Book Review: The Next Great Move of God: Christians Returning to Their Hebraic Roots

Book Details:
Title: The Next Great Move of God: Christians Returning to Their Hebraic Roots
Author: Dr. LaSalle R. Vaughn
2009, VMI Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-935265-05-4

Book Summary (from the back cover):
Find the key to godly success in faith, family, finances, and fellowship with Him. Most Christians have understood the topic of salvation, but have never contemplated the Jewishness of Jesus. Understanding the culture in which Jesus lived will help you properly interpret the Bible. The Next Great Move of God: Christians Returning to Their Hebraic Roots with open your eyes to the Jewish world of Jesus. This profound book reveals that the Christian life is much more than salvation; it's a lifestyle of obedience to the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
You've received God's salvation ... but find yourself frustrated and struggling in certain areas of your life. You're newfound obedience to previously hidden meanings in the Scriptures will transform your life.

My Review:
To be honest, when I first started reading this book, I thought the author was way off and I was not sure I wanted to continue reading it. I'm not a Bible scholar and there is a lot of scripture quoted in this book. At first I wasn't sure if I would be able to tell if the author was interpreting the quoted scripture references correctly or if he was bending it to his needs.

As I continued on though, I was really interested in the topic and felt that he had a lot of good information in it. The way he writes is very simple and easy-to-read even considering all the scripture that is quoted in it.

A couple of the chapters I found most interesting and why...
Chapter Two - Returning to the Ancient Paths
This chapter discusses:
-The Salt Covenant
-The Shema (one of the daily Jewish prayers)
-The Midnight Prayer

Chapter Three - Symbols of Our Faith
-The Word of God
-The Ark of the Covenant
-The Menorah
-The Shofar
-The Tallit
This chapter discusses a lot about the Torah, the Hebrew language, and common Jewish symbols. Although I found parts of this chapter confusing (mostly the language parts), the rest of it was very interesting. As a Christian we read and know about some of these symbols, but I don't think really understand what they were (and ARE) used for in the Jewish faith.

Chapter Four - Understanding the Times
This chapter talks about some of the Jewish festivals and holidays that the author feels are still valid for Christians. He explains what these days were for and why they are still important.
-Rosh Hashanah
-Yom Kippur
-Sukkoth

Overall, I thought this was a very good book. Even if you do not agree with all the points that the author makes in his book, it is very thought-provoking and you could spend a lot of time researching all the scripture that he quotes throughout the book. It really made me think about things like keeping the Sabbath, why we don't practice more of the Jewish feasts and holidays and other ponderings like this. I will probaby be thinking about these things for awhile.

It is interesting to learn the meanings behind some of the major Jewish holidays and symbols. I think it is important for those of us who are Christians to understand the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith whether or not you agree with this authors assumptions that you should be integrating some of the Jewish traditions into it.

I also think this would make a good book for a group discussion for a study group.

Note: I was provided a copy of The Next Great Move of God from Bring It On Publications in exchange for my honest review. All opinions in this post and on this blog are my own.