Christians & Jews―Faith to Faith: Tragic History, Promising Present, Fragile Future - Hardcover

Rudin, Rabbi James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1580234321 ISBN 13: 9781580234320

Publisher: Jewish Lights, 2010

Synopsis

In time for Pope Francis's new initiatives. We now have the potential to end two thousand years of hostility―will we succeed? New in paperback!

With keen wisdom and a masterful understanding of history, Rabbi James Rudin, an acclaimed authority in the field of Jewish-Christian relations, provides the context necessary for Christians and Jews to recognize the critical challenges posed by the past―and the future―of their two religions.

Spanning twenty centuries of controversy, horror and promise, Rudin's narrative examines:

• The sources of both conflict and commonality between the two religions


• The need to address and redress past wrongs


• The agenda required to create a shared future free of bigotry

It includes proven approaches for successful interreligious dialogues, including tips on session organization, project ideas and a discussion guide to enhance Christians’ and Jews’ knowledge of each other.

About this title

About the Author

Rabbi James Rudin, an international leader in interreligious relations, was a member of the American Jewish Committee's (AJC) professional staff for thirty-two years, where he served as interreligious affairs director. He is currently the AJC's senior interreligious adviser. Rabbi Rudin participated in eleven meetings with Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. He is a prolific author and a columnist for the Religion News Service, a syndicate of Newhouse Newspaper, and has published articles in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Century, National Catholic Reporter and Christianity Today. Among his books is Israel for Christians: Understanding Modern Israel. Rabbi Rudin is a frequent guest on television and radio programs.

Rabbi James Rudin is available to speak on the following topics:

Christians and Jews: The Unfinished Agenda
A Jewish Perspective on Jesus
Myths and Realities about Jews and Evangelicals
The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us
The Different Meanings of the Term "Israel" for Christians and Jews

Reviews

Rudin, who was national interreligious affairs director for the American Jewish Committee for more than three decades, draws on his extensive experience in interfaith meetings for the observations he offers. He emphasizes Jewish-Christian relationships, but recognizes the necessity of including Muslims in current interreligious discussions. Most of the book is devoted to the birth of Christianity and the relationship between Jews and Christians in biblical times and in the Middle Ages, a focus that finally shifts when he discusses the distortions and deceptions of Hebrew Christians in missionary activities aimed at Jews. A chapter on the Holocaust emphasizes the role of Christians in murdering Jews and urges consideration of the Holocaust in œevery interreligious encounter.� Rudin concludes with a plea for religious pluralism as œa necessary antidote� to œendless ethnic and religious conflicts.� He provides a discussion guide for Jewish-Christian study sessions and an eight-page list of suggested readings that includes four of his eight books. Rudin™s emphasis on history limits the value of this book; today™s issues provide more timely topics for groups wishing to improve interreligious relationships. (Feb.)
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Rabbi Rudin’s career concentration on Christian-Jewish rapprochement enables him to write a crystal clear primer on the bones of contention from which anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism were constructed. If you want to know why, as Rudin puts it, ‘Old Testament’ is not a term of endearment; how the Pauline epistles fueled Christian disdain for Judaism and Jews; the difference between anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism; and why the only Holocaust is the Nazi extermination campaign, consult this book. Besides answering such questions, Rudin discusses what the land of Israel means to Jews and Christians, what Jerusalem signifies to Muslims as well as to Jews and to Christians, and, superbly, the implications and effects of Christian mission, witness, and conversion upon Jews. Rudin draws extensively from the historical and religious records of both Jews and Christians, and the bibliography of further reading is impressive enough to damp down objections that this is mere potted, partisan history. Concluding chapters counseling readers on starting and conducting Jewish-Christian dialogue neatly complement the exposition. --Ray Olson

Edition details

• Publisher: Jewish Lights
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1580234321
• ISBN 13: 9781580234320
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288