Paula White has increasingly incorporated Hebrew rituals and Jewish practices into her ministry, emphasizing Jewish feasts, fasting on Yom Kippur, lighting Shabbat candles, and even engaging in Torah study with Orthodox rabbis. She presents these practices as a means for Christians to deepen their faith by connecting with the Jewish roots of Christianity. While acknowledging the historical foundation of Christianity in Judaism is important, White’s approach presents serious theological concerns, especially in light of the New Testament’s teachings—particularly the warnings given in the Book of Hebrews about returning to the "shadows" of the Old Covenant.
Paula White’s Use of Hebrew Rituals
Paula White has integrated various Hebrew practices into her ministry, including:
- Observing Jewish Feasts (Passover, Yom Kippur, etc.) – White encourages Christians to observe Old Testament feast days, claiming that these are "holy times" where God releases special blessings.
- Lighting Shabbat Candles – She has called on Christian women to light Shabbat candles as an act of faith and solidarity with Israel.
- Fasting on Yom Kippur – She has engaged in Jewish fasting traditions, presenting them as spiritually beneficial for Christians.
- Studying the Torah with Orthodox Jewish Rabbis – White has expressed the importance of understanding Jewish teachings, even from non-Christian Jewish sources.
While White’s stated intent may be to highlight the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, the problem is that she treats these Old Covenant rituals as though they remain binding or spiritually necessary for Christians today. This contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture, which declares that these observances were only "shadows" of the reality fulfilled in Christ.
The Book of Hebrews: The Shadows vs. The Substance
The Book of Hebrews strongly warns against returning to Jewish ceremonial laws and rituals, teaching that they were temporary types and shadows pointing to Christ. The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes that Christ has fulfilled the Old Covenant, making its ceremonies obsolete.
The Old Covenant Was Temporary and Inferior
- Hebrews 8:13 – "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
- The writer of Hebrews declares that the Old Covenant, including its feasts, sacrifices, and rituals, is obsolete because Christ has fulfilled it.
The Jewish Feasts and Rituals Were Shadows of Christ
- Hebrews 10:1 – "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near."
- The sacrificial system, the festivals, and the priesthood were shadows pointing to Christ. Now that Christ has come, clinging to these shadows is both unnecessary and a form of spiritual regression.
Jesus Is the Fulfillment of the Feasts and the True Sabbath
- Colossians 2:16-17 – "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ."
- Paul explicitly warns against treating Jewish feast days, dietary laws, and Sabbaths as if they were still spiritually binding. They were symbols pointing to Christ, and to continue observing them in a religious manner denies the sufficiency of His finished work.
Fasting on Yom Kippur Ignores Christ’s Completed Atonement
- Hebrews 9:12 – "He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption."
- Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) was a foreshadowing of Christ's perfect atonement. To continue observing it as though it were still spiritually necessary is to diminish the sufficiency of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice.
Why Paula White’s Approach is Spiritually Dangerous
It Diminishes the Supremacy of Christ – When a believer turns back to Old Testament rituals as spiritually necessary or beneficial, it implies that Christ’s work is not enough, contradicting Hebrews 10:14: "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."
It Reverses the Redemptive Timeline – The New Covenant is superior to the Old because Christ, the substance, has come. Returning to Jewish rituals is like clinging to shadows while ignoring the reality that has been revealed.
It Leads to Legalism and Confusion – Throughout church history, various groups have fallen into legalism by insisting on Old Testament observances (e.g., Judaizers in Galatians, modern-day Hebrew Roots Movement). Paul warns against this in Galatians 3:3: "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"
It Aligns with Judaizing Tendencies Condemned in the New Testament – In Acts 15, the Apostles decisively ruled that Gentile believers are not required to observe Jewish ceremonial laws. White’s emphasis on Jewish practices undermines this clear apostolic teaching.
Conclusion: Returning to the Shadows is a Rejection of Christ’s Finished Work
The Book of Hebrews provides a direct refutation of Paula White’s adoption of Hebrew rituals in her ministry. While recognizing the Jewish heritage of Christianity is important, reintroducing Jewish festivals, Yom Kippur fasting, and Sabbath rituals contradicts the New Testament teaching that Christ has fulfilled the Law.
Paula White’s approach risks leading Christians away from the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work on the cross and back into obsolete rituals that were only meant to point forward to Him. The true focus of faith must be Christ alone, not returning to the symbolic ordinances that He has already fulfilled.
Believers should instead heed the words of Hebrews 12:2: "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."