Church, Messianic Jewish

MESSIANIC JEWISH CHURCH - Messianic Judaism is a movement that combines Christianity—most importantly, the Christian belief that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah—with elements of Judaism and Jewish tradition.

Messianic Judaism believes that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and "God the Son" (one person of the Trinity), and that the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament both are authoritative scriptures.  Salvation in Messianic Judaism is achieved through acceptance of Jesus as one's savior,  and Jewish laws or customs which are followed do not contribute to salvation.   Indeed, belief in the messiahship, power to save, and divinity of Jesus, which Messianic Judaism professes, is the defining distinction between Christianity and Judaism.   Other Christian groups usually accept Messianic Judaism as a form of Christianity.

Many adherents of Messianic Judaism are ethnically Jewish, and argue that the movement is a sect of Judaism.   Many refer to themselves in Hebrew as maaminim (believers), not converts, and yehudim (Jews), not notzrim (Christians).  Jewish organizations, and the Supreme Court of Israel in cases related to the Law of Return, have rejected this claim, and instead consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Christianity.

From 2003 to 2007, the movement grew from 150 Messianic houses of worship in the United States to as many as 438, with over 100 in Israel and more worldwide; congregations are often affiliated with larger Messianic organizations or alliances.   As of 2012, population estimates for the United States were between 175,000 and 250,000 members, for Israel, between 10,000 and 20,000 members, and an estimated total worldwide membership of 350,000.