The so-called Messianic movement, or ‘Messianic Judaism’, as its proponents prefer, has mushroomed in the last 30 years to become a distinctive and conspicuous entity within professing Christianity. This movement’s continued existence is largely owing to the claim of its proponents that non-Messianic Christianity does not contain the theological and practical distinctives necessary to fulfill its mandate to the Jew. Certain Messianic advocates go further to attack evangelical hermeneutics and church polity as belonging to Greek humanism or even paganism. Thus, the movement claims to be the most effective means of reaching and discipling Jewish people, while, in some cases, ostensibly claiming it is the purest and most original form of Christianity. There appears to be a growing sense amongst some South African Christians that such groups have ‘authentic’ or ‘original’ Christianity, and non-Messianic congregations fall short.

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