Bridge Builders Forum

06/02/2026

Here’s a brief excerpt from the forthcoming Olive Tree Affirmations book:

"If the Church does not gain clarity about its relationship to the Jewish people, it risks repeating past mistakes and losing sight of something central to its own story, its Scriptures, and its calling.

Questions about Israel, antisemitism, and Jewish-Christian relationships are no longer theoretical. They are showing up in sermons, classrooms, and everyday conversations. Many Christians want to respond, but they lack a clear vision and vocabulary."

I believe this is one of the most important challenges facing the Church today.

Many Christians genuinely want to stand against antisemitism and build healthier relationships with the Jewish people. But good intentions are not enough. Greater theological clarity and language are needed to sustain those commitments. That's one of the key challenges the Olive Tree Campaign seeks to address.

In this week's special episode, I share an update on the Olive Tree Campaign, discuss why this work is so urgent, and outline some practical ways you can get involved!

🎧👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000770732799

📺👉https://youtu.be/pC2DDzJ1ujQ?si=scrxc67wwO_lXCt_

In this special episode of Bridge Builders Forum, Ryan Lambert prov...

05/29/2026

When Did the Separation Between Judaism and Christianity Become Hostility?

In this clip, Dr. Anders Runesson explains how, beginning in the second century and accelerating in the third and fourth centuries, Christian identity was increasingly shaped by defining itself over against Judaism.

Drawing on the concept of “othering,” Anders argues that Christian theology often taught believers not only what they believed, but also what they were not: Jews. This pattern would have profound consequences for Jewish-Christian relations and the development of replacement theology.

This conversation explores how Paul’s message was received after his lifetime and why these historical developments continue to matter today.

📺full episode part 1👉 https://youtu.be/qXAh-g_LHGg?si=wV42mfascWV9msLK
📺full episode part 2👉 https://youtu.be/eNWVVxg6bck?si=aHN3CXaD4iA4IjNV

05/27/2026

Did Paul want to create separation between Jews and Gentiles—or unity?

In this clip, Dr. Anders Runesson explains why Paul’s vision was not about abolishing Torah or erasing Jewish identity, but about bringing Gentiles into worship of the God of Israel as Gentiles alongside the Jewish people.

📺full episode 👉 https://youtu.be/eNWVVxg6bck?si=rLr20MrWLTaXRUxw
🎧full episode 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000769608735

05/26/2026

Part 2 of our conversation with New Testament scholar Dr. Anders Runesson is now available.

In this episode, we discuss:

Did Paul intend to “part the ways” between Judaism and Christianity?
What did he mean by his “rule in all the ekklesiai”?
And was the hostility that later developed between Jews and Christians inevitable?

We also discuss the “Paul within Judaism” perspective and why these conversations matter not only historically, but for Jewish-Christian relationships today.

🎧👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000769608735

📺👉https://youtu.be/eNWVVxg6bck?si=AxGf9IWMLQZi8-Ac

In Part 2 of this conversation, Ryan Lambert continues his discussion with New Testament scholar Dr. Anders Runesson about his book Judaism for Gentiles.Buil...

05/24/2026

Was there only one form of Judaism in Paul’s world?

In this clip, New Testament scholar Anders Runesson explains why scholars today increasingly speak about the “varieties” of Judaism in the first century—and how what he and Mark Nanos call “apostolic Judaism” fits within that larger Jewish landscape.

📺full episode 👉 https://youtu.be/qXAh-g_LHGg?si=vgwBdGGu1haWbVPo
🎧full episode 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000768528166

05/20/2026

According to New Testament scholar Dr. Anders Runesson, Paul was not creating a “third entity” separate from Judaism. Instead, Paul remained Jewish and promoted a form of Judaism specifically for Gentiles.

In this clip, Anders explains the core idea behind his influential book “Judaism for Gentiles” and why this perspective challenges many common assumptions about Paul, Judaism, and early Christianity.

📺full episode 👉 https://youtu.be/qXAh-g_LHGg?si=s_UhkIFHg_wCe-R0
🎧full episode 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000768528166

05/19/2026

This week, we had the privilege of sitting down with an excellent scholar on ancient Judaism, Christianity, and the New Testament, Dr. Anders Runesson. I must say, I (Ryan) had a great time with this conversation! Anders and I covered so much that we decided to break this conversation into two parts.

This week, in part one, we explore ideas that help us rethink our understanding of Paul, ancient synagogues, the word “church,” and even the origins of Christianity itself. Drawing from his book Judaism for Gentiles, Anders introduces concepts such as “apostolic Judaism” and helps us imagine what life may have been like for Gentile participants in the early Jesus movement.

If you have ever wondered whether our modern categories for “Judaism” and “Christianity” fit the first-century world as neatly as we often assume, you’ll find this conversation deeply thought-provoking!

🎧👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000768528166

📺👉https://youtu.be/qXAh-g_LHGg?si=VLct7-hPwugAuYe_

Paul is one of the most influential figures in human history. He is also one of the most misunderstood.For many people, Paul is remembered as the person who ...

05/15/2026

What if Paul was not trying to move people away from Torah—but instead trying to help Gentiles live in relationship with the God of Israel as Gentiles?

In this clip, Ryan Lambert explains how Paul applied the principles and commandments of the Torah to non-Jewish followers of Jesus without requiring them to become Jews through circumcision.

Ryan also discusses why the common idea that Paul “used to be a Pharisee” may fundamentally misunderstand Paul’s identity and mission.

These are critical components in reframing Paul not as an opponent of the Torah, the Pharisees, or Judaism… but rather as a Jewish teacher who was persuaded that a new era had begun that called for a groundbreaking and deeply controversial mission to the nations.

📺full conversation 👉 https://youtu.be/2q-iTincoxo?si=PKQaX4J76r_fOzot
🎧full conversation 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000767348204

05/15/2026

"At the heart of Jewish faith is Jerusalem, the holy city whose name is peace. Has a people ever loved a city so deeply for so long?"

– Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l

For Yom Yerushalayim, delve into Rabbi Sacks' teachings on Jerusalem and what the city meant to him at https://rabbisacks.org/jewish-holidays/yom-yerushalayim/

05/13/2026

In this clip, Ryan Lambert uses a Beatles analogy to explain one of the major differences between the “New Perspective on Paul” and the “Paul within Judaism” approach.

This conversation (on the Water into Wine podcast) gets to the heart of why recovering the Jewish context of Paul matters…not only for understanding the New Testament, but also for healthier Jewish-Christian relations today.

📺full episode 👉 https://youtu.be/2q-iTincoxo?si=PpvnepbEtwR0EkZ0
🎧full episode 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridge-builders-forum/id1758806969?i=1000767348204