It’s only still on the map today because of it’s most famous resident – Jesus. Given that, one would think that Jesus’ message, or gospel, for which he’s famous, would be a pretty big deal in Nazareth.

Sadly, that’s not the case, reported Pastor Saleem Shalash of Home of Jesus the King Church. “Nazareth is in trouble,” Shalash told visitors at the annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).

The Arab pastor said that “the same spirit that rejected Jesus is at work” in Nazareth today.

Much of the city is now Muslim, and they, of course, “don’t believe the Bible is accurate, and carry much hatred for Christians and Jews,” noted Shalash.

Even more frustrating is the inability to convince local Christians to live as, well, Christians. “There’s a difference between knowing about Jesus, and knowing Jesus,” Shalash said, lamenting that most in Jesus’ hometown fall in the former category.

Naturally, this turning away from a foundational understanding of Jesus has opened the door to Replacement Theology and...