Messianic Judaism

Rating:
Summary: For Mixed Audiences
Review: ...
There are several good points to this book. First, it has an excellent (if obtusely written) historical overview of Hebrew Christianity and Messianic Judaism. Second, it does go into great detail as to the why and what of Messianic Jewish belief, as well as ritual practice and observance. He also has a chapter specifically concerning dissenting opinions about Messianic Judaism.
Never the less, there are a few very serious problems. First, it is unclear who his intended audience is from his discussion of Messianic Liturgical practices. Is he writing for Christians or for Jews? Obviously, a Jew with any common knowledge of how a service was structured would find the information he presents in several places rudimentary. I am lead to believe that he cannot possibly be expecting to find Jewish audiences in this book because some Jews that I know (some, not all, and only the ones I know, not everybody) would rather spit on anything "Messianic" that look at it, let alone read or understand it, so he can't be writing for Jews, but for Christians. If that's the case, then he needs to make a better argument as to why Christians should accept Jewish expressions of Christianity, not why Messianics should be included in the Jewish community. He continually confuses the audience as to whom he is speaking. Secondly, his defense of Messianic Judaism as a legitimate expression of Jewishness is, at best, misplaced. It comes after his chapter on dissenting opinions from within the Jewish community. He offers no real defense of MJ except to say that they should be accepted because there are other non-Orthodox branches that aren't excluded and the plurality of Jews in the West can't put themselves into a definable box anyway. This is, of course, a silly argument. Of course MJ can be excluded form being a legitimate expression of Judaism because it, unlike any other branch, believes Jesus is the Messiah. Non-belief in the Messiahship of Jesus is a prerequisite to entrance into the Jewish community. By itself, this argument does not stand. It would have been better to cite some examples of historic opinions from Judaism that support might Trinitarian notions as well as historic and modern groups that hold Messianic convictions about an individual (read: the Lubavitcher Chassidim). That would have made his argument for inclusion much stronger. Finally, he does not allow Messianic Jews to answer their accusers, particularly the ones that "converted" back from Christianity/Messianic Judaism. I noticed that not one of those individuals remained Christians. Instead, always they went back to Judaism, and always in a pretty neat formula ("I wasn't very Jewish, I got mixed up in this horrible group (read: cult) but some kind Jewish soul showed me the light. Now I'm a real Jew, more Jewish than I was when I was one of 'those' people, and everything is just super because everything they ever told me was a lie." It sounds more than a little contrived, and it's defiantly propaganda.) Each of these is a serious omission that should have been included to lend credibility to his arguments.

Nevertheless, Rabbi Cohn-Sherbok should be commended for this book. It is bold, displays a high level of commitment to a level of objectivity. This is a touchy subject for all sides of the debate, and while it's not apparent which side of the debate the Rabbi is on, he is at least willing to look with fairness towards MJ, especially since it is often ignored/discredited without even cursory consideration of the shell game of an argument being used against them. If there is ever to be reasonable dialogue, then such attacks must cease and desist. Unfortunately, however, I don't think that any side is willing to put aside its agenda and reason together, but perhaps this book will at least change some of that.

Rating:
Summary: From the standpoint of a Messianic Jew....
Review: My dear friend, "a reader from New England" is wrong. I seriously doubt he or she even read the book. Dan Cohen-Sherbok's opus is one done of courage and tenacity and of not being afraid to see things that one necessarily doesn't want to see. When the "reader from New England" piously states, "Jesus DID say that he came to release his followers from the 'curse of the law', did he not?", he or she not only casts a glaring spotlight on their own ignorance, but the foundational problem within mainline Christianity. The apostle Paul, in his letter to Galatians, stated in Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." He was referring to (if one takes the time to read the entire context and not just the portion that supports his or her own theological agenda) the fact that through Christ, no one has to try to "work" their way to heaven anymore. Indeed, Yeshua HaMashiach stated, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17) Why would He fulfill something that would be cursed? Dan Cohen-Sherbok's book is one that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, and ESPECIALLY Christians should read and study and take to heart. I highly recommend it. Messianic Judaism is a much of part of Judaism as is Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. Dan Cohen-Sherbok obviously agrees.

Rating:
Summary: Good information, but his conclusions are faulty
Review: This book is filled with a lot of good information, but the problem I have is after carefully showing how messianic Judaism is really the brainchild and outgrowth of evangelical Christian attempts to convert Jews he throws up his hands and says that we should accept it as if it were a natural development of Judaism. It is not surprising that his views are soundly repudiated from all the branches in Judaism, including the Reform which he claims to be a member of.