Being Jewish and Christian

There is a controversy in Philadelphia over a new church plant. It so happens that it is a "Messianic Jewish" congregation. What that means in practice is that it is "culturally" Jewish, using a traditional Jewish worship style, to worship Jesus as the Messiah. Congregation Avodat Yisrael is a new church start for the Presbyterian Church, USA. According to a press release from the PCUSA,

The Avodat Yisrael proposal was controversial from the beginning, and
won approval in a lengthy, start-and-stop process that only began in January 2002 when it was endorsed by a majority vote of Philadelphia Presbytery, which pledged $145,000 to the new church. Two subsequent attempts to rescind the approval, in February and May of 2002, were narrowly defeated.
    When a grant application from Avodat Yisrael reached the Synod of the Trinity, "our committee was divided," said the Rev. Bruce Stevens, a member of the synod staff at the time. "We wondered about the effect of this congregation on Jewish-Christian relations in Philadelphia - Is this proselytizing? Presbyterians have had a unique relationship with the Jewish community, and we didn't want to mess that up."
    The synod returned the proposal to the presbytery with "numerous" questions attached, Stevens said, and it came back to the synod that summer "with all our questions answered."
    Avodat Yisrael sought $75,000 from the synod, which approved a grant of $40,000; and asked the MDRC for $125,000 and got $75,000.

Here is a little of what they say about themselves:

A Messianic Congregation is a place where Jewish people and those who support them can experience Jewish community life. Without losing Jewish identity or giving up cherished and meaningful traditions, members seek maturity in their knowledge of G-d. Children are raised as Jews, with an understanding of their heritage and an appreciation for the Messiah. The community also seeks to be open, welcoming, and traditional, so that everyone who comes feels comfortable to explore spiritual life.

    Worship is structured around Jewish traditions, prayer and holidays. The service contains a wide range of worship practice, from ancient chants to contemporary music to choral psalm settings to Hebrew and English prayer. The celebration of the festivals punctuates the life of the congregation, contributing to a sense of heritage and generational continuity.

    The congregation's name, Avodat Yisrael, means 'the service of Israel' and conveys the importance of community service as a way of life. Avodat is also related to the Hebrew word for servant (eved) which is used for the Messianic title, My Servant. Congregation Avodat Yisrael seeks to reflect closely the life of the Messiah who "came not to be served, but to serve."

So, what's the problem?

Jewish leaders in Philadelphia and Jewish newspapers around the country have criticized the move as disrespectful at best, and at worst "a deceptive attempt to lure Jews into the Christian fold."

    "Of course the Jewish community is upset," said Gehres, who has convened several meetings between Philadelphia rabbis and PC(USA) pastors. "The rabbis say you can't have it both ways - to be a Christian by religion and Jewish by ethnicity. And we Presbyterians haven't explored in enough depth the religious and ethnic issues and the interplay between them."

    The Rev. Cynthia Jarvis, the pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, is leading a group of ministers who oppose church support of Avodat Yisrael and evangelization efforts directed at Jews.

    Jarvis collected 150 signatures endorsing a statement that Avodat Yisrael's promotion of "messianic Judaism" is "misleading both to the Jews and to the Christians and ... contrary to our own theological tradition." "The denomination in its new-church development efforts is treating Jews the same as Koreans or Ethiopians," she said. "It turns out that the Presbyterian Church, the one theologically thoughtful denomination above all others, is now just one of the crowd. ... "She says it is irresponsible for the PC(USA) to be spending money for such a purpose "when the church is in major deficit" financially.

    The Rev. Chuck Denison, coordinator of the PC(USA)'s new-church development program, said congregations such as Avodat Yisrael are not trying to undermine Jewish religious traditions. "Our support of Avodat Yisrael involves no judgment of Jewish religion or tradition," he said. "We're talking about people who are ethnically Jewish but who have either accepted Christ, or who are seeking. In the case of mixed marriages, the question is how to respect the Jewish ethnic and cultural traditions while growing in Christian faith, or in the understanding of Christian faith."

Okay. That's the basic story. It is one that is rich in many of the great issues facing the church when it comes to outreach and evangelism. It is, I believe, a case study of the 2000 years of Jewish-Christian enmity, of anti-Semitism abusing and misappropriating the Gospel, of how does one evangelize in a "pluralist" culture, and what is Christianity anyway. I will pick up on these themes in a couple more posts later in the week.