As part of the bilateral ekklesia, we refuse to accept the Jewish community's negative doctrinal boundary marker, just as we refuse to accept the Christian community's negative boundary marker dealing with our covenantal practice of the Torah. (Once again, we realize the significance of our hermeneutic of dialectical ecclesial continuity.)
But should we exclude from our midst those Messianic Jews who adhere to these negative boundary markers, i.e., who deny the deity of Yeshua, or who deny the covenantal obligation of Torah? I am not convinced that we should.Affirmation of the deity of Yeshua and affirmation of the covenantal obligation of Torah observance for Jews are the two central principles of our communal existence, and we can rightly require that our leaders uphold them. They are our center, but they need not constitute our outer boundary.
-Mark Kinzer, leader of the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (MJTI), from a paper given at the Hashivenu forum
What Kinzer is arguing for is that Messianics who deny Yeshua is God should be accepted in Messianic congregations.
While that is being debated, it’s important to note that this same group, MJTI, loudly argues that other Messianic communities, such as One Law and Two House Messianics, should be excluded from the Messianic movement.
To put it succinctly, MJTI argues Messianics who deny Yeshua’s divinity are OK, but Yeshua-faithful Messianics who broaden the application of Torah, or who broaden the composition of Israel, are Not-OK.
It it times like these that I am thankful to God that intellectuals do not run the Messianic movement. I am thankful that regular folks of the Messianic movement, God’s sheep, are shepherded not by the intellectuals, but by Yeshua himself.