Michael L. Brown

Michael L. Brown
Born	(1955-03-16) March 16, 1955 New York, New York
Residence	Charlotte, North Carolina
Nationality	American
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Author, speaker, radio host, professor
Spouse(s)	Nancy Gurian Conway Brown (married 1977)
Website	www.askdrbrown.org

Michael L. Brown (born 1955) is an American Messianic Jew, radio host, conservative and author. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Line of Fire, airs throughout the United States. He is also president and professor of practical theology at Fellowship for International Revival and Evangelism School of Ministry. He has also served as adjunct professor of Old Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois and adjunct professor of Jewish apologetics at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission. He has contributed to the Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion, and the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament.

Career

He received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University. He has held visiting or adjunct positions at several seminaries. He was a leader in the Brownsville Revival from 1996 until the board of directors voted him out in 2000. He started the FIRE School of Ministry in 2001. In 2005 he founded ICN Ministries, an organization focused on bringing spiritual revival and repentance to Israel, the Church, and the Nations where he serves as director.

Debates

He debated with Shmuley Boteach about the compatibility of a belief in Jesus and Judaism. He also debated with Tovia Singer, Moshe Otero, J. Immanuel Schochet and David Blumofe on the same issue.

In 2010, he debated with Bart Ehrman about whether the Bible provides an answer to the problem of pain and suffering.

Theological views

Brown believes in libertarian free will, holding to an Arminian soteriology. He has debated Bruce Bennett and James White on the role of free will in salvation. He is also a continuationist, believing that the New Testament spiritual gifts have not ceased. He has written Authentic Fire as a response to John F. MacArthur's book Strange Fire. He has also debated with Sam Waldron, Phil Johnson, and James White on this issue.

Stance towards homosexuality

He has been controversial for some of his actions regarding homosexuality. He has argued that a gay Evangelical Christian is akin to a traditional Catholic who denies the legitimacy of the papal office, or an Orthodox Jew who believes that pork is kosher. He also states that no new textual, archeological, sociological, anthropological, nor philological discoveries that have been made in the last fifty years that would cause the interpretation of the biblical texts regarding homosexuality differently. He argues that nothing has changed in terms of what is stated in the Bible, which is why almost no one through the centuries has thought to use the Bible to sanction homosexual relationships until recently, and this is the result of the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Some of his actions in the Charlotte, North Carolina area have drawn criticism from members of the LGBTQ media, who criticized him marching in protest at the 2011 Pride Charlotte Festival. He has debated Eric Smaw and Harry Knox on homosexuality and its relationship to Christianity. He has also appeared on the Piers Morgan program. Because of his stances on homosexuality, he has been profiled extensively to be among the groups and leaders that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers to be hate groups. In September 2012, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report named Brown among "30 New Activists Heading Up the Radical Right." He has also said in debate with Harry Knox that gays should be treated with respect and dignity.

Publications

In addition to his own publications, he has contributed to several publications including Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion and Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. He contributed a chapter to The Gospel According to Isaiah 53: Encountering the Suffering Servant in ... about the Jewish view of the "Suffering Servant" based on his heritage and belief that Jesus is the Messiah. His most prominent academic publication is the commentary on Jeremiah in the Expositor's Bible Commentary series.

• Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message (2014) ISBN 978-1621365891
• The Real Kosher Jesus: Revealing the Mysteries of the Hidden Messiah (2012) ISBN 978-1621360070
• 60 Questions Christians Ask About Jewish Beliefs and Practices (2011) ISBN 978-0800795047
• A Queer Thing Happened to America: And What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been (2011) ISBN 978-0615406091
• Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: General and Historical Objections, Vol. 1 (2000) ISBN 978-0801060632 Baker Books
• Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Theological Objections Vol. 2 (2000) ISBN 978-0801063343 Baker Books
• Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Messianic Prophecy Objections, Vol. 3 (2003) ISBN 978-0801064234 Baker Books
• Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: New Testament Objections: Vol. 4 (2006) ISBN 978-0801064265
• Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus:Traditional Jewish Objections Vol 5 (2010) ISBN 978-1881022862
• It's Time to Rock the Boat (1993) ISBN 978-1560431060
• How Saved Are We? (1990) ISBN 978-1560430551
• Go And Sin No More: A Call To Holiness (1999) ISBN 978-0615730196
• Israel's Divine Healer (1995) ISBN 978-0310200291
• A Time For Holy Fire: Preparing the Way for Divine Visitation (2008) ISBN 978-0981530413
• What Do Jewish People Think about Jesus?: And Other Questions Christians Ask about Jewish Beliefs, Practices, and History (2007) ISBN 978-0800794262
• The Revival Answer Book (2001) ISBN 978-0830726417
• The End of the American Gospel Enterprise (1993) ISBN 978-1560430025
• Revolution!: The Call to Holy War (2000) ISBN 978-0830726400
• Let No One Deceive You (1997) ISBN 978-1560436935
• Our Hands Are Stained with Blood (1992) ISBN 978-1560430681
• Can You Be Gay and Christian?: Responding With Love and Truth to Questions About Homosexuality (2014) ISBN 978-1621365938

With others

• Jeremiah--Ezekiel (The Expositor's Bible Commentary) (2010) with Tremper Longman III, David E. Garland, Paul Ferris Jr. ISBN 978-0-310-23499-9 Zondervan
• Tree of Life Version (2014) with Jeffrey Seif et al. ISBN 978-0-9907081-1-7 Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society (in partnership with the Baker Publishing Group available May 3, 2016)

External links

• Works by or about Michael L. Brown in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Michael Brown's Website
• Michael Brown's Townhall Column
• Fire School of Ministry

Debates

• vs. Tovia Singer on YouTube Radio Debate (1991)
• vs. David Blumofe on YouTube Who is Jesus?
• vs. Shmuley Boteach Can Jews Believe in Jesus?