D. Thomas Lancaster is Director of Education at First Fruits of Zion, editor of Messiah Magazine, and author of the Torah Club commentaries and several books and study programs. He is also the pastor of Beth Immanuel Messianic Synagogue in Hudson, WI.
I learned so much this year with Unrolling the Scroll and the other resources they used in the audio section (Jot and Tittle workbook and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself by Rabbi Plishkin). It is Torah 101 and much more. I realized that I had to read Biblical Hebrew so that I could read the Scriptures for myself. Holy Language Institute has helped me to accomplish that goal, although I still have a lot to learn. I am on to Shadows of the Messiah next on this wonderful journey to learn more about my Messiah Yeshua, the Torah made flesh.
I have completed three years of FFOZ's Torah Club, starting in fall 2020. Daniel Lancaster (the main teacher) has a weird mixture of thinking in his brain, having been raised by devout fundamentalist christian parents, yet by all appearances he is attempting to live indistinguishably from a jew. Okay. So far just a little weird (beyond ordinary Messianic stuff).
But ask him where he got his theological training. Ask ANYONE at FFOZ where they got their theological training.
They teach authoritatively as if they just KNOW things, because they are jewish (or pretending to be). But they are missing significant chunks of basic, foundational biblical understanding, incorporating ALL of Scripture. I'm talking about Theology Proper 101, as in, "Who is God?" (Do not dare to attempt to discuss the Trinity with them.) The language they put in their doctrinal statement all sounds orthodox. It is NOT how they think or operate day to day.
They have a litany of rules their students are supposed to comply with. Do they, the FFOZ leaders, apply any of these rules to themselves? Nope. They have no accountability. And there is no avenue for raising any concerns with them. Believe me, I tried. Their solution? Threw me out of the club without any attempt to answer any questions. (I was allowed back in, but had to pay for extra months I didn't want.)
They claim their club leaders are "approved." They don't know their leaders (ok maybe a few of them that live near them), and there certainly is no screening process. It is Mad Max theology, just know it going in, so you will have an idea that anything can (and probably will) go wrong.
FFOZ doesn't have to be this way, if they would just put themselves under ordinary third-party scrutiny, like all legit organizations, they could avoid all these problems. But they are very proud and sure of themselves. They think they are very discerning, but it is painful how much they don't even realize they don't know. They react with 100% certainty that you must simply be a horrible person if you aren't 100% happy with them all the time. Customer service? Who, them? They feel it is utterly beneath them to be asked to deliver on their promises, or line up with their doctrinal statement. Let alone follow the same rules they impose on you.
Alternative Messianic organizations that do better? There are so many. One for Israel. Jews for Jesus. Ariel Ministries. And on and on. These are proven, balanced, REAL organizations.
Stay away from FFOZ, Torah Club, and their leaders. They are bent on an agenda that they seem very sure is from God, yet in their meetings they sound just like a garden variety marketing scheme. (Money and numbers are the bottom lines.)
I have to say I don't see them walking by the Spirit at all, and I don't think they even have any clue what that means. They certainly don't have the Lordship of Christ in their lives, because they see him as messiah and future king, but not as Lord. What they want is your money and allegiance by supporting them in living out their Torah-esque dream lives (that's where their self-righteousness comes in). Please don't encourage that.
Oh, and I also own 'Unrolling the Scroll'--a waste of money.
I have completed three years of FFOZ's Torah Club, starting in fall 2020. Daniel Lancaster (the main teacher) has a weird mixture of thinking in his brain, having been raised by devout fundamentalist christian parents, yet by all appearances he is attempting to live indistinguishably from a jew. Okay. So far just a little weird (beyond ordinary Messianic stuff).
But ask him where he got his theological training. Ask ANYONE at FFOZ where they got their theological training.
They teach authoritatively as if they just KNOW things, because they are jewish (or pretending to be). But they are missing significant chunks of basic, foundational biblical understanding, incorporating ALL of Scripture. I'm talking about Theology Proper 101, as in, "Who is God?" (Do not dare to attempt to discuss the Trinity with them.) The language they put in their doctrinal statement all sounds orthodox. It is NOT how they think or operate day to day.
They have a litany of rules their students are supposed to comply with. Do they, the FFOZ leaders, apply any of these rules to themselves? Nope. They have no accountability. And there is no avenue for raising any concerns with them. Believe me, I tried. Their solution? Threw me out of the club without any attempt to answer any questions. (I was allowed back in, but had to pay for extra months I didn't want.)
They claim their club leaders are "approved." They don't know their leaders (ok maybe a few of them that live near them), and there certainly is no screening process. It is Mad Max theology, just know it going in, so you will have an idea that anything can (and probably will) go wrong.
FFOZ doesn't have to be this way, if they would just put themselves under ordinary third-party scrutiny, like all legit organizations, they could avoid all these problems. But they are very proud and sure of themselves. They think they are very discerning, but it is painful how much they don't even realize they don't know. They react with 100% certainty that you must simply be a horrible person if you aren't 100% happy with them all the time. Customer service? Who, them? They feel it is utterly beneath them to be asked to deliver on their promises, or line up with their doctrinal statement. Let alone follow the same rules they impose on you.
Alternative Messianic organizations that do better? There are so many. One for Israel. Jews for Jesus. Ariel Ministries. And on and on. These are proven, balanced, REAL organizations.
Stay away from FFOZ, Torah Club, and their leaders. They are bent on an agenda that they seem very sure is from God, yet in their meetings they sound just like a garden variety marketing scheme. (Money and numbers are the bottom lines.)
I have to say I don't see them walking by the Spirit at all, and I don't think they even have any clue what that means. They certainly don't have the Lordship of Christ in their lives, because they see him as messiah and future king, but not as Lord. What they want is your money and allegiance by supporting them in living out their Torah-esque dream lives (that's where their self-righteousness comes in). Please don't encourage that.
Oh, and I own 'Unrolling the Scroll'--a waste of money.