🇺🇸 🇮🇱 Addressing the Theological and Spiritual Issues of the Broad Messianic Movement
Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee reviews some of the controversy surrounding Romans 2:28-29, and whether or not non-Jewish Believers are actually “spiritual Jews.” Or, did this passage originally just speak to Messianic Jewish Believers, and their required spiritual character?
This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.
Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee reviews some of the significant challenges caused by dispensationalism, which today’s Messianic people are going to have to sort through.
This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.
Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee discusses what are perhaps the three most important books, which have impacted his theology and worldview.
This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.
To many people in today’s broad Messianic movement, the issues involving the place of husbands and wives in the family, as well as men and women in the local assembly, is a done deal. Husbands lead the family, and wives abide by their husbands’ decisions. Men lead the congregation, and women are there to help facilitate congregational functions. Any position about men and women in the Body of Messiah which might invoke terms such as co-equal, shared responsibility, and mutual submission are often viewed as compromise with the prevailing culture at best, or capitulation to liberal theology at worst.
It is to be commended that a significant majority of the people, in today’s Messianic movement, genuinely want to study the Bible at a deeper level. But, in order to study the Bible at a deeper level, a variety of guidelines do have to be followed. Simply picking up an English Bible version, and having a Strong’s Concordance by one’s side, is entirely insufficient in order for today’s Messianic people to study the Bible at the level that they want to study it. Indeed, one needs to be able to read multiple English versions of the Bible and catalogue astute observations, have access to up-to-date Hebrew and Greek lexicons, if necessary be able to access Hebrew and Greek language tools, and also be able to access a selection of up-to-date Bible dictionaries and commentaries. The simple, yet complicated rule, of Biblical interpretation, involves (1) reading and interpreting the text for what it meant to its original audience, and (2) applying it in a responsible manner for modern people. Many of us will find, that when making the significant effort and attempt to read the Bible for what it meant to its original audience(s) first, that Scripture will actually be more relevant and critical for us living today, and not less.
When people enter into the Messianic community, whether that be from a background in the Jewish Synagogue or evangelical Protestantism—it would be an understatement to say that there can be some tension, and even fights, over major matters of theology. One’s local congregation, or assembly, is likely to be a microcosm, of the diversity of opinion and perspectives witnessed in the wider Messianic world. (This has especially become even more complicated in our information age, and with the wide array of online venues spouting off theological opinions and perspectives.) What are some things that you certainly need to be aware of, as you continue in your Messianic walk?
Today’s Messianic movement is not like evangelical Protestantism, where you have a sufficiently large enough group of people, as well as a wide enough variety of denominations and local assemblies—where if an individual or family does not quite receive what they need in one place, they can go to another. Today’s Messianic movement is small, and there are not that many options available to people. Today’s Messianic movement is much more like the Jewish Synagogue, in that you have a very tight knit group of people—and as the old adage reminds us, “Two Jews, three opinions.” Unlike the Protestant world, where if you disagree with the theology of a particular group, you can try another group—in the Jewish world you learn how to maneuver through a plurality of views and positions on a variety of non-essential issues. The Messianic movement is quite similar: on non-essential issues, people have to learn how to be flexible, respectfully disagree, and at least encourage reasonable dialogue on issues so as to decrease unnecessary tensions.
The development of today’s modern Messianic Jewish movement goes back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, as Jewish Believers in Israel’s Messiah established congregations, synagogues, and assemblies with the mission of facilitating Jewish outreach, Jewish evangelism, and solidarity with the State of Israel. This is a mission which continues to our present day, and should ever be on the hearts and minds of those involved with today’s Messianic congregations.
Today’s Messianic community is a venue for Jewish outreach and evangelism. Unlike more customary Protestant evangelism, where the main purpose is to reach out with the love of the Lord to a hurting world beset by sin—the Messianic community has to go further, in invoking the First Century dynamics of “God brought to Israel a Savior—Yeshua” (Acts 13:23, TLV), in actually proving to some significant degree that Yeshua is the anticipated Messiah.
Today’s McKee Moment considers how while in ministry, while your basic theology may not change—absorbing many of the experiences and interactions you have, may require some adjustments to be made.
