What Do We Call a Wandering Christian?

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself. -Juliet

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Bilateral Ecclesiology and the Gentiles Series

Thanks to Judah Himango's Weekly Bracha 48, I had the opportunity to read Derek Leman's blog post Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 5 (and I had to do a Google search to find parts 1 through 4, which I wanted to read for context). I did post a brief comment in response on Derek's blog, but my initial thought when reading the article was, "Haven't we gone over this before?"

If you haven't read Derek's article (and I highly recommend that you do, especially the comments section), he proposes that Gentile individuals and groups who are "drawn to the Torah" but have no Jewish identity, redefine their religious identity, specifically abstaining from using the term "Messianic" to refer to themselves (ourselves...myself) and instead, to use some other label. He suggests Judeo-Christian, which has problems if, for no other reason, than it's already been taken:

Judeo-Christian is used by some to refer to a set of beliefs and ethics held in common by Judaism and Christianity. Others--usually Jews--consider it a "contradiction in terms" that "appeals to a nonexistent historical unity and calls for a banal, modernist theology." It is nevertheless a common term in American cultural and political rhetoric.
Wikipedia

What particularly struck me, besides what I've mentioned so far, was published by Derek in his prior article Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 3:

(1) Reconsider Christianity. What were your reasons for leaving? Let me anticipate and try to defuse a criticism: “Derek, I can’t believe you started with this one; you just want non-Jews to go back to churches.”

No, I want people to make informed choices. And a bedrock notion for me is that Christianity, in all its imperfections (it’s hilarious if anyone thinks that Judaism or “Messianic” groups do better overall than Christianity) is God’s redemptive community for the nations.

The assumption Derek makes, and it's a good one, is that many Gentiles "leave the church" for a variety of reasons, usually ranging from general dissatisfaction to an intense feeling of being "betrayed" by the church. Further, they (we) tend to believe that Messianic Judaism (for lack of a better term) is a more viable option for worship and "truth".

I have to say at this juncture, that many of us "leave traditional Christianity" for other reasons not associated with any "conflict" with the church, per se. In my case, my wife became attracted to the Messianic movement which turned out to be her first step in re-capturing her Jewish identity. I came along for the ride initially and then discovered the wonder of looking at the Bible through a "Torah-lens" for myself.

Jews in the Messianic movement generally reject the designation of  "Christian" because that term denies their very nature as Jews. Gentiles in the "Messianic movement" (and I know Derek will object to me using this term in relation to non-Jews) tend to reject the designation of "Christian" because they (we) believe that it is attached to a collection of beliefs and behaviors that deny significant parts of the Biblical record, deny the current "choseness" of the Jewish people, and maintains many traditions with pagan origins (and I've tried to address some of these errors in Gentile Messianic thinking in my Christmas blog post and in reviewing FFOZ's What About Paganism?).

In reading over parts 1 through 4 of Derek's series (you should really give them a whirl...I'll put the links toward the bottom of this blog post), I've learned that Derek isn't absolutely against Gentiles forming what he calls Judaically informed congregations, as opposed to simply shooing all of them (us) back into "the church" proper. He further says in part 4 of his series:

That non-Jews who are currently involved in Messianic Judaism can and should (if they choose) remain and understand the nature of Messianic Judaism more clearly. I am aware of (but can’t say too much about) leaders who are working on standards for keeping identities clear in Jewish practice. Messianic Judaism can be seen as pioneering the bringing together of non-Jews and Jews in communities practicing Judaism. The very idea of this disturbs purists and makes our movement vulnerable to criticism from the outside. So be it. There is Jewish precedent, in history and in the thought of some modern Jewish thinkers, for making a place for non-Jews to come into the sphere of Judaism.

Well...dang! That's pretty amazing.

The overarching question is how to include both Jews and Gentiles in "the Messianic movement" while maintaining the uniqueness of identity and roles of the Jewish people within said movement? This question has a "part 2". Here it is. How do you include both Jews and Gentiles in "the Messianic movement" and avoid making the Gentiles in the movement feel like they are second-class citizens sitting at the "back of the bus?"

I asked Boaz Michael that question once over coffee and he told me he thought that a certain amount of "back of the bus" feelings among Gentile Messianics was probably unavoidable. I don't know if I agree that it's inevitable, but I guess we'll see.

I don't think it's Derek's intention to deliberately marginalize Gentiles in "the movement" (although I used to). Why should he? After all, as a Gentile "convert" to Messianic Judaism (and I still have issues with this process, including whether or not it is even possible), he should have a unique affinity for being "not Jewish yet drawn to the Torah". He should have an intimate understanding of what it's like to be a Christian and yet to see beyond the traditional Christian interpretation of the "Old Testament". He should understand what it's like to be a Gentile Christian and to welcome the beauty of the Torah into his heart.

In short, he should deeply understand the rest of us.

The question introduced by Derek (on the most recent occasion) is, do Jewish and Gentile groups in "the movement" require significantly different labels in order to maintain distinctiveness? Here's another question.

Who "owns" the term "Messianic"?

In other words, can one group claim "Messianic" for their own and require that other groups refrain from using it?

I don't know. Maybe not. Frankly, "Messianic" is just about the perfect term to define both Jews and Gentiles in "the movement" because (and here's an important point), it's not just the differences between Jews and Gentiles in "the movement" that need to be clearly defined, it's the commonalities that need clarification as well.

I can see why this is a 5-part series on Derek's blog (and I don't doubt number 6 is on the way) since the topic goes to the very core of our struggles in defining and re-defining "the movement". We have hashed and re-hashed this conversation again and again and I'm convinced we'll still be making hash out of it when the Messiah returns.

Here's the kicker, though.

My wife is Jewish. She wasn't raised in a Jewish home, but her mother was (she passed away many years ago) Jewish (raised in an observant Jewish home on the East Coast). In recent years, God set off a switch deep inside of my wife and she embarked on a pursuit of her Judaism. She is currently affiliated with the local Chabad synagogue in our little corner of the world and I can tell you definitively, she is Jewish and not "Messianic".

I attend and teach at what you might call a One Law congregation, although I'm trying to make some changes in our thinking.

However, regardless of what we may call ourselves ("Messianic", "One Law", "One Torah", and so on), my wife (and the rest of traditional Judaism...Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and so on) calls me a "Christian".

In that sense, it doesn't matter what I call myself because the Jewish world outside of my own little bubble doesn't see me that way. They see me as a Christian. In fact, they see the entire population of the "Messianic movement" as Christian.

Here are the links to Derek's Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah series:

Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 1
Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 2
Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 3
Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 4
Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 5

NOTE: Since I published this blog post, Derek Leman wrote Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 6. He doesn't directly address any of my points, but I went ahead and posted a lengthy comment anyway. Hop on over and see what it's all about. Oh, and he's going to write a Part 7 in the near future.

Original post continues below:

While Derek and I have had our differences in the past (and I'm sure we will again), I must admit to appreciating many of the points he makes in his series. I don't agree with everything he says, but I can see him making a real effort to build and maintain a bridge between Jews and Gentiles in "the movement" and after all, building bridges is the reason I started writing my own personal blog.

I've been walking on this bridge for awhile now. I don't know where the end of the bridge will take me. I started this blog last July to explore, not only my own assumptions, but the validity of my place in "the Messianic movement", in "Christianity" or anywhere else in the community of faith. Can I be part of building a bridge that matters? Does the bridge lead anywhere? Is there anyone who wants to build the bridge, too?

I've come to realize that I've given my little quest a time limit and about half that time has elapsed.

Derek brings up a question he didn't intend, but one that has been resting upon my shoulders like the weight of the world on the mythical Atlas. If a Gentile believer doesn't find a place in the Christian world nor in the "Messianic" world, is there a place for him at all?

I still believe that God wants me in His Kingdom somewhere. I'm just not convinced that we human beings have caught up with God's plan to build one flock out of two sheep pens (John 10:14-16).