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Messianic Judaism is Not Christianity: A Loving Call to Unity
The apostle Paul wrote that all believers--Jewish and Gentile--are to serve the Lord together as "one new man." But a growing movement today seeks to keep that from happening.
As Stan Telchin explains, proponents of Messianic Judaism are confusing both Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus and dividing the church. Their insistence on following rabbinic form and their statements that Jewish believers need to be in Messianic synagogues in order to maintain their identities are unbiblical. Telchin discusses the growth of this movement, its unscriptural doctrines, and its ineffectiveness in Jewish evangelism.
Those who have been swept up by the nostalgia and beauty of "Jewishness" or who have been hurt by division in the Body or who love Israel will find their hearts and minds freed by this firm but loving message.
As Stan Telchin explains, proponents of Messianic Judaism are confusing both Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus and dividing the church. Their insistence on following rabbinic form and their statements that Jewish believers need to be in Messianic synagogues in order to maintain their identities are unbiblical. Telchin discusses the growth of this movement, its unscriptural doctrines, and its ineffectiveness in Jewish evangelism.
Those who have been swept up by the nostalgia and beauty of "Jewishness" or who have been hurt by division in the Body or who love Israel will find their hearts and minds freed by this firm but loving message.
176 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
32 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 1, 2022
i will say, perhaps opposite what it was trying to do, this book just made me more drawn to judaism and less towards christianity. he has good points. i read this book as someone who grew up in the “messianic judaism” movement and wanted to see other peoples opinions. its well researched to a point. sometimes it felt like he was just pulling statistics out of nowhere. i started rolling my eyes towards the end just because i disagree a lot with his beliefs. but unlike him, i do believe in tolerance.
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February 16, 2021Stan Telchin's view of Messianic Judaism's direction as described in this book is accurate I believe. Sadly, however, his view of Christianity is both incomplete and faulty. He has full bought into the teachings and practices of "Gentile Christianity" (Sunday keeping, Easter, heaven/hell etc.) thus, as the old saying goes, "threw out the baby with the bath water".
He clearly brings out that Messianism is not Christianity and that the overall movement is slowly migrating back toward its roots in Rabbinical Judaism. His criticism would also apply to those who follow the Hebrew Roots offshoots, in my opinion. In this stance his book works well as a caution and warning to those who may be drawn to Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots. It is the same warning that Paul expressed, "2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." Galatians 5 NKJV
He clearly brings out that Messianism is not Christianity and that the overall movement is slowly migrating back toward its roots in Rabbinical Judaism. His criticism would also apply to those who follow the Hebrew Roots offshoots, in my opinion. In this stance his book works well as a caution and warning to those who may be drawn to Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots. It is the same warning that Paul expressed, "2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." Galatians 5 NKJV
June 16, 2025
A ‘MESSIANIC’ JEW LOOKS AT SOME CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN THE MOVEMENT
Stan Telchin (1924-2012) was an Orthodox Jew who (with his family) converted to Christianity. He wrote in the ‘A Note from the Author’ section of this 2004 book, “When a friend of mine read the first draft of this book and suggested that I title it, ‘Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity,’ I was stunned… I was afraid it would offend my brothers and sisters in the Messianic movement… he asked, ‘But isn’t it true? Don’t most of those in Messianic Judaism say that Messianic Judaism is not Christianity?’ I could not contradict him… some in Messianic Judaism---as well as in the Church---insist that you cannot be a Jew and a Christian at the same time! This assertion is false.
“It is true that if one is a Jew, then he or she cannot be a Gentile. And if one is a Gentile, he or she cannot be a Jew. But you can certainly be a Jew and a Christian at the same time. This is what I am! And I maintain in this book that my Jewish brothers and sisters… in Christ---are Christians and … ‘one new man’ with my Gentile brothers and sisters. (Eph 2:15) I have written this book to reveal and to help heal the division that is occurring among brothers and sisters in the Messiah—a division being fostered by those who insist that Messianic Judaism is not Christianity.”
He reports that historically, “Jewish believers were not the only ones who wanted to reach the Jewish people… in America there were also many missionaries to the Jewish people. Working with Jewish believers, they helped form the Hebrew Christian Alliance. Most of the Jewish members of the Alliance were immigrants to the United States from Europe. They were largely biblical in their beliefs, very conscious of their ‘Jewishness,’ active in opposition to anti-Semitism and supportive of the Zionist movement with its call for reestablishing the State of Israel. They also continued to share the Good News of Messiah Jesus with other Jewish people.” (Pg. 59)
He continues, “Martin Chernoff became president of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America in 1971… and spearheaded a stronger move toward rabbinic tradition… During these years a new terminology was created… Jews were no longer ‘converted’; they were ‘completed.’ The church was ‘the congregation’ or even ‘the synagogue’…” (Pg. 60)
He points out, “Jewishness, rather than Scripture, seems to be a very strong emphasis of Messianic Judaism… Messianic leaders argue, for example, ‘We Jews must not be Gentilized in Christian churches but must be allowed to express our faith in Yeshua… in Jewish ways. And so many times I have heard them say, ‘Koreans have Korean churches. Hispanics have Hispanic churches. Why can’t Jews have messianic synagogues?” That argument does not hold up… Yes, first-generation Korean believers who come to the United States and who do not speak English hold their services in Korean. But second- and third-generation English-speaking Korean Americans can be found in many churches around our nation. They do not HAVE to belong to Korean-speaking churches. And they are not criticized as ‘not wanting to be Korean anymore’ if they do not attend Korean churches.” (Pg 55)
He notes, “Almost all Jewish believers will testify that they were not saved in---nor do they attend—Messianic congregations or synagogues. In almost all cases, they were saved because caring Gentiles shared the Gospel with them. And they attend churches.” (Pg. 66)
He acknowledges, “As reported by almost all who have experienced these congregations, the overwhelming majority---sometimes as much as 85 to 90% of the attendees---are Gentiles. Certainly they are being blessed. But the movement’s primary declared objective was not to bless Gentiles. It was to reach Jews. Are they doing that? Are they appealing to Jewish people? Are they sharing the Gospel?” (Pg. 70)
A Gentile friend of his told him about a messianic synagogue he had attended: “from a theological point of view, it seemed as if they were concentrating on emulating rabbinic Judaism with a Christian vocabulary rather than concentrating on the finished work Jesus did on the cross. This thereby encouraged Gentiles to do things that Gentiles were never required to do in Scripture… [such as wearing] yarmulkes, tallits, or tsitsit… yet the implication was that if we wanted to belong, we had to wear them. And there were so many Gentiles in attendance! More than 80% of those who came each week were not Jewish. Why did they have to do these things?... I began to wonder about the purpose of the congregation. They said that they wanted to reach Jewish people by making the place more comfortable for them, but that was not what was happening.” (Pg. 81-82)
He asks, “So why don’t Jews attend? … Some say the United States alone has more than a hundred thousand Jewish believers in Jesus. I cannot verify that. But I can tell you that based upon the dozens and dozens of people with whom I have discussed this question, I know that the overwhelming majority of them do not attend Messianic synagogues. It has been suggested to me that less than 5% of the Jewish believers in the United States attend them. Why is that? Perhaps it is because those who have an Orthodox or Conservative upbringing in the synagogue are uncomfortable with what they see and hear in most Messianic synagogues. It is something they never saw or heard at their home synagogues. Many Jewish people who I have brought to such synagogues have told me they felt as though they were looking at a caricature---an imitation and not the real thing.” (Pg. 83)
This (presumably controversial, but also very informative) book will be of great interest to those who are concerned with these types of issues.
Stan Telchin (1924-2012) was an Orthodox Jew who (with his family) converted to Christianity. He wrote in the ‘A Note from the Author’ section of this 2004 book, “When a friend of mine read the first draft of this book and suggested that I title it, ‘Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity,’ I was stunned… I was afraid it would offend my brothers and sisters in the Messianic movement… he asked, ‘But isn’t it true? Don’t most of those in Messianic Judaism say that Messianic Judaism is not Christianity?’ I could not contradict him… some in Messianic Judaism---as well as in the Church---insist that you cannot be a Jew and a Christian at the same time! This assertion is false.
“It is true that if one is a Jew, then he or she cannot be a Gentile. And if one is a Gentile, he or she cannot be a Jew. But you can certainly be a Jew and a Christian at the same time. This is what I am! And I maintain in this book that my Jewish brothers and sisters… in Christ---are Christians and … ‘one new man’ with my Gentile brothers and sisters. (Eph 2:15) I have written this book to reveal and to help heal the division that is occurring among brothers and sisters in the Messiah—a division being fostered by those who insist that Messianic Judaism is not Christianity.”
He reports that historically, “Jewish believers were not the only ones who wanted to reach the Jewish people… in America there were also many missionaries to the Jewish people. Working with Jewish believers, they helped form the Hebrew Christian Alliance. Most of the Jewish members of the Alliance were immigrants to the United States from Europe. They were largely biblical in their beliefs, very conscious of their ‘Jewishness,’ active in opposition to anti-Semitism and supportive of the Zionist movement with its call for reestablishing the State of Israel. They also continued to share the Good News of Messiah Jesus with other Jewish people.” (Pg. 59)
He continues, “Martin Chernoff became president of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America in 1971… and spearheaded a stronger move toward rabbinic tradition… During these years a new terminology was created… Jews were no longer ‘converted’; they were ‘completed.’ The church was ‘the congregation’ or even ‘the synagogue’…” (Pg. 60)
He points out, “Jewishness, rather than Scripture, seems to be a very strong emphasis of Messianic Judaism… Messianic leaders argue, for example, ‘We Jews must not be Gentilized in Christian churches but must be allowed to express our faith in Yeshua… in Jewish ways. And so many times I have heard them say, ‘Koreans have Korean churches. Hispanics have Hispanic churches. Why can’t Jews have messianic synagogues?” That argument does not hold up… Yes, first-generation Korean believers who come to the United States and who do not speak English hold their services in Korean. But second- and third-generation English-speaking Korean Americans can be found in many churches around our nation. They do not HAVE to belong to Korean-speaking churches. And they are not criticized as ‘not wanting to be Korean anymore’ if they do not attend Korean churches.” (Pg 55)
He notes, “Almost all Jewish believers will testify that they were not saved in---nor do they attend—Messianic congregations or synagogues. In almost all cases, they were saved because caring Gentiles shared the Gospel with them. And they attend churches.” (Pg. 66)
He acknowledges, “As reported by almost all who have experienced these congregations, the overwhelming majority---sometimes as much as 85 to 90% of the attendees---are Gentiles. Certainly they are being blessed. But the movement’s primary declared objective was not to bless Gentiles. It was to reach Jews. Are they doing that? Are they appealing to Jewish people? Are they sharing the Gospel?” (Pg. 70)
A Gentile friend of his told him about a messianic synagogue he had attended: “from a theological point of view, it seemed as if they were concentrating on emulating rabbinic Judaism with a Christian vocabulary rather than concentrating on the finished work Jesus did on the cross. This thereby encouraged Gentiles to do things that Gentiles were never required to do in Scripture… [such as wearing] yarmulkes, tallits, or tsitsit… yet the implication was that if we wanted to belong, we had to wear them. And there were so many Gentiles in attendance! More than 80% of those who came each week were not Jewish. Why did they have to do these things?... I began to wonder about the purpose of the congregation. They said that they wanted to reach Jewish people by making the place more comfortable for them, but that was not what was happening.” (Pg. 81-82)
He asks, “So why don’t Jews attend? … Some say the United States alone has more than a hundred thousand Jewish believers in Jesus. I cannot verify that. But I can tell you that based upon the dozens and dozens of people with whom I have discussed this question, I know that the overwhelming majority of them do not attend Messianic synagogues. It has been suggested to me that less than 5% of the Jewish believers in the United States attend them. Why is that? Perhaps it is because those who have an Orthodox or Conservative upbringing in the synagogue are uncomfortable with what they see and hear in most Messianic synagogues. It is something they never saw or heard at their home synagogues. Many Jewish people who I have brought to such synagogues have told me they felt as though they were looking at a caricature---an imitation and not the real thing.” (Pg. 83)
This (presumably controversial, but also very informative) book will be of great interest to those who are concerned with these types of issues.
September 27, 2008
Absolutely fantastic the point of veiw this man has, he is a complete inspiration and I know he opened my eyes.
March 31, 2024
A book that is neither helpful nor tolerant.
September 15, 2025
Every Christian’s should read this book it’s a call to discipleship!
January 18, 2008
His conclusion: "Messianic Judaism and Messianic synagogues have no biblical, theological, historical or pragmatic justification." (p. 25). Telchin knows that the modern Messianic movement is more than just Christianity contextualized for ethnic Jews. Their desire to be a '4th branch of Judaism" is insulting to both Judaism and Christianity.
Telchin is no theologian, but he has a very interesting story to tell.
His requisite chapter on antiSemiticism includes some heart-breaking sound bites from John Chrysostom.
Telchin is no theologian, but he has a very interesting story to tell.
His requisite chapter on antiSemiticism includes some heart-breaking sound bites from John Chrysostom.
December 30, 2014
This is a decent book on Messianic Judaism. As a Jew, the author, explains what is behind many forms of messianic Jew. My sadness is that I did not have access to this book when I penned my book "Israel e a Igreja" ( Israel e a Igreja). I do recommend this book highly.
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