Messianic Judaism: A Rabbi's Journey Through Religious Change in America

By Carol Harris-Shapiro

Book Overview

There are some Jews who believe that the Messiah has already returned. Although these Jews are considered cult members or apostates by many, Carol Harris-Shapiro-herself a rabbi-engages one community... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807010405
• ISBN13: 9780807010402
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Beacon Press (MA)
• Length: 218 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

BY FAR the best book on Messianic Judaism

I am a Messianic Gentile who has attended the largest free-standing Messianic synagogue in the world (in Dallas, Texas) since December 1999. I have studied a number of religions extensively including Protestantism from an evangelical perspective and Judaism and I also attend both a Protestant church and a Reform synagogue on a weekly basis. This book does present a somewhat distorted view of Messianic Judaism in that Dr. Harris-Shapiro gives the impression that certain activities or views have cultic overtones when similar activities occur in any medium or large organization. For instance, she gives an example of a woman who spoke with her privately about some disagreements the woman had with the congregation's leadership and the woman seemed concerned that she might be viewed as a "troublemaker". But the same thing occurs in mainstream churches and synagogues too. However, the two main reasons for such occasional distortions are (1) understanding the dynamics in depth requires *years* of active involvement with an organization or (2) the particular congregation she is writing about, Martin Chernoff's Beth Messiah, is considered the very first Messianic congregation and Messianic Judaism was in a much more formative stage at the time. Also, to a much lesser extent, Dr. Harris-Shapiro occasionally presents a single individual's theological views despite the fact that they are totally at odds with Messianic Judaism. It would be like someone reading a book about evangelical Protestantism and the author says, "I interviewed Fred, a member of the congregation, and Fred told me that he believes Mohammed was a prophet." Fred might believe that, but it doesn't represent the views or practices of Protestantism and so it could give the reader a distorted view of what Protestants believe. The foregoing is not meant as a harsh criticism and the distortion is not substantial, only "somewhat" distorted now and then. Considering that she is neither Messianic nor Christian, she does an absolutely astounding job of accurately portraying the main theological teachings and beliefs and practices--far better than the vast majority of Christian clergy could. In most instances where her portrayal is not accurate it is because she is describing a particular congregation whose teachings, rituals, etc., at the time are different than where Messianic Judaism has gone now that there are leaders with seminary degrees, etc. As is routine among Jewish clergy who are not Messianic, Dr. Harris-Shapiro sees the relationship between Evangelical Protestantism and Messianic Judaism as being a bit closer that it actually is. Non-messianic Jewish clergy routinely view Messianic Judaism as merely a facade for Protestantism and misinterpret support as covert control. However, even in this, her distortion is far less than is common. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK HIGHLY ENOUGH. This is INDISPENSABLE for anyone who really wants an understanding of Messianic Judaism, its history, its

Good questions

Carol Harris-Shapiro, a Reconstructionist rabbi, did a research project on Messianic Judaism by going inside and examining it. Her conclusions are interesting and the questions she raises makes one doubt whether we can continue to deny that Messianic Jews are Jews in full, espeically as she cites an Orthodox rabbi as saying that it was good if it led Jews to be more observant of the mitzvot. Good questions. However, her writing style doesn't always flow well.

a fascinating ethnography

One of the first thing that Rabbi Harris-Shapiro (a Reconstructionist Rabbi) states in her book is that the book is more of an ethnography than a study of a particular religious group. Although as an ethnography it does dig into the movement - and rather deeply, too - it also takes a comparative standpoint and seeks to illuminate the reader about the similarities between Messianic and other popular forms of Judaism. The main question that she seeks to answer is, "What does Messianic Judaism say about mainstream Judaism?" On a deeper and more basic level is the question of Jewish identity, a la "What makes someone a Jew?" Harris-Shaprio does an excellent job detailing the history and main tenents of Messianic Judaism, as well as the experiences of several of its followers. The only complaint that i really have with this book is that the author doesn't seem to be able to decide whether or not her goal is to a) provide a sort of diary of her experiences while studying the group; or b) provide the reader with a factual, dissertation-like evaluation of the movement and its ramifications and implications for Judaism. The first half of the book seems to be more of the former, while the second half is more of the latter. It actually would have been nice if there had been some statistics in the book, such as the number of adherents, % male/female, and % jew/gentile. It also would have been interesting to know the # of converts to Messianic Judaism from one of mainstream Judaism's five branches (Hasidic, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, or Reconstructionist). After reading the Preface, it seems that she is still following the "movement" (which actually appears to be rather diversified) and if this is true, I hope that Harris-Shapiro writes and releases more books on either the movement or facets of the movement in the future. This book is well thought out and will cause one to question both popular notions of identity (particularly the religious and cultural aspects of it), and the creation of religious movements, noting the no religious movement is really "pure" in its formation. Highly recommended, for both those interested the study of religion (especially from a comparative standpoint), as well as those interested in the psychological and sociological developments and aspects of a small group that is on the outside of the mainstream, yet desires to be accepted into and by it.

outstanding investigation

This is an excellent overview of Messianic Judaism written by an expert in the field who previously completed a PhD thesis on the movement. It is illuminating and raises important questions.

a book that urgently needs to be read

I've read this book as well as the reviews and articles about it. Contrary to what the Forward wrote, this is an even-handed, balanced book that, besides being on a topic of crucial concern (how an apostate group works out their own identity questions within the larger context of religious identity), it is also -- a fact unrecognized by Harris-Shapiro's detractors -- a remarkable, original, stunning piece of research. This is not just about "jews for jesus" and what their existence says about Jewish identity; it's also about America, and how our culture accomodates and squelches the formation of faith-based communities. Anyone interested in the significant and quiet change in religious belief in America and elsewhere needs to read this book. I would give it ten stars if I could.