What is apologetics?

Apologetics is the theological discipline concerned with the defense of the faith.

Messianic Apologetics is widely concerned specifically with defense of the faith in a Messianic context, with a focus on the Scriptures of Israel, the Hebraic and Jewish Roots of the Christian faith, and unique issues and topics which emerge from a wide number of communities and assemblies which bear the label “Messianic.”

The simple, yet complex goal, of Messianic Apologetics–is not just to help today’s Messianic people–but to do the best we can to faciliate stability in an increasingly more difficult and complicated world.

This website has a wide variety of teachings to help you in your Messianic journey and study of the Holy Scriptures.

A MISSION STATEMENT FOR MESSIANIC JUDAISM

Today’s Messianic Jewish community has the widescale conviction that it composes “the end-time move of God.” This is based in the Biblical conviction that it is actively involved in the salvation-historical trajectory of “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). A massive salvation of Jewish people is to be regarded as “life from the dead” (Romans 11:15). Given the Apostle Paul’s magnanimous burden of the salvation of his kinsfolk—“I would pray that I myself were cursed, banished from Messiah for the sake of my people—my own flesh and blood” (Romans 9:3, TLV)—everything that today’s Messianic movement does, should be with the expressed purpose of trying to enhance the mission of Jewish outreach and evangelism! Today’s Messianic movement was specifically raised up by the Lord to proclaim the good news of Israel’s Messiah to the Jewish community, and emphasize that they do not have to assimilate into a much wider non-Jewish Christianity to properly express faith in Him.

Many non-Jewish Believers, with a sincere and genuine love for the people and Scriptures of Israel, have been legitimately called by the Lord to be active participants and co-laborers in the salvation of Israel, along with Messianic Jewish Believers. Many of these people are to be regarded as modern-day Ruths, whose loyalty to Messianic Judaism is steadfast to the point of dying with their Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters (Ruth 1:16-17). They have a distinct role to play, in provoking non-believing Jewish people to Messiah faith (Romans 11:11). More importantly, as Jewish and non-Jewish people come together in a special and unique unity, in Messiah Yeshua, they should be representing the “one new man/humanity” (Ephesians 2:15)—a testimony and snapshot of the greater redemption to come to the cosmos in the eschaton (Ephesians 1:10).

IMPLEMENTATION OF MISSION STATEMENT

The above mission statement is hardly the end-all of what the contemporary Messianic experience in North America involves. Yet, it should be a useful starting place for me (J.K. McKee), in my various ministry activities, for people to know what I will be trying to focus my energies around. As the events of 2020 have demonstrated, as the “end-time move of God,” we do not have endless time or resources, as we have likely made a wide leap or two toward the return of the Messiah. I am going to see that this mission statement be integrated into my local ministry outreach, teachings, writings, and likely also broadcasts/podcasts. It will be used as a focal point to explain what I have been called to participate in as a Messianic teacher, and hopefully also get those I encounter (who statistically are more likely going to be non-Jewish than Jewish) consider what degree the Lord may be calling them to participate in the Messianic Jewish movement.

This mission statement stresses that the primary role of the Messianic Jewish movement is promoting Jewish outreach and evangelism, but it also welcomes in non-Jewish Believers genuinely led by the Holy Spirit into the Messianic movement. Questions that will come from the mission statement, are naturally:

What are the different components of Jewish outreach and evangelism which have been effectual since the birth of modern Messianic Judaism?
How do you get non-Jewish Believers on board, as co-laborers and participants in the Messianic mission, as they acclimate to being involved with Messianic Jewish Believers and Jewish non-Believers?
What are the things that we have already seen taking place in today’s Messianic movement, and how do we build upon and adapt them for an increasingly post-modern American Jewish community?

The biggest issue that I foresee involving Jewish outreach and evangelism, is how we can better reach the Millennial generation, and respond to the issues and questions which matter to the Millennial generation. Some of these matters are already widely known and openly discussed in many evangelical venues, as they may involve young people sorting through LGBTQ matters, or perspective issues surrounding Genesis 1-11 and human origins. I suspect that in dealing with a relatively progressive and younger American Jewish community, that some of the traditional resistance to Yeshua of Nazareth from encountering the Messianic Scriptures (NT), is going to give way to more of a resistance to God and the Bible. While the ministry outreaches of today’s Messianic Jewish movement rightly tend to stress a familiarity with Messianic prophecy, a knowledge of Christian anti-Semitism and offensive religious terms (i.e., cross), and a long-term patience in developing trust with Jewish people—the future is doubtlessly going to involve more engagement with post-modern issues and matters of Biblical reliability. The mission statement I have composed attempts to surely be compatible with what has been witnessed in the previous Messianic Jewish experience up to 2020, but also be able to integrate more into the potential portfolio of our theology and spirituality, improving our effectiveness in Jewish ministry.