My name is Rickey A McElderry. I created this website because I could no longer remain silent about what was revealed to me. This site grew out of my anger and frustration with American man-made religion, my search for truths that were not being taught, and my gratitude to Elohim for opening my eyes.
Its purpose is to help others look beyond religious traditions, investigate Scripture for themselves, understand covenant, discover the true identity of Yahshua, and grow closer to Elohim.
Why I Created This Website
The major reason I created this website was my growing frustration with the contradictions I saw in American religion.
Churches claimed to represent Elohim while placing denominational traditions, money, politics, personalities, and institutional power above justice, mercy, truth, and love for others.
My concerns were not merely academic. I experienced this contradiction personally.
As a young person growing up in the late 1960s and 1970s, I wanted my Black friends to attend church with me. A Southern Baptist pastor told me they could not come because “they have their own church.”
That experience remained with me.
How could people claim to follow the Messiah while rejecting others because of the color of their skin?
As I learned more about the history of American religion, my frustration grew. Religious leaders and Southern slave owners used Scripture to defend the enslavement of human beings. Churches divided rather than reject slavery. Religious institutions later tolerated segregation, Jim Crow, racial injustice, and discrimination.
That history cannot simply be ignored.
It raises a serious question:
Who are you going to trust with your salvation—Elohim and His Word, or religious systems shaped by slave owners and traditions created by men?
No church, denomination, preacher, political movement, or religious personality can take the place of Elohim.
My anger is not directed toward every sincere person who attends church. Many people genuinely love Elohim and want to do what is right. My frustration is with religious systems that ask people to follow inherited traditions without questioning their origins or comparing them with Scripture.
What Happened to the Messiah’s Identity?
One of the greatest sources of my anger is what American man-made religion has done with the name, appearance, culture, and identity of the Messiah.
We are living in the information age. Historical records, ancient languages, manuscripts, and research are more accessible than ever. Yet churches and denominations continue preaching JE$U$ as though there is nothing to question and nothing more to learn.
His name was not Jesus. The modern English name and the letter J came much later.
In Hebrew culture, names matter—and they matter greatly. A name can reveal identity, purpose, and calling. The Messiah’s Hebrew name, Yahshua, points to salvation.
American religion also removed Yahshua from his Hebrew people and historical setting.
Yahshua came through the tribe of Judah and was raised in Nazareth of Galilee. He belonged to a dark-skinned Hebrew people of the Middle East—not to the white European culture and appearance later imposed upon him by Western religion.
The Messiah revealed in Scripture was not the pale, European-looking man portrayed in American churches, paintings, films, and religious materials.
That false white image was not harmless. It allowed Western religion to remake the Messiah in its own image while churches defended slavery, enforced segregation, and treated whiteness as a symbol of righteousness and authority.
I became angry when I realized how much had been changed, concealed, or simply left untaught.
His Hebrew name was replaced. His appearance was Europeanized. His covenant was neglected. His teachings were separated from their Hebrew foundation, and his identity was reconstructed to fit the religion and culture of those in power.
American religion did more than translate the Messiah’s name. It created a religious figure separated from Yahshua’s people, appearance, covenant, message, and mission.
The Yahshua revealed in Scripture taught repentance, obedience, humility, justice, mercy, faithfulness to Elohim, and care for the poor and oppressed.
The man-made JE$U$ presented by much of American religion is whitewashed, commercialized, and associated with money, prosperity, political power, nationalism, religious entertainment, and loyalty to institutions.
I believe that religious figure is a false messiah created by men. He should not be confused with Yahshua, the true Messiah revealed in Scripture.
From Anger to Gratitude
My anger is accompanied by profound gratitude.
I am grateful that Elohim allowed me to discover the name of Yahshua and begin seeing the Messiah beyond the English name, white image, and religious traditions created by men.
I am grateful for the revelation of his Hebrew identity, the salvation expressed through his name, and the importance of Elohim’s covenant.
That revelation changed the direction of my spiritual journey.
I began to understand that Scripture is not merely a collection of inspirational sayings and isolated promises. It reveals Elohim’s covenant, His expectations for His people, and the importance of faithfulness, obedience, justice, mercy, and repentance.
These are the things many people are searching for but are not finding in American institutional religion.
They want something deeper than religious entertainment, prosperity messages, partisan politics, and denominational loyalty. They are searching for truth, covenant, purpose, and a genuine relationship with Elohim.
This website exists for those sincere seekers.
These Truths Must Be Exposed
We are living in the information age. We have access to history, ancient languages, manuscripts, research, and evidence that previous generations could not easily obtain.
Churches and denominations no longer have an excuse for concealing these facts or pretending the questions do not exist.
The truth about Yahshua’s name, appearance, Hebrew identity, covenant, and teachings must be brought into the light.
What was hidden must be exposed. What was lost must be recovered. What was changed by man-made religion must be challenged.
I created this website because I could no longer remain silent about what was revealed to me. I feel a responsibility to express these truths and share the information with others who are sincerely searching.
I do not ask anyone to accept these things simply because I say them. I ask people to investigate them.
Study the history. Examine the evidence. Compare religious traditions with Scripture. Pray for understanding and reach your own conclusions.
The Mission of This Website
RickMcElderry.com exists to encourage sincere, independent, and responsible study of Scripture.
The articles and resources are intended to help readers:
- Understand Elohim’s covenant
- Examine Scripture carefully and in context
- Explore the Hebrew foundations of the Bible
- Discover the Hebrew identity of Yahshua
- Learn about the Ethiopian Bible and its broader collection of books
- Compare religious teachings and traditions with Scripture
- Recognize the importance of justice, mercy, repentance, and obedience
- Investigate biblical history, prophecy, faith, and current events
- Grow closer to Elohim through study, prayer, and reflection
I do not expect every reader to agree with every conclusion presented here.
Do not accept something merely because a church teaches it. Do not accept something merely because I say it. Verify it for yourself.
Freely Given—not a Religious Business
Another source of my frustration is that much of American institutional religion has come to resemble a tax-exempt business with a product to sell.
The buildings grow larger. The budgets increase. Religious personalities build brands, sell books and merchandise, promote conferences, collect offerings, and promise blessings or prosperity to those who give. Faith is packaged and marketed to people searching for salvation, hope, healing, and a relationship with Elohim.
The product being sold is religion.
These institutions may be legally classified as tax-exempt churches or nonprofit organizations, but many operate with the priorities of businesses: attracting customers, increasing revenue, protecting the brand, expanding the organization, and preserving the authority of those at the top.
Elohim does not need your money. Religious institutions do.
According to Giving USA, religious organizations received an estimated $151.58 billion in charitable contributions during 2025. Yet people remain spiritually hungry, the poor continue to suffer, and essential biblical truths remain hidden behind traditions, fundraising campaigns, memberships, and paywalls.
That enormous flow of money forces us to ask where the priorities truly are. How much is used to maintain buildings, salaries, brands, and religious empires, and how much reaches the hungry, homeless, oppressed, and forgotten?
I do not believe salvation, Scripture, or access to biblical knowledge should ever be treated as a product.
RickMcElderry.com was not created to become another religious business. It was not created to sell access to Scripture or profit from someone’s desire to know Elohim.
The study materials and resources provided here are freely given. I do not ask visitors for donations, and I do not place essential study materials behind a paywall.
What Elohim has allowed me to learn should be shared freely with others who are sincerely seeking truth.
Study for Yourself
This website is not intended to replace Scripture, prayer, or your personal responsibility to seek understanding. It is a collection of resources created to support your journey.
As Scripture teaches:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto Elohim, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15
Look beyond man-made religion. Examine its history. Question inherited traditions. Test every teaching against Scripture, and never place your salvation in the hands of a religious institution.
Thank you for visiting and studying with me. I hope these resources richly bless your studies and help you draw closer to Elohim.
Shalom and peace to you as we study to show ourselves approved.
Rickey A McElderry