messianic judaism
Christians are adopting aspects of Judaism. What's driving the trend?
My research focuses on one aspect of Jewish affinity as seen in Messianic Judaism, a loose movement of congregations and associations that hold evangelical beliefs and adopt Jewish-like practices. In North America, scholars have viewed it chiefly as a "new religious movement" or as a controversial branch of Judaism. As a result, few studies explore its largely evangelical Christian base. My work is the first to focus on these "gentile believers" in North America.
Besides my own articles on the topic, I curated a multi-author installation that takes a globally comparative approach. The Hebraic Style in Christian Nationalism is hosted on The Christian Nation Project website. My contribution details my conversation with Moshe, a Messianic leader in Oregon. We cover the Jewish covenant and the US Constitution, spiritual jurisdications and geographic borders. Most of all, we talk about freedom.
Some other questions and issues I've explored:
My research focuses on one aspect of Jewish affinity as seen in Messianic Judaism, a loose movement of congregations and associations that hold evangelical beliefs and adopt Jewish-like practices. In North America, scholars have viewed it chiefly as a "new religious movement" or as a controversial branch of Judaism. As a result, few studies explore its largely evangelical Christian base. My work is the first to focus on these "gentile believers" in North America.
Besides my own articles on the topic, I curated a multi-author installation that takes a globally comparative approach. The Hebraic Style in Christian Nationalism is hosted on The Christian Nation Project website. My contribution details my conversation with Moshe, a Messianic leader in Oregon. We cover the Jewish covenant and the US Constitution, spiritual jurisdications and geographic borders. Most of all, we talk about freedom.
Some other questions and issues I've explored:
- What draws non-Jews to Messianic Judaism? See my article on "born-again seeking." Read an abstract here. Download the article here.
- Should gentiles in Messianic Jewish congregations keep the laws of Torah? I parse the debate and the attributes of 'mimetic discipleship' in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.
- What can Jewish affinity, and its implementation in local congregations, reveal about race- and identity-making in North America?
- My short explainers in Religion & Politics and The Forward give overviews of some key trends in Messianic Judaism.
With Sarah Imhoff, I've also authored two articles about DNA testing and religious identity, comparing American Judaism and Messianic Judaism
- “Lineage Matters: DNA, Race, and Gene Talk in Judaism and Messianic Judaism” in Religion and American Culture (2017)
- “Lost, Hidden, Discovered: Theologies of DNA in North American Judaism and Messianic Judaism" in Leonard J. Greenspoon's edited volume Mishpachah: The Jewish Family in Tradition and in Transition (Purdue University Press, 2016).