messianic judaism
at a Messianic service
Messianic Judaism is an American-born movement of congregations that hold evangelical beliefs and follow Jewish practices. Scholars have viewed it chiefly as a "new religious movement" (NRM) or as a controversial branch of Judaism. As a result, they have downplayed or ignored its largely evangelical Christian base. My work is the first study to focus expressly on "gentile believers." Why are so many non-Jews are drawn to the movement? What can this tell us about how race- and identity-making occur in unexpected ways?
With the help of two research assistants, I conducted research over twelve months in five congregations across North America. The result is a clearer understanding of gentile believers. More broadly, this project dovetails with a theme in my work on Holy Land trips: the growing trend towards "philosemitism" (or "Jewish affinity") among evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. Most studies have focused on resulting political alliances. An important and often overlooked aspect of this shift concerns the widespread appropriation of Jewish or Jewish-like rituals, objects, music, dance, and teachings. The growing popularity of Messianic Judaism over the last thirty or so years speaks to this trend.
With the help of two research assistants, I conducted research over twelve months in five congregations across North America. The result is a clearer understanding of gentile believers. More broadly, this project dovetails with a theme in my work on Holy Land trips: the growing trend towards "philosemitism" (or "Jewish affinity") among evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. Most studies have focused on resulting political alliances. An important and often overlooked aspect of this shift concerns the widespread appropriation of Jewish or Jewish-like rituals, objects, music, dance, and teachings. The growing popularity of Messianic Judaism over the last thirty or so years speaks to this trend.
- New: Should gentiles in Messianic Jewish congregations keep the laws of Torah? Parsing the debate and the attributes of 'mimetic discipleship' in a new article in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute: DOI: 10.1111/1467-9655.12443
- What draws non-Jews to Messianic Judaism? See my article on "born-again seeking" in Religion: "Born-again Seeking: Explaining the Gentile Majority in Messianic Judaism." Read an abstract here. Download the article here.
- An essay I wrote in Religion & Politics gives a brief overview of some trends related to Messianic Judaism.
With Sarah Imhoff (Indiana University, Bloomington), I've authored two recent 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” is forthcoming in Religion and American Culture (2017)
- “Lost, Hidden, Discovered: Theologies of DNA in North American Judaism and Messianic Judaism" has just come out in Leonard J. Greenspoon's edited volume Mishpachah: The Jewish Family in Tradition and in Transition (Purdue University Press, 2016).