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Issue 19 - Summer 2005
Gentile conversion to Messianic Judaism is an area of discussion that provides an opportunity to demonstrate unity in the midst of diversity. The leadership of the UMJC is dedicated to this type of unity. Therefore, the UMJC leadership requested that Kesher devote the current issue to the subject of Gentile conversion from a variety of perspectives. Rabbi Jamie Cohen, the UMJC President, has taken the lead in guiding this discussion on Gentile conversion and provides an introduction in the following pages. This multi-faceted dialogue on conversion takes the form of an essay written by Rabbi Rich Nichol, diverse responses, and two book reviews.
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| From the Editor by Andrew Sparks K esher is a journal that deals with biblical, theological, and spiritual issues facing the Messianic Jewish movement today. At the same time, Kesher provides a forum for the discussion of challenging issues. Any issue has the potential to divide rat...
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| Dear Reader by Jamie Cowen Kesher was established by the UMJC to be a journal willing to discuss substantive matters relevant to Messianic Judaism, including issues that are potentially controversial. This edition is primarily devoted to the topic of conversion of Gentiles to...
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| A Response to Dr. Nichol's Case for Conversion by Barney Kasdan Undoubtedly, one of the vital issues facing modern Messianic Judaism has to do with the place of non-Jews who feel called to be part of our congregations. This, of course, is not a surprising issue when one considers that all branches of Judaism are ...
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| A Conviction Against Conversion by Michael Wolf My response to Richard Nichol’s Case for Conversion pamphlet reflects the views of the Executive Committee of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America and the Steering Committee of the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synag...
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| The Conversion of Gentiles by John Fischer Messianic Judaism has tended to be future-oriented since its first appearance (or re-emergence) on the stage of modern history. This future orientation has two aspects: generational and eschatological. We are concerned that we not only have Jewish ch...
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| The Notion of Conversion in Antiquity and Beyond by Kay Silberling Richard Nichol has made strong arguments for why Messianic Judaism should offer conversion to non-Jews. His plea is thoughtful and represents a deep awareness of the theological issues involved. However, his most urgent expressions about the issue ar...
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| On Messianic Conversion by Dan Cohn-Sherbok Several years ago I was invited to speak at the international conference of the UMJC where I had the opportunity to meet both Messianic leaders and congregants. The preceding year my book, Messianic Judaism appeared, and I was asked to reflect on way...
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| Besorah | Twelve Ethical Interpretations for Matthew 1:1-2
by Jon C. Olson This essay honors a traditional Jewish interpretive style used with the Torah, by imitating it with respect to the New Covenant scriptures. The twelve interpretations illustrate that God’s Word is an inexhaustible source of inspiration and inst...
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