Do I Need to Repent of My Gentile Insistence That Messianic Judaism is Authentically Jewish?

4:43 PM Monday.

Maybe. I don't know. I am torn.

Consider Google Gemini's responses to the following string of questions. 

Q: Do most Jews in America accept that Messianic Judaism is a form of Judaism, or do they call it Christianity?

A: "Most Jews in America do not accept that Messianic Judaism is a form of Judaism; rather, they consider it a form of Christianity. All mainstream Jewish denominations (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist) universally reject Messianic Judaism as a Jewish movement."

Q: Do most Jews accept that one can be Jewish and an atheist?

A: "Yes, most Jews in America accept that one can be Jewish and an atheist. Jewish identity encompasses not only religious components but also strong ethnic and cultural ones, meaning that an individual can be fully Jewish without believing in God."

Q: If a Jew born in Israel converts to Christianity, does he become a Jewish Christian within Israeli society, or must he completely forsake his Jewish social identity?

A: "A Jew born in Israel who converts to Christianity would continue to be recognized as ethnically Jewish and an Israeli citizen with full rights but would be considered an apostate within Jewish society and no longer part of the mainstream Jewish community. He would be considered a 'Jewish Christian' in an ethnic sense but not a socially or religiously accepted one within the Jewish fold."

Q: What should a culturally competent Gentile believer in Jesus do in this situation - should he agree with the mainstream Jewish community that Messianic Jews are Christians, or should he agree with Messianic Jews that they are authentically Jewish?

A: "A culturally competent, non-Jewish follower of Jesus aiming to engage respectfully with the Jewish community would need to understand the profound sensitivities surrounding the issue. The appropriate and respectful approach, from a perspective of cultural competence, would be to agree with the mainstream Jewish community that Messianic Jews are Christians."

"The bedrock of cultural competence is respecting how a community defines itself and its boundaries. The global Jewish community, across all major denominations (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc.), universally and unequivocally states that belief in Jesus as the Messiah is incompatible with being Jewish. They define Messianic Judaism as a form of Christianity that uses Jewish terminology. To ignore this consensus is to be culturally incompetent and disrespectful of Jewish identity."

"As someone aware of antisemitism, this person would understand the long history of forced conversions and Christian supersessionism (the belief that Christianity replaced Judaism). Messianic Judaism is deeply entwined with 19th and 20th-century evangelical Christian missionary efforts aimed specifically at converting Jews. The Jewish community views this as an existential threat to its survival and religious integrity. Respecting this historical trauma means acknowledging the Jewish community's right to define its own borders in response to historical aggression."

"A culturally competent person recognizes that a Gentile should not define what is or is not 'authentically Jewish.' That authority rests within the Jewish community and its historical traditions."

"True respectful dialogue requires meeting the Jewish community on its own terms. Insisting that Messianic Jews are 'authentically Jewish' when the Jewish community explicitly says they are not would immediately shut down any potential for trust and positive interaction. It would be perceived as condescending and invalidating."

"A non-Jewish Jesus-believer would understand that their own faith revolves around the New Testament and the divinity of Jesus, doctrines that are fundamentally non-negotiable and incompatible with core Jewish theology (strict monotheism and the view of the Messiah as a future human figure, not a divine being)."

"In short, 'cultural competence' in this scenario means listening to the Jewish community's own understanding of their faith and identity, rather than imposing an external, Christian-influenced definition."

Q: Would a Gentile Christian who supports the Messianic Jewish community likely be perceived by mainstream Jews as a Christian antisemite?

A: "Yes, a Gentile Christian who supports the Messianic Jewish community, and particularly its efforts to convert Jews, would likely be perceived by mainstream Jews as engaging in an act that is inherently antisemitic or, at the very least, deeply offensive and culturally insensitive."

Q: What about the argument that it would be antisemitic for a Gentile Christian to say that Rabbi Kinzer, the distinguished Messianic Jewish theologian, is not a true Jew?

A: "The argument that it would be antisemitic for a Gentile Christian to say that Rabbi Mark Kinzer is not a true Jew is a complex claim that relies on a specific understanding of 'Jew' as an ethnic identity irrespective of religious belief. However, from the perspective of the mainstream Jewish community, the exact opposite is true: validating Kinzer's 'rabbi' status and the legitimacy of his movement would be perceived as a profound form of antisemitism and a failure to respect Jewish self-determination."

"From the perspective of Mark Kinzer and his supporters (primarily within the Christian and Messianic Jewish world), he is ethnically Jewish, and his faith in Jesus is a continuation or 'renewal' of Judaism, not a rejection of it. They might argue that denying his Jewish identity is a form of exclusion based on theological beliefs, which could be framed as a type of religious discrimination or 'antisemitism' in a modern sense of denying an individual's self-professed heritage."

"The mainstream Jewish community holds that an individual born Jewish remains ethnically Jewish even if they convert to another religion (they are considered an apostate, not a non-Jew). However, that person is no longer a part of the Jewish community or faith. The title 'rabbi' is reserved for recognized spiritual leaders within authentic Jewish denominations, not for someone who adheres to evangelical Christian doctrines."

"From the mainstream Jewish perspective, a Gentile Christian supporting Kinzer is:

1. Undermining Jewish Self-Definition: The Jewish community, not a Gentile, determines what is authentically Jewish. To assert that Kinzer is a 'true Jew' or a 'rabbi' is to invalidate the unanimous consensus of all Jewish denominations and impose an outside, Christian definition of Jewish identity. This is seen as culturally incompetent and disrespectful.
2. Supporting Missionary Efforts: The movement Kinzer represents originated from Christian missionary efforts. Supporting him is seen as supporting the attempt to convert Jews, an act that is historically intertwined with centuries of antisemitism and persecution.
3. Endorsing a Form of Supersessionism: By claiming that belief in Jesus is the fulfillment of Judaism, the movement is perceived as a contemporary form of supersessionism (replacement theology), a foundational Christian anti-Jewish doctrine.
4. Disrespecting a Title: Calling Kinzer a 'rabbi' when he leads a Christian (Messianic Jewish) community is considered insulting to actual rabbis and the integrity of Jewish religious leadership.

In conclusion, for a Gentile Christian to prioritize the self-identification of a Messianic Jewish theologian over the unified stance of the global Jewish community would likely be viewed by mainstream Jews not as an act of anti-antisemitism, but as a continuation of historical Christian attempts to define, appropriate, and ultimately dismantle authentic Judaism. The act of 'cultural competence' for a Gentile, in this situation, means deferring to the Jewish community's own boundaries."

Q: It sounds like it would be appropriate for a culturally competent Gentile observer to affirm that Mark Kinzer is ethnically Jewish under halakha, and that he is free to hold and express his own theological viewpoints, but that he is not a legitimate rabbi according to the standard held by the overwhelming majority of Jews. Is that accurate?

A: Click on image below:

I have to say that I am profoundly perplexed by this interaction with Google Gemini. I need to give this more prayer, study, and thought. My heart goes out to Mark Kinzer, the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council, and the global Jewish community. 

End 6:54 PM.