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Mishkan 30/31 — Facts and Myths
[1999_30_31]

~~$25.00~~ $20.00

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A survey conducted by Kai Kjær-Hansen and Bodil F. Skjott

Book Review by Richard Harvey
Tutor in Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at All Nations Christian College
Ware, UK

Have you ever wondered just how many Jewish believers in Jesus there are in Israel, or how you might go about answering the question? If you have ever been confused by the multiplicity of "educated guesses" that are put forward to answer the question, or at a loss when asked the question by others, then Facts and Myths About the Messianic Congregations in Israel is for you!

There have probably always been Jewish believers in Jesus living in Israel, but from the time of the early church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, (260-339 c.e) estimates of their number have been hazy, to say the least. From the re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 to the present day interested observers have noted a steady increase in the numbers of groups and individuals who identified as Jewish and believing in Jesus, from the hundreds to the thousands. Yet attempts to describe this growth were frequently fragmentary, anecdotal and impressionistic, leaving room for a considerable mythology to grow up about what was really happening. A wide variety of intelligent guesswork often took the place of hard analysis, with a certain amount of exaggeration inevitable in all but the most conservative of accounts.

Now Facts and Myths has changed the situation for good. It is a fascinating and valuable resource; a phenomenon that could, according to some, be "counted on the fingers of two hands" now requires a book-length treatment. If it is both the recording of events and the events themselves that make up "history", then this book confirms that the modern Messianic movement in Israel is here to stay, and cannot be ignored.

What Kjær-Hansen and Skjott have achieved is no mean feat. Through telephone surveys, personal interviews and previously available material they have put together the most accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive picture of the state of the Messianic movement in Israel. Concentrating primarily on congregations and fellowships of Jewish believers in Jesus, they have also, for the sake of comparison, added sections on International Congregations that include Jewish believers, Hebrew Catholics (from whom the Messianic movement has much to learn), non-aligned groups and others such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.

Their primary aim has been to quantify as precisely as possible the actual numbers of Jewish believers in Jesus. Such an attempt is fraught with methodological and perspectival issues, requires diplomacy and tact in pursuit of the task, and raises important questions about Messianic Jewish (and non-Jewish) identity and self-understanding that require theological tolerance and sensitivity. But Kjær-Hansen and Skjott have clearly explained their presuppositions and procedures, so that anyone questioning their findings can readily see how they have arrived at their conclusions, and can repeat the process, should they choose. What has been produced is both a labour of love and a tour de force of diligent research. Here, clearly, and for the first time in the history of the movement, is a mapping of the Messianic movement in Israel, group by group and region by region.

The authors have sought to give accurate details of the size, age and history of the 81 groups, their mix of adults and children, Jew and non-Jew, member and visitor, their language preference and degree of Jewish identification. The current state of the Messianic scene in Israel is described, looking carefully at the history of each group, the training of each leader, the style of worship, confessional stance and "feel" of each congregation. By providing such a composite history of so many groups and individuals the authors have put together not just a "who's who of the Messianic movement" and a digest of "what is happening in Israel", but a valuable resource for the formulation of evangelistic and congregational strategy, and for missiological and theological reflection.

Facts and Myths does not seek to answer just the question of numbers, although that question is given priority, and the figures summarised and tabulated on pages 70-79 are food enough for a hungry soul longing for reliable information on the real size of the messianic movement. The authors also address a series of issues in the survey which all provide data on the history, expression and theological concerns of Jewish believers and their congregations. In the detailed histories of the 81 groups and their leaders, the authors cover many of the key missiological questions as to the health of the movement.

The survey gives, where available, details of each group's basis of faith, legal status, degree of opposition, preferred languages, breakdown of membership and a host of other details such as their style of worship, leadership structure, financial accountability, views on women in ministry, and association with other organisations. Issues affecting the future of the movement such as the integration and involvement of Russian believers, and the provision for children, are well emphasised. A particular challenge arises in the need for ongoing theological reflection and the formulation of Messianic Jewish theology as a serious enterprise of contextualisation and authentic Jewish discourse. The authors in putting forward such a survey helpfully invite the movement to respond on these issues, so that if and when they do the next survey in twenty years time, progress will be seen to have been made.

Similarly the authors raise certain "home truths" of which we should take note. The need for growing unity, the ongoing follow-up of those who move on from one group but fail to join another, the fact that so much growth has occurred through immigration rather than direct evangelism, are all issues to be pondered. The influence of expatriate denomination organisations, and the way "independence" is understood, are also pressing issues that will not go away.

The work will not be without its critics, and Kjær-Hansen and Skjott have sought to allay some concerns in advance. This first edition contains some gaps and editorial flaws in typography and cross-referencing which will hopefully be corrected in further editions. Requests for confidentiality of the locations and identities of groups and individuals have been honoured where requested, even at the expense of a certain "scholarly price." The very act of doing such a survey may be seen as chutzpah by some, and the authors have allowed a certain fluidity by using the figures given them by the leaders of the groups, making estimates where necessary rather than seeking to carry out head-counts. This feature means that the method of the survey itself, reflecting group leader's estimates of numbers, will also be questioned, but in practice no other method would have been sufficiently well-received to have generated so much helpful information. By placing the available data on record for all to see, a note of sober realism must now be added to any discussion of the messianic movement, both by its opponents and its supporters.

The agenda of the authors is also apparent, in the type of questions that they ask, and in their reactions to some of the responses they received. As sympathetic participant-observers they urge the messianic movement on to greater unity, integrity and theological maturity. We do well to heed their challenges and to respond accordingly. A similar survey of the Messianic movement in the USA and elsewhere would also throw up helpful pointers for growth, and perhaps the authors may wish to co-ordinate a future "World Messianic Handbook"!

So Facts and Myths is a landmark in the history of the Messianic movement in the land of Israel, and a significant contribution to the understanding and development of an authentic, indigenous and mature expression of faith in Yeshua as Messiah of Israel. Anyone who is seriously concerned with Jewish evangelism and the development of Messianic Judaism will need to acquire a copy and master its contents, both for reference to what is happening today, and for stimulus for the future.

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This product was added to our catalog on Friday 07 September, 2007.

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