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The Death of
“Messianic Judaism”?
Many individuals and groups are claiming to be “Messianic Judaism” while teaching unbiblical doctrines. The question has now become “Can true Messianic Judaism survive the deception of these groups and still retain the same name?” This is one of the major reasons that I prefer to call this movement “the Messianic Restoration Movement” or simply “Messianic Restoration.” My hope is that one day it will be known again as HaDerek, “The Way” (Acts 24:14).
There are two main theologies (of which I am aware; I am quite sure there are others) that claim to be Messianic Judaism, but are actually cults in that they have departed from the Truth of the Scriptures: They are the “Sacred Name” heresy and the “Two Stick” or “Two House” heresy. See “Messianic Cults.”
But many self-proclaimed “Messianic Jewish” congregations and congregational leaders, including some of those under the umbrella of the primary Messianic Jewish organizations named in the following excerpt, have wandered far from “the Way” as it was practiced in the first century and as the mainline Messianic Restoration strives for today.
What Denominational Organizations Represent Messianic Jews?
It is difficult for the average person surfing the Internet to distinguish between organizations that accurately represent the Messianic Jewish community and those that do not. Messianic Jewish denominational organizations like the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC), the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA), the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS), and the International Messianic Jewish Alliance (IMJA), are established and represent the mainstream Messianic Jewish community in North America and around the world. Their statements on Messianic Jewish definition, vision and theology ultimately delineate the center and the periphery of the movement. A number of other significant Messianic Jewish umbrella organizations and networks (e.g. Tikkun International [a.k.a. Tikkun Global], the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council, etc.) are discussed in Introduction to Messianic Judaism: Its Ecclesial Context and Biblical Foundations (Zondervan, 2013).
Like the miracle of the State of Israel rejoining the community of nations after millennia, the Messianic Jewish community has been restored to the Jewish-Christian world after a hiatus of more than 1600 years. For centuries, Messianic Jews were marginalized and treated as an excluded middle by fellow Jews and Gentile Christians. Today there are signs of change. The Messianic Jewish movement is growing in support among churches as New Testament scholars and theologians increasingly demonstrate that Messianic Judaism is consistent with the teachings of the Jewish apostles and the way of life of the earliest communities of Yeshua (Jesus)-believing Jews in the land of Israel. The movement is also winning sympathizers in the Jewish world as Messianic Jews demonstrate through their actions that Yeshua is good for the Jewish people. The UMJC, MJAA, IAMCS and IMJA are all established Messianic Jewish denominational organizations. They connect and represent Messianic Jews worldwide. (www.messianicjudaism.net/organizations.html, accessed 10/21/23)
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
