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Hopefully this can be answered by someone who considers themselves to be Messianic Jewish. What are the main differences between Messianic Judaism and Christianity? How does the idea of the trinity differ?

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The short answer is that because the early Jewish converts to Christianity (the original Messianic Jews) maintained their Jewish identity after conversion (at least initially, if not for a considerable time), modern Messianic Jews also seek to worship Christ while maintaining a Jewish cultural identity as a continuation of this historical precedent.

A much longer essay -- "What Are Messianic Jews?" -- can be found here:

http://www.orhaolam.com/uploads/What_Are_Messianic_Jews.pdf

Note: The doctrine of the Trinity is fully accepted by most Messianic Jews. (H/T to DJClayworth)

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I'll just add that, in answer to the specific question, the doctrine of the Trinity is fully accepted by most Messianic Jews. – DJClayworth Feb 2 '12 at 14:53
I had this conversation by email with a Messianic Jew a couple years ago which is why I had the link to that PDF handy. In the early years of Christianity there was contention between the Jewish converts and the Gentile converts over whether the old Laws had to be observed (eg: circumcision, abstinence from pork, etc). There was also the "scandal" that St. Peter preferred to associate with the Jewish converts for which St. Paul "resisted him to the face," calling him out on it in public. I need to study up more on how these factions were reconciled. – Audio Sancto Feb 2 '12 at 14:59
Accepted as the correct answer with DJClayworth's comment. Could you append to your answer regarding the trinity? – user1054 Feb 2 '12 at 16:17

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