Betrayed is the sensitive account of a loving Jewish family caught on divergent prongs of a tragic and historical conflict when the daughter reveals that she has come to believe in Jesus. It is the story of an unusual kind of "healing.
Let me say first that there are those who will not enjoy this book and I understand that. The description of the content will explain this. But I truly like this book.
The book Betrayed tells from Stan Telchin's point of view the story of a father and a family caught in a dilemma that has been faced by families, couples and individuals for 2000 years. Stan Telchin is Jewish. He doesn't think a lot about that, he's not a fanatic. He's not overly religious. Then his daughter whom he loves calls home from school. She's become a Christian.
Stan is devastated. His first gut reaction is "we're Jewish, we can't be Christian!" But, out of love for his daughter and his family he doesn't cause a rift by simply trying to "set his foot down". He sets out to prove she's wrong and that a Jewish person can't, can not also be a Christian. The book follows his study and the events that befell him, his daughter, and his family.
Many of you may have read other reviews by me. If you have, then you may already know that I'm a Christian and from that and the fact that I find the book encouraging, you may intuit how his research went. The book follows a family who each, individually on their own, became Christians. They came to understand that being a Christian does not mean you stop being Jewish. In contact with other Christians and in contact with Messianic Jewish Christians Stan and his family come to an understanding of Christ as the Messiah, the Jewish Messiah they come to understand the opening up of His Messiahship to Gentiles (the rest of human kind). (Once Stan began to accept that Jesus [Joshua in "Hebrew"] may indeed be the promised Messiah his first reaction to the opening of the Gospel [Good News] to the Gentiles was "but He's our Messiah".)Through this and what follows they (Stan's entire family) come to peace with this knowledge of Jesus.
If you are Jewish please don't be offended that I find this book encouraging, I am not trying to convince you of anything. Whether or not you read it is of course up to you.
For you who are Christians, I think you will really enjoy this book and possibly find it deeply moving.
I enjoyed this biography containing the testimony of Stan Telchin. Stan's family are Jewish but his daughter became a Christian at the age of 21 sparking a family crisis. The book tells his own journey of exploration after he is challenged to read the Bible himself and decides to do this.
This is a great book to help Christians understand some aspects of Jewish culture. It particularly will be helpful in relating to those who have grown up in Western countries and retain their traditions but have no interest in their religious roots.
I learned a lot from reading this and would use it as an evangelistic tool for a Jewish friend or neighbour who has yet to accept Jesus as Messiah.
This was such an interesting read! Although I’m not the most religious person, I have a strong appreciation for it and it’s history and this book captured that so well and so clearly. It’s raised so many questions about the links of the Abrahamic religions, the impact of bloody history on modern day religious culture and how little we truly know about other people’s beliefs.
Religion is meant to be one of the controversial topics not to be discussed publicly, this books brings the question of whether it shouldn’t be and we should talk about it more often.
An extremely interesting autobiographical memoir of a Jewish man who became obsessed with coming up with the proof to show his daughter what a mistake it is to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The entire family is devastated by her decision and each goes on their own journey to show her she's wrong. One by one they each come to a conclusion none of them anticipated.
I was led to this book after reading Lee Strobel's Case for Christ, in which he mentioned this book. As some one who is interested in evangelism to Jews and Muslims, this raw and insightful testimony, not just of Stan but also of his first wife Ethel, follows a very common pattern of how Jews have been led to accept Yeshua as their Messiah. An inspiring read and one that is quite easy to get through. I'm now on to the sequel Abandoned, which is a more detailed read.
I read this book because I know a man who is Jewish who has been in our Christian Bible study group for a number of years now. He has slowly - ever so slowly - incresed his participation in the group, but to date has not accepted Christ.
I met a man on The Walk to Emmaus last year who was born and raised in a Jewish family - but is now a Christian. We talked for a bit and he than recommended that I read this book - for the story and some insights into the Jewish community.
The story is Stan Telchin's story as a converted Jew.
Stan was a highly successful business man and literally a pillar in his community. He served on boards of different Jewish organizations.
His eldest daughter went off to college and there through some volunteer work met a man who was a Christian. She was not seeking any change in her religion, but as things go, they did discuss the Bible and their respective faiths. He responded to questions, but eventually suggested that she spend some time reading the Bible, then they would talk more. She did that.
It is important to note that she was not in any personal crisis when she accepted Christ(as was the case with me). I do not want to give any more away at this point.
She called her father on the phone and read a letter she had written to him explaining all of what had happened to her and her change in faith. His reaction was as one might expect. He was then determined to do his own research to refute all that his daughter had told him.
The outcome of this story is simply amazing and heart warming.
Great personal story and provided me with some new insights on how God will work in a person's life as well as a new appreciation for the Jewish faith and how rich it truly is.
The bookis only 124 pages long and is a quick read.
If you liked Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, I believe you’ll also enjoy this book. Stan Telchin, a Jew, and his family feel betrayed when his daughter, Judy, shares her new belief in Jesus as the messiah. Stan and his wife, Ethel, set out to read the Bible to disprove Judy. Their research into Jewish history, the Tenach, and the Bible led them to ask themselves deep questions like “Do I believe in God?� And “Is Jesus the messiah.?�
It was a quick read. I enjoyed learning more about Jewish history, beliefs, and perspectives. I knew Christianity came from Judaism but didn’t realize historically how deep the divide between Jews and Christians was. I was inspired by Stan’s deep dive into his research. It made me want to spend more time in the Word so I can be more confident in knowing what I believe. More than that, it reminded me to do something with the time, talent, knowledge, and energy God has given me.
A very quick read. The author describes his journey as a Jewish father to the news that his daughter has become a Christian while in college. Through his own study, he becomes a Christian, as does his whole immediate family. I didn't find that the book had a lot of detail about his Jewish beliefs and the depths of his studies, perhaps because he was more of a cultural Jew rather than an orthodox one.
Summary: Jewish father Stan Telchin was not prepared for the announcement he received from his daughter Judy: she had become a Christian. Instead of immediately arguing with her, he knew the only way to bring Judy back to the truth was to study Christianity and prove to her that Jesus was not Messiah.
My thoughts: There was just a little something missing. It was a good book, but it could have been even better and more powerful. I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like something could have been added � for example more detail about the rest of his family’s experiences, and maybe even a bit more about why he was convinced that Christianity was true. I really liked learning about the Jewish culture. I guess I always thought I knew quite a bit, but this book opened my eyes to how little I really knew. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to tell family and friends that they had accepted Jesus as Messiah � that would be considered blasphemy! There was one thing I found really cool: they decided to each investigate Christianity on their own and not talk to each other about it so they made their own choices and not just go with one person’s ideas. But they all were convinced individually that Christianity was true and Jesus was Messiah. It was really cool to see how God worked it all out. Theirs is a true story of how God treats those who really seek Him. This family just wanted to know the truth and they ended up finding Him! The story was very interesting and I would definitely recommend this book!
An outstanding read which I completed in a single day. Would have had 5 stars had the last chapters been as detailed as the rest.
Stan was a successful Jewish businessman whose world was rocked when his eldest daughter announced that she now believed Jesus is the Messiah. The insights into jewish life were intriguing. I was genuinely amazed to discover that this man, so strong in his cultural traditions had never even read the Old Testament which is fundamental to all that culture rests on. He had never considered the historical realities and facts surrounding Jesus and, in an all-out effort to disprove his daughter's new faith found himself having to face some difficult truths that changed the whole family.
A fascinating glimpse into Jewish life which aroused my empathy and served to illuminate a culture which seems (at least featured here) to have largely forgotten the book from which it is derived and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who it claims to honour.
This book tells an interesting story in an orderly way and gives excellent reference points of why most of the jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah. It is a incredible account of someone who has being shown the light of Jesus and has being given a spiritual life that Jesus promises to anyone who trusts in Him, which is lacking in Jewish lives. From beginning to end, from his personal background to the truth of the Gospel that is discussed, it is a captivating book. There was in one instance, however, that I’d wished he had given a little bit more detail when he said that the “early church fathers turned the church away from the Jewish people.� It would have helped if he had explained who he is referring to as the early church fathers were because I thought they were Jesus� disciples. Other than that it was a great book.
This book is interesting, to say the least. Even after reading this conversion story, I remain a bit baffled by the persistent "Jewish identity" issue, especially after wrestling with and resisting "labels" put on me in my personal life. See Galatians 3:28 That said, the last paragraph of chapter 16 is what will stay with me as most important: "Having made our decision from deep within our hearts, Ethel and I say to Jew and Gentile alike- Shalom, as we wish you freedom from all fears and moral conflicts; freedom from strife and from stress; good health and prosperity with all of your personal and spiritual needs met as you enjoy God's rest."
I read this all today! I couldn’t put it down. I cried tears of joy at how God revealed Himself to this family. I appreciate the authors honestly in what he thought and felt when told his daughter had become a believer and his search to read scripture to prove she was wrong. I’ve read so many stories of people who read the scripture to prove faith in God and His son Jesus is nothing but fairytales, but instead end up believing what they set out to disprove. God will reveal Himself if we honestly seek Him!
This was recommended to me as I have questions about the segregation of faiths and the fact that Jesus was a Jew and there is such a divide between Catholics and Jews. This was not what I thought it would be. It is Stan's journey to understand Jesus as a Jewish man but it's confusing. It's not about how his family came to the acceptance that his daughter did, it's very "reference" to me. It's hard to explain but it felt more like a textbook than a story. I passed it on to a friend and she had the same response. I was just glad it was only 139 pages.
I got this book at a church event and it surprisingly interests me when I started to read. It is very personal, historical and spiritual. I love the book how it articulates so well about the struggles, the wonders and the searching. I learned about a real Jewish view of Christianity and why he would feel betrayed at the very beginning. I would love to recommend the book to anyone who is interested in Christianity and history.
I have often wondered why many Jews do not take Jesus as their savior. This book explains why and why they should. After reading it my faith in Jesus is strengthened. I wish all Jewish people would read this wonderful book. There would be many more Jewish people who would become Christians.
Any book recommended by Lee Strobel is worthy of your time, and this jewel is great. Enjoy the story of how a successful businessman’s college daughter challenged he and his wife to consider the claims of Christ, and read about the resulting three-month self study that culminated in becoming Messianic Jews, a pastor, and a writer. Old dogs can learn new tricks!
An old, but informative and interesting book telling the story of a Jewish family's struggle to accept it when one of their daughters declares her faith in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. No spoilers so I will only say that I found this a very thought-provoking little book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the subject matter.
Awesome book! Great insights on a deeply personal level from someone who genuinely seeked the truth of God, and let the evidence point him to the truth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, and of the world!
I have never read a book that gave me such an understanding of the issues for Jews believing Jesus Christ is the Messiah. As a believer myself and a Gentile I learned so much about biblical history and the Jewish history in the Bible.
After a determined and diligent search for God, Stan Telchin , without a doubt found Him. In finding out that Jesus is his Messiah, he found out who he really was meant to be. Hallelujah!
Really helped me understand how Jews view Jesus and Christianity. They have a concept of God and Jesus that is surprising. Easy to read biography that I really enjoyed. Helps me view the Bible with new eyes.
A simply written narrative of a father's investigation into the new faith his daughter had professed, giving insight into Jewish history and culture as well as religious expectations.