Tracing The Antinomian Trajectory Within Sabbatean Messianism
Antinomianism has been defined as the “subversion of a religious or moral code.” 1 On a superficial level, this may be perceived as motivated only by a rebellious attitude towards authority. Yet what might outwardly appear as subversive behavior may truly be an inner desire to affirm religious truth as the protagonists define it, or…
Read MoreDoes The Lubavitcher Rebbe Fit The Festinger Model?
Toward A Quantifiable Approach To The Measurement Of Failed Prophecy In July 12, 1994 Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh dynastic rebbe of the Lubavitch sect of the Chasidim was pronounced dead. Some cried while others danced; some fasted and others gave themselves to strong drink.1 The hope of Jewish redemption was entombed in the ground.…
Read MoreReflections On Michael Wyschogrod’s Critique Of Jewish Christianity
Is there any merit in an Orthodox Jew’s theological objections to Jewish Christianity? Much, in every way! Can believers in Yeshua agree with all these objections, and still be faithful? By no means! However, in several instances, the objections are closer to the truth than what they resist. Resources for responses of faithful discipleship already…
Read MoreMessianic Jewish Communities by Design: Open Doors and Reserved Seating
Discussing community definitively within 21st century Western culture is both an elusive and daunting task. Narrowing this exploration to Messianic Jewish congregational structures feels almost insurmountable. To do so will require an approach that is both descriptive and prescriptive. It must consider the host culture, the unique historical time, and the nature of the constituency,…
Read MoreJacques Maritain in the 21st Century: Personalism and the Political Organization of the World by Walter Schultz
Reviewed by Christopher S. Morrissey This handsome hardcover volume contains a collection of essential studies by the Jacques Maritain scholar Walter Schultz. It offers readers a splendid synoptic view of the trajectory of Schultz’s academic work, from his Ph.D. dissertation on Maritain’s social thought to his discovery of the project of Rabbi Mark S. Kinzer…
Read MoreJudaism Is Not Jewish by Baruch Maoz
(Christian Focus ©2003 Scotland) In his recent volume, Judaism is Not Jewish, Baruch Maoz provides a notable service for the Messianic Jewish movement by drawing the distinction between Jewish Christianity and Messianic Judaism in a clear and unambiguous fashion, and challenging Yeshua-believing Jews to make a decision between the two. He further serves the movement…
Read MoreMessianic Judaism Is Not Christianity by Stan Telchin
(Chosen Books ©2004 A Division Of Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Mi) You can’t tell a book by its cover, perhaps, but what about its title? Stan Telchin has written the latest in a series of oddly entitled books critical of Messianic Judaism. Last year saw the publication of Judaism is Not Jewish: A Friendly Critique…
Read MoreImperialism And Jewish Society, 200 B.C.E. To 640 C.E. by Seth Schwartz
(Princeton University Press © 2001 Princeton, NJ.) In Imperialism and Jewish Society, 200 B.C.E. to 640 C.E., Seth Schwartz, the Gerson D. Cohen Professor of Rabbinic Culture and Professor of History at Jewish Theological Seminary, offers a challenging blow to regnant reconstructions of Judaism and Jewish life in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Schwartz’s compelling…
Read MoreFrom the Editor – Issue 19
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…
Read MoreIntroduction to the Issue of Gentile Conversion
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 Messianic Judaism. In the Fall, 2004, the UMJC Executive Committee learned of a plan developed by the…
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