Evangelical churches and evangelical networks have become increasingly influential in Germany. While the Protestant state churches and the Catholic Church have officially distanced themselves from anti-Semitic replacement theology and the proselytization of Jews, a comparable institutional distancing has largely failed to materialize in the evangelical context. This absence is significant because religious discourses in these contexts often serve as resources for legitimizing symbolic inequality and reproducing historically entrenched hierarchies between Christianity and Judaism.
This also applies to the discourse on Messianic Jews, i.e., Jews who believe in Jesus as the Messiah and number an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 followers in Germany. Messianic communities include both Jews and non-Jews who, influenced by evangelical theology, adopt Jewish religious practices, whereas Christian holidays are generally not observed.
Although Messianic Jews play only a marginal role in terms of numbers within the evangelical milieu, they are frequently referred to as authoritative voices in sermons and media appearances. Based on an analysis of sermons and media appearances by influential actors, this paper demonstrates how Messianic Jews are presented as "authentic" Jewish voices, while at the same time mobilizing discursive constructions based on long-standing anti-Semitic tropes, such as the idea of the spiritual blindness of the Jews. This tension is exacerbated by their promotion of Jewish mission alongside their strong advocacy for the State of Israel.
Furthermore, the paper examines how Messianic Jews function as symbolic mediators in evangelical churches while reinforcing religious hierarchies and inequalities between Christianity and Judaism. It thus contributes to research on religion and (in)equality by showing how inclusivity-oriented rhetoric can function as a mechanism for legitimizing hierarchical religious orders.