Becoming Jewish, Believing in Jesus

Abstract

Abstract This book investigates a growing religious movement fusing beliefs and rituals deriving from Charismatic Evangelicalism and Judaism. Unlike analogous phenomena found in the West, such as Messianic Judaism (where Jewish-born people identify as believers in Jesus) or Christian Zionism (Evangelicals who emphasize the role of the Jews living in Israel by embracing Zionist activism), it addresses a different dimension of this trend emerging from the Global South. Based on an ethnography conducted during 2013–2015 within a religious community in Brazil, this book explains why former Charismatic Evangelicals (with no Jewish background) are adopting Jewish tenets and lifestyles. Focusing particularly on women’s conversion narratives, it investigates the reasons why Brazilian Charismatic Evangelicals are embracing rules derived from Orthodox Judaism, such as strict dress codes, eating kosher food, and observing menstrual taboos, while believing in Jesus as the Messiah. The analysis indicates that Judaizing Evangelical communities should be understood as a revival seeking to restore Christianity. The incorporation of Jewish elements aims to rebuild the authenticity of Christianity while distinguishing them from Charismatic Evangelicalism and its perceived scriptural inaccuracy, moral permissiveness, and materialism. This revival also involves recovering a collective past. References to a hidden Jewish heritage and a “return” to Judaism are mobilized for justifying strict adherence to Jewish practices. Drawing upon a sociocultural analysis, this study examines the historical, theological, religious, and subjective reasons behind this emerging Judaizing trend in Charismatic Evangelicalism. This book also engages with the literature of religious conversion, cultural change, and debates examining religious hybridization processes.