Have you ever heard of “Messianic Jewry”? Do you know anything about this stuff? I can’t find anyone in my area that knows anything about it. There was a congregation in my area, that I do not fellowship, that “sponsored” a lecture by a fellow Joseph Baruch Shulam, a Messianic Jew. He has written two commentaries, “The Jewish Roots of Romans” and a two volume set “The Jewish Roots of the Acts of the Apostles”. He is about 58 years old and a Lipscomb graduate. His “missionary work” in Israel is sponsored by the North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN. You can do a GOOGLE search and quickly find his web site and other numerous web sites about “Messianic Jewry”. I think this stuff is a terrible error for folks to get involved in. My own cursory look at North Boulevard’s web site tells me they are significantly liberal after the likes of Shelly and Lucado. I’ve never seen anyone in the Brotherhood address this issue. Is the Brotherhood aware of it? I have an enquiring mind. I’d like to know. Thank you in advance for your time and attention. Sincerely, Gary E. Miller
The Gospel of Christ is for Jew and Gentile alike (Romans 1:16). It is commendable that either non-Jews have an interest in acquainting Jews with the Gospel and Jesus Christ or that Jews express an interest in Jesus Christ.
However, first, a cursory look at Messianic Jewry discovers that it is neither wholly Jewish nor wholly Christian. Messianic Jewry does not attempt to leave Judaism and adopt Christianity, but carves for itself something that neither wholly conforms to Judaism nor Christianity. Consequently, Messianic Jewry establishes independent congregations or synagogues. As such, Messianic Jewry does not acknowledge that when Jesus fulfilled the Old Law that he replaced it with the New Law (New Testament). At best, Messianic Jewry more nearly resembles the Judaizing teachers of the first century, which practiced parts of Judaism and Christianity at the same time.
Second, the churches of Christ and its preachers or other members have no business cooperating with or participating in a religious organization that is not the church of the Bible (2 John 9-11). The Gospel is the Gospel is the Gospel. The church is the church is the church. Simply, the church needs to preach the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.
Messianic Jewry may be appreciable from the perspective of contemporary Jews expressing an interest in Jesus Christ, but Messianic Jewry is no more biblically correct than any of a number of denominations, other world religions or modern Judaism. The churches of Christ do not need Messianic Jewry to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
