Mapping Messianic Jewish Theology

Richard Harvey's 'Mapping Messianic Jewish Theology', is a fascinating exploration of the movement known as Messianic Judaism (sometimes referred to as Hebrew or Jewish Christianity) from a theological perspective. His intention is to identify and explore its pioneering voices in order to both address and assess doctrines and theological positions. Harvey explores its historical basis and growth and focuses on interpretations and applications that are commonly taught. The volume is broken down into nine chapters: 1) Introduction: Approaching Messianic Jewish Theology, 2) Previous Studies: Anthropology, Social Psychology and Historical Theology, 3) Previous Studies: Theological Studies by Practitioners, 4) The Doctrine of God in Messianic Jewish Theology, 5) Yeshua the Messiah: The Shaping of Messianic Jewish Christology, 6) Torah in Theory, 7) Torah in Practice, 8) The Future of Israel, and 9) Conclusion: The Future of Messianic Jewish Theology. While academic in nature, it is easy to read and extremely engaging. Written in 2009, it would do well to be revised to include the writings of Tim Hegg (Torah Resource) and J. K. McKee (Messianic Apologetics), in addition to David H. Stern's revisions in 'The Complete Jewish Study Bible'. This is an important volume and while slightly expensive, it is an essential work that would be needed for those wanting to truly understand and possible adhere to, Messianic Judaism and its theology.