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There is a price to pay for having an
independent mind! Having been a Christian or Messianic Jew
for over thirty years has given me much insight into the
motivations and politics of what we in America call Christianity
and Messianic Judaism. Back in the mid 1970s I was a new
believer. Having been raised a Jew in the Midwest and Southwest, I
was particularly naive of the various commitments I was expected
to make once associating myself with one denominational camp or
another. While attending Gentile Protestant churches, I was
supposed to go along with the marginally anti-Semitic attitudes of
my Gentile brethren. Church leaders never expressed any overt
anti-Semitism, but the under-current of rejection was often
present. I do admit, that I met some believers that had a great love for
the Jewish people. So the good outweighs the bad.
The hardest part of being a Messianic Jew or Hebrew
Christian was not getting caught in the ongoing feud between the
Charismatic, Reformed and Dispensational Messianic leaders.
I never quite got the message that I was supposed to adhere to
"all the doctrine" of a particular denominational group. I
kept stepping on political "land mines" by expressing myself in an
independent fashion.
While in the charismatic MJ camp I was hard
pressed by the leadership to elevate my prayer life to hours of
ranting that I was supposed to accept as charismatic prayer.
I also had to endure the most cult like behavior of leaders who
prophesied against anyone who would question their decisions.
While sojourning with
fundamentalist/dispensational Hebrew Christian believers, I was
also hard pressed to reject any charismatic doctrine and to fully
accept their teachings. Both I
and my wife were ostracized for not having the correct doctrine.
And again, while sojourning in the Reformed
Christian camp, I faced the most anti-Semitism that I ever had
experienced in my life. I must confess though, that I met
some of the strongest and kindest believers in my life in a
Reformed Hebrew Christian ministry. So in this case again,
the good has indeed outweighed the bad.
So now, some thirty five years after beginning my
journey I have found peace by not letting myself get cornered by
those who would dictate my beliefs. If they want to
associate with me, they are free to do so. I welcome them
into my life and home. I may have disappointed some by
"being neither fish nor foul" in accordance to their doctrine, but
nevertheless, I have remained true to my conscience and my Lord.
In Yeshua's (Jesus) gracious kindness,
Marshall Beeber
Messianic Literary Corner director |
