RE: All the Jews ask is that Christians not try to convert Jews by subterfuge. Pretending to be Jews, approaching uninformed Jews to convince them that they can be both Jews and Christians, inviting them to Christian prayer meetings without calling them Christian — all of this is a sly, underhanded way to insinuate their religion into the body politic of the Jewish people.
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I am not sure I follow the logic -— what does converting a Jew by subterfuge mean? If someone is trying to convince you to believe that Jesus (who is Himself a Jew) is the Jewish Messiah, why is that a repudiation of what the Jews believe in? The unstated assumption of course is this — because Jesus is NOT the Jewish Messiah.
But that is not subterfuge, that is in fact an attempt at evangelizing the Jew in the sincere belief that it FULFILLS the prophecies in his scripture.
Now, the Jewish listener is free to accept or reject the message. But to say that someone who accepts the message is now NOT a Jew is puzzling.
Let me ask the question another way — is a Jew who becomes an atheist still considered a Jew?
I think the problem for some is that some seem to object to the term “Messianic Jew”. Some seem to be saying that that is what is deceptive. They are saying if one believes in Jesus, call yourself a Christian not a Messianic Jew.
Kind of odd, because I see your point too. If one is trying to convert another with words, then it can’t be very deceptive, in a sense. But in another sense, I can see the point of those who object to the term “Messianic Jew”. Just call yourself Christian and be done with it.
I’ve always kind of thought that myself. Don’t be half in one religion and half in another. Commit to one. The only reason I (as a Christian) don’t make too much of an issue about it is because many Jews claim you can be a Jew by birth, so by ancestors, but not one in religion, if you don’t practice the faith. Hence the term “Agnostic Jew” which I’ve seen some people (not here but in society) describe themselves as.
So, all of this is to say the term Messianic Jew seems just as acceptable as “agnostic Jew”, so why not? In other words, when Jews decide as a whole that Jews can’t be Jews just by ancestry, then the term “Messianic Jew” should be discarded (just as agnostic Jew). But until then, until all Jews agree the term “Jew”’means more than a mere ancestral indication, then they should just put up with the term. Because I’ve seen many Jews say you can be a Jew just by ancestry, and others who say you must also practice the faith. So it’s not settled.
Hence can’t see much to disagree with about the term “Messianic Jew”. Those are obviously people who believe Jews can be Jews just by ancestry. And who’s to tell them they are wrong? Me? You? Someone else on FR?
Is there a Jewish Pope that can settle the question?