewish roots of their faith and in learning about Jewish holidays, this question is being asked more often. And it’s an important one. Exploring it helps us step more fully into the world of Jewish life in the time of both Jesus and Paul. Paul never mentions Hanukkah directly in his letters, and t...

Send us Fan Mail Fifteen years ago, Dr. Pamela Eisenbaum released a paradigm-shifting book with a provocative title: Paul Was Not a Christian. Since then, her work has reshaped how scholars, pastors, and everyday readers understand the Apostle Paul—his mission, his message, and his identity as a Jew within Judaism. In this episode, Ryan Lambert sits down with Dr. Eisenbaum to explore: Why Paul mus...

Send us Fan Mail Most Christians assume Paul wrote all thirteen letters that bear his name in the New Testament. But for nearly two centuries, scholars have asked two important questions: Which letters did Paul actually write? And what do we do with Hebrews? In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, Ryan breaks down the difference between undisputed and disputed Pauline letters, explains wh...

Send us Fan Mail There’s a growing shift in parts of the Christian world — a movement questioning Christian support for Israel and even the value of the Jewish-Christian relationship itself. Why is this happening? What ideas are driving it? And why does it matter for the future of Christian engagement with Israel and the Jewish people? In this episode, Ryan Lambert is joined by Luke Moon, Executiv...

Send us Fan Mail Was Paul a Christian Zionist? It’s a question gaining traction again — especially as headlines and debates challenge whether Christian support for Israel and the Jewish people is truly biblical. In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, Ryan Lambert explores what Paul actually believed about Israel, the covenants, and the Land. Through key texts in Romans 9–11 and Galatians...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when we take seriously the reality that the Apostle Paul, even at his most Jewish, lived and worked within a pagan, god-congested world? In this episode, Ryan Lambert speaks with distinguished scholar Dr. Paula Fredriksen about the newly released volume she co-edited, Paul within Paganism. Together they explore how Jews and pagans mingled across the Mediterranean, why...

Send us Fan Mail Did Paul call the Jewish people “God’s enemies” in Romans 11:28? In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, Ryan Lambert looks closely at one of the most misunderstood verses in the New Testament — a verse that has often been used to justify Christian hostility toward the Jewish people. We explore: *why some English translations say “enemies of God” *how the Greek text actua...

Send us Fan Mail In 1965, the Catholic Church issued Nostra Aetate, a groundbreaking declaration that dramatically transformed its relationship with the Jewish people — rejecting centuries of theological hostility and opening the door to renewed friendship and respect. Sixty years later, the legacy of Nostra Aetate continues to shape Jewish-Christian relations. But what still needs to be done? In...

Send us Fan Mail Were Paul’s churches actually synagogue sub-groups? We usually imagine Paul planting “Christian churches” that were completely separate from Judaism — but that’s not likely how Paul saw it. In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, Ryan Lambert explores a game-changing possibility: that Paul’s “churches” were actually assemblies meeting within Jewish synagogues — not outsid...

Send us Fan Mail Can Christians embrace the Jewish Sabbath, and if so, what might it look like? In this inspiring episode of the Bridge Builders Forum Podcast, Ryan Lambert sits down with Michael and Selah Hirsch, authors of Pressing Pause, to explore how rediscovering the biblical rhythm of Shabbat transformed their family life, deepened their relationship with God, and helped them resist the exh...

Send us Fan Mail Why are so many Christians celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles? And what does this ancient Jewish festival have to do with the Apostle Paul? In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, Ryan Lambert explores the surprising connection between Sukkot and Paul’s mission to the Gentiles. Drawing on Zechariah’s vision of the nations streaming to Jerusalem to worship the God of Isr...

Send us Fan Mail Aleph Beta has transformed the way countless people engage with the Torah. With animated videos, podcasts, and courses, they’ve made learning not only meaningful but also enjoyable, reaching a diverse audience of Jews and Christians worldwide. In this episode of the Bridge Builders Forum Podcast, Ryan Lambert sits down with Aleph Beta’s CEO, Imu Shalev, to explore the story behind...

Send us Fan Mail Did the Apostle Paul continue to observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, after becoming a follower of Jesus? Many assume the answer is no, that Paul abandoned the Temple, sacrifices, and Jewish holy days. Others claim he reinterpreted Yom Kippur purely through Christ. But the New Testament paints a more complex (and more Jewish) picture of Paul. In this episode...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean to live on purpose? And can ancient Jewish wisdom help anyone, regardless of background, live with greater clarity, direction, and meaning? In this inspiring episode of the Bridge Builders Forum Podcast, Ryan Lambert sits down with Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson, author of On Purpose: Practical Wisdom for Designing a Life of Purpose.  Drawing from the teachings of...

Send us Fan Mail Paul is one of history’s most influential and most misunderstood figures. For centuries, he’s been read as if he left Judaism behind to start a new religion. But what if that picture actually obscures who Paul really was? In this episode of the Bridge Builders Forum Podcast, Ryan Lambert sits down with Dr. Mark Nanos, one of the pioneering voices of the Paul within Judaism perspec...

Send us Fan Mail Romans 11:25–26 contains one of Paul’s most debated statements: “a partial hardening has come upon Israel…and in this way all Israel will be saved.” For centuries, many Christians have understood these verses to mean that Israel has been rejected and must one day be “saved” in the traditional sense of conversion. But is that really what Paul meant? In this episode of Journey with...

Send us Fan Mail What did Jesus really teach about the Jewish Law? In this episode of Bridge Builders Forum, Ryan Lambert talks with Dr. Paul Sloan, author of "Jesus and the Law of Moses," and host of the podcast, "Jesus and the Jewish Law." They uncover common misunderstandings about Jesus and the Torah, explore his first-century context, and reveal fresh insights about the Sa...

Send us Fan Mail Did Paul redefine Israel in Romans 9 or defend Israel’s covenant identity? Romans 9:6 is one of the most debated verses in Paul’s letters. Many Christians read it as proof that “true” Israel is no longer ethnic Israel, but a spiritual category made up only of believers in Jesus. But is that what Paul meant? In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, we dig into Romans 9:1–6...

Send us Fan Mail Are Christians the “Spiritual Jews” Paul Talks About in Romans 2? What does Paul really mean in Romans 2:28–29 when he says, “A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart”? For centuries, this passage has been used to argue that Christians are now the “real” or “spiritual Jews.” But is that what Paul was teaching in Romans 2? In this episode of Journey with the...

Send us Fan Mail What if the Apostle Paul showed up at church this Sunday to deliver a sermon on God’s heart for Israel? In this special episode of Bridge Builders Forum, Ryan Lambert shares a powerful message delivered at The Church at Bushland in Amarillo, Texas. Drawing from Scripture, personal experience, and the Jewish context of Paul’s letters, Ryan invites listeners to rediscover the real P...

Send us Fan Mail What is Galatians really about? Many Christians assume Paul wrote Galatians to declare freedom from the Torah and pronounce Judaism a spiritual dead end. But what if that common interpretation misses the point entirely? In this episode of Journey with the Jewish Paul, we take a fresh look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians and discover that he wasn’t rejecting Judaism or the Torah...

Send us Fan Mail What is the Talmud—and what does it have to do with Jesus, Paul, and the New Testament? In this episode of the Bridge Builders Forum, Ryan Lambert is joined by Dr. Isaac Oliver, a scholar of early Judaism and Christian origins, to explore the true nature of the Talmud and its role in Jewish tradition. Together, they unpack common misconceptions, trace the development of rabbinic l...