Synopses & Reviews
Beginning with the first century church new believers faced the issue of how Jewish they should be in their faith and practice. Should they continue Jewish practices and customs? The struggle between the mainly Gentile church and Jewish believers intensified during the 200's and stiffened beginning with the Council of Nicea in 325. In the middle of the 1800s the International Hebrew Christian Alliance was formed with a rising desire to have their own congregations. During the twentieth century the issue surfaced again and we began to see the emergence of Messianic congregations and movements such as Jews for Jesus. In 1967, at the time of the Six Day War, there were no messianic congregations and about 2000 Jews in the United States who professed some sort of faith in Yeshua. By 1990 there were about 200,000 Jewish believers in the USA. Currently over 200 Messianic synagogues exist in the USA and over 60 in Israel. Issues that arise include. Should worship leaders schedule a Saturday service in lieu of Sunday worship? Should churches hold join Passover celebrations with Messianic synagogues? Should church leaders encourage members of the church who are Jewish in descent to join a Messianic synagogue? Should Sunday school teachers and youth leaders teach more about the Jewish roots of Christianity? Does a Jew stop being Jewish once he accepts Yeshua as Messiah? The book focuses on the two main approaches: Messianic congregations are not needed at all, and Messianic congregations can exist as separate congregations. Informed arguments and counter-arguments are raised by contributors who have lived and wrestled with these questions. The book concludes with a chapter on the future forMessianic Jews and a directory of messianic movement organizations.
Synopsis
A major issue facing first-century believers was what to do with Gentile peoples who wanted to be part of the growing movement of Messiah followers.
Today, the problem is reversed. Is there space within the scope of Christianity for a Messianic congregation: believers of Christ who maintain a Jewish culture that reflects Jewish background and customs?
Understand the scope of this discussion from six contemporary contributors who have lived and wrestled with this issue as they present their arguments for both sides of the debate:
- John Fischer, a rabbi of Congregation Ohr Chadash and Chairman of Judaic Studies at St. Petersburg Theological Seminary
- Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, who served with the Chosen People Ministries and Christian Jew Foundation and is now the founder and director of Ariel Ministries
- Gershon Nerel, who served as Israel Secretary for the International Messianic Jewish Alliance and has also been a member of the executive committee for the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel
- David Stern, the translator of the Jewish New Testament from Greek to English
- Will Varner, a professor of biblical studies at the Master's College, CA, and the director of the Israel Bible Extension campus of this college in Israel
The book concludes with a chapter on the future for Messianic Jews and a directory of messianic movement organizations.
The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.
Synopsis
Diverse perspectives about the messianic movement --- from six contributors.Are Messianic congregations necessary or should Jewish believers be incorporated into the Gentile church? This is the topic of the latest volume in the Counterpoints series. The question of how Christian Jews relate their Jewish practices and customs to the church has been an issue within Christianity since the first century. Contemporary contributors who have lived and wrestled with this issue present informed arguments and counter-arguments. The book concludes with a chapter on the future for Messianic Jews and a directory of messianic movement organizations.Contributors include: * John Fischer (ThD, California Graduate School of Theology, PhD, University of South Florida) is a rabbi of Congregation Ohr Chadash and Chairman of Judaic Studies at St. Petersburg Theological Seminary.* Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (ThM, PhD, New York University) has served with the Chosen People Ministries and Christian Jew Foundation in the past and is now the founder and director of Ariel Ministries.* Gershon Nerel (PhD, Hebrew University, Jerusalem) has served as 'Israel Secretary' for the International Messianic Jewish Alliance and has also been a member of the executive committee for the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel.* David Stern (PhD, MDiv) is the translator of the Jewish New Testament from Greek to English to express its Jewishness; his version of the Tanak is the Complete Jewish Bible.* Will Varner (EdD, Temple University) servers as professor of biblical studies at the Master's College, CA, and the director of the Israel Bible Extension campus of this college in Israel.The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Bible and Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.