"Replacement theology," I observe, at least around here, has evolved into a pejorative term used for what some *think* is covenant theology. Those who bandy it about say that it means that Reformed believers believe that the church has replaced God's chosen people, the Jews, entirely, and that God wants nothing more to do with them as a people. Of those who are the non-elect, of course, that's true.
For a couple of years, mostly out of curiosity and because I did have some Jewish forebears who were forced to convert to Roman Catholicism while still in Germany, I occasionally attended a Messianic congregation as a Reformed believer. The "rabbi" there condemned "replacement theology," although he himself professed at least four of the points of Calvinism. (Limited atonement was the logical bugbear for him.) He called proponents of what he called replacement theology "heretics." He and I disagreed that national Israel was part of the new covenant. His Bible version of choice was the NASB; in fact, he was and remains NASB-only. There was somewhat of a Baptist "bent" to this congregation; it was in partnership with a black Baptist minister who had started an African-American outreach to rabbinic Jews and who also decried what he called "replacement theology."
A book I bought just last Saturday is the diary of Robert Murray M'Cheyne and Andrew Bonar (two with Reformed credentials) as to their protracted, mid-19th century expedition to Palestine to investigate the possibility of establishing a Jewish homeland there. Replacement theologians? I think not. I haven't started the book yet, but I've read a number of articles about this expedition. I bought the book at Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, having first spent the morning at the Reformation Heritage Bookstore at the PRTS in GR; the book is entitled, "Mission of Discovery: The Beginnings of Modern Jewish Evangelism." Its original title was "Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry to the Jews from the Church of Scotland in 1839."
I for one don't like the term "replacement theology" or its equation with covenant theology. It doesn't seem Biblical to me. Of course God is not done with the Jews (I'm speaking of individuals, not national Israel as it's now configured), for I see that He is still saving them as individuals, as He does with each of us. Those who would imply that "everyone" of the Reformed persuasion believes that God is through with the Jews and are firmly "down" with what they call replacement theology simply don't understand us. I don't believe in dispensationalism. "National," rabbinic, orthodox Judaic Israel is not God's holy place - but there were, last time I checked on the situation, about 80 Messianic congregations there and about 12,000 Jewish believers. The Lord is certainly present among them! "There is neither Jew nor Greek" in Christ, of course, but "salvation is of the Jews," i.e., He meant to bring the Redeemer from the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I do believe in witnessing to Jews and do it frequently. (Romans 1:16... Romans 9, 10, 11.)
I probably haven't cleared anything up, but I've strenuously resisted being called a proponent of "replacement theology" by Jewish believers for a long time now. The term itself is irritating to me...
Thank you for posting this thread, Bob! If I've said anything wrong-headed here, I will stand corrected and appreciate the correction...
Margaret