One of the controversial things about pursuing ordination is that it really is a calling for folks who believe the Torah to be true. That gets harder and harder for some as we see fewer genuine believers and more intellectuals ordained. It’s also harder in the face of what is generally presented as “scientific fact” by unbelieving archaeologists and other scientists.

Listen to those who don’t believe for long, and there’s not much in the Torah they would claim is fictionalized. But archeology is not the type of science that can really, ultimately disprove anything; the only two conclusions archaeologists can legitimately reach are, 1) We have found evidence that supports the Biblical claims, or, 2) We have not yet found evidence in support of the Biblical claims.

Now, that’s a controversial statement. After all, folks like Israel Finklestein would argue that the lack of evidence constitutes a proof that something didn’t happen. For example, in his work, he claims that there was no city of Jerusalem at the time of David and Solomon. But the basis for his claim is a lack of evidence, not strong dispositive evidence. It all comes down to an archaeological precept upon which their whole science is built … layering. But that’s a discussion for another time.

The point is, the problem with making “this never happened” statements in archeology is that quite often, someone will discover that they were looking in the wrong place, and once they look somewhere else, there is plenty of positive evidence and theories have to be completely rewritten and thrown out, while over the course of centuries, the Torah has remained both consistent and largely not disproven, only doubted for a while.

Recently, I discovered a book that is both solid from a scientific standpoint, as well as being a real faith-builder when it comes to the historicity of the Torah. That book is The Exodus Case by Dr. Lennart Moller. It’s a book I’ve studied and will continue to study for some time to come; the theories it presents are fascinating, though not without controversy. And the man is humble enough to admit his book presents a possible theory, not 100-percent guaranteed proof.

As I was making my way through the Torah portion this week, my mind turned back to the book. We’re going through the life of Yosef, the favored son of Yaakov, who, it is said, was sold into slavery in Egypt, rose to be second-in-command only to Pharoah himself, and saved his family from a great famine and likely annihiliation.

Moller’s theory is that Yosef had a real place in Egyptian history, and makes a solid case for him to be a rather famous figure: Imhotep. Now, at first blush, it’s a hard one to swallow. After all, Imhotep was a figure of vast importance in Egyptian history, and volumes have been written about him, all assuming he was Egyptian. That’s a lot of scholarship to fly in the face of.

But Moller lays out reams of intriguing parallels, including (but certainly not limited to):

1) Imhotep was a minister of the pharaoh of lower Egypt. That fits the role Yosef played.

2) Imhotep was “foremost under the king.” Yosef is said to be second only in power and authority to pharaoh.

3) Imhotep was believed to be a priest in Heliopolis; Yosef is said to have married the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis and it is not unlikely that he inherited that title through marriage.

4) Both were active during seven years of plenty and seven years of famine, and both were said to have predicted it according to the dreams of pharaoh.

5) Both die at the precise age of 110.

These are just five of at least 27 points of parallel outlined in Moller’s book. The whole proposition makes me want to study more deeply into the life of Imhotep, to see if such a theory could hold water alongside prior scholarship on the life of Imhotep.

One thing both Imhotep and Yosef were is builders. Yosef is known, at the very least, to have built storehouses for the grain collected during the time of plenty, in preparation for the time of famine. And Imhotep is known to have been a great builder, creating the first-ever cut-stone pyramid in Egyptian history.

While not going so far as to say that Yosef/Imhotep sat around Egypt offering up house painting ideas like the house painting pros at CertaPro, it is nevertheless an interesting parallel to draw on. With 27 or more points of parallel, it’s at least a theory worthy of serious consideration. Imagine what fun it would be to discover it’s true! Not only did Yosef exist, but he was a substantial and known figure in Egyptian history! Food for thought.

I know this story has some age on it now, especially in the whiz-bang world of the Web, but a week or two ago, the leaders of the conservative Jewish movement in America got together and decided that it was OK for them to ordain gay rabbis and perform same-sex union ceremonies.

Hey, they’re not the first to do it and likely won’t be the last. Many “mainline” Christian denominations have been doing it for decades. But that makes it no less disappointing. You would think folks who take Torah seriously would know a bit more about, well, the Torah. Because as part of their declaration, these leaders said they found nothing in Torah that would forbid it.

I guess they missed the part of the Torah called… the Torah. For example:

You are not to go to bed with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination. Vayikra (Leviticus) 18:22 (CJV/Stern)

Or, even more explicitly:

If a man goes to bed with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they must be put to death; their blood is on them. Vayikra (Leviticus) 20:13 (CJV/Stern)

Now, no one is suggesting the death penalty for homosexuals or lesbians. The penalty was a command of haShem specifically for Jews living in the land of Israel at that time. We live in a more tolerant age.

But does tolerance always have to mean surrendering all values and giving oneself over to the ways of the world? I support “live and let live” as a guiding principle of life, but that doesn’t mean we must throw the Torah out completely.

The Torah represents a minimum standard of behavior necessary to find a lack of condemnation in the eyes of haShem. We should all be striving to live above and beyond that minimum standard, as did Yeshua. So I just don’t get where anyone can look at the Torah and say there’s nothing in it that conflicts with so-called “gay marriage” and “gay ordination.” The fact is, the Torah does conflict with it. If one chooses to ignore the Torah, fine… but be honest about it.

Of course, it’s somewhat easy to pick on the gay and lesbian community; it helps people of deep faith in haShem, his messiah Yeshua and the Torah avoid looking at their own sin. The point is, none of us should ever grow so complacent in our sin that we demand to be accepted… even ordained… in spite of it. While many of us, gay or straight, have sins we have given up on or let slide in our lives, the call of the Torah is to stand by its truths even when it makes us personally uncomfortable.

For it is when we are uncomfortable that we become aware of the sin in us, the ways we fall short of haShem’s perfect standard, and thus, our need for Yeshua. Only through struggle and repentance, though, can we work toward holiness … not through excuse-making, no matter what sin we struggle with.

When I was growing up in a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod home in southern Minnesota, there was no way I could have foreseen where I am today. As I write this first post, I have begun the process of learning Hebrew and am looking forward to the new year, 2007, when I will begin a two-year process of training to possibly become a messianic rabbi … or messianic minister, if you prefer.

It’s been a long journey. My religious convictions began to change in college, when I became “born again” through Campus Crusade for Christ. After trying to stay in the LCMS but finding it incompatible with my new beliefs, I floated for many years, trying new churches on for size.

I’ve attending everything from Assembly of God to Evengelical Free to Southern Baptists and General Baptist Conference to Christian Missionary Alliance Churches. They were all pleasant, all part of a growing experience, but none felt like home.

Until I came across the messianic movement. I’ve been a Torah-observant follower of Messiah Yeshua for around seven or eight years now. It hasn’t always been easy. But now that I find myself headed down this path of possibly becoming ordained someday, I really wanted a place to put down my thoughts on the matter, whether they relate to that journey or seem to stray way off topic.

Come along with me! I’m sure I’ll write plenty more in the years ahead.