Book of the Month - September 2025
Engaging with Jewish People
Randy Newman - ISBN: 978-1784980528 - 2016
Author:
Randy Newman
Randy Newman is the Senior Fellow for Evangelism and Apologetics at The C. S. Lewis Institute in the Washington, DC area. He is also an adjunct faculty at Talbot School of Theology and Patrick Henry College. After serving for over 30 years with Campus Crusade for Christ, he established Connection Points, a ministry to help Christians engage people's hearts the way Jesus did. He has written three books and numerous articles about evangelism and other ways our lives intertwine with God's creation. He and his wife Pam live in Annandale, VA and have three grown sons and one delightful daughter-in-law. Randy blogs at connectionpoints.us. (Added by me: Randy Newman passed on May 23, 2024 from complications related to his heart.)
Brief Synopsis:
Many Christians are fearful of engaging in conversations about their faith with Jewish people knowing that there are complex issues and suspicions that lie deep beneath the surface. And yet there are many points of contact, and much common ground.
This short book is designed to help both Christians and whole churches understand more about the variety of Jewish people we might work with, meet or know, and to reach out to them with the good news of the gospel. Written at a level that everyone can understand, this book emphasizes the importance of forming loving, honest and open relationships as part of the way we engage with our Jewish friends.
Insights:
The Jewish Mindset, at its best, looks simultaneously backwards and forwards. For example, every year at Passover, we retell the story of God’s miraculous deliverance of his people from slavery. … We end every Seder (Passover meal) with the words, “Next year in Jerusalem,” a shorthand reference to the time when the Messiah comes to set up his kingdom on earth.
First, Christianity is very Jewish. The New Testament was written by Jewish people, initially for a predominantly Jewish Audience, trying to sort out how Jesus’ words and actions fitted with the Jewish scripture that came before him.
By now, you may realize you should assume a certain level of resistance to the good news from Jewish People. Your gospel presentation or preliminary conversations about Jesus may get some pushback. Your attitude toward them can either pave the way toward belief or add thickness to already constructed walls. Jude’s admonition to “be merciful to those who doubt” (vs 22) applies to those outside the household of faith as well as strugglers within. Ask God for kindness in tone of voice as well as clarity in expression of words.
Should I read it or skip it?
I never had the chance to meet Randy Newman before his passing, and I wish I had. He was well known and respected in the Messianic Jewish community, and his voice continues to bless many even after he is gone.
In Engaging with Jewish People, Randy does what few can—he speaks honestly about the challenges of sharing the gospel with Jewish friends while still encouraging us to step into those conversations with love. He doesn’t offer canned answers or quick fixes. Instead, he helps us slow down, listen carefully, and remember that people aren’t projects. They’re people made in God’s image, deeply loved by Him.
What struck me most is the balance he keeps. He’s faithful to Scripture and clear about the uniqueness of Yeshua as Messiah. Still, he’s also sensitive to the wounds Jewish people often carry from history and from encounters with Christians. That combination of truth and grace makes this book stand out.
I’d recommend this book to pastors, missionaries, or anyone who wants to understand better how to talk with Jewish people about Jesus. More than that, it’s a reminder of Randy’s legacy—a man who loved his people, loved the gospel, and taught others how to bring the two together.
