\u201cSpiritual Nazism.\u201d\u009d Those are the first words out of my rabbi\u2019s mouth when I tell him I\u2019m reporting on Messianic Judaism. To him, the prospect of Jews accepting a Christian salvation narrative, but still identifying as Jews, constitutes nothing short of the destruction of the spiritual life of a people.<\/p>\n
But after nearly a year of studying and reporting on this phenomenon, I have my doubts about this dire indictment. Messianic Judaism, despite its promoters\u2019 predictions, will not be radically changing Judaism anytime soon. It is, however, radically changing how Jews and evangelicals relate to one another and how evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic Christians perceive Judaism, Jewish-Christian relations and the politics of the Middle East.<\/p>\n
To some Jews, the growth of Messianic Judaism represents a mortal threat. There are an estimated 175,000 to 250,000 Messianic Jews in the United States, 350,000 worldwide, and 10,000 to 20,000 in Israel. This isn\u2019t too dramatic, although it\u2019s difficult to assess the future impact of new religious movements as they\u2019re developing\u201d\u201dwho knew in the mid-19th century that the Mormon Church would be what it is today?<\/p>\n