The real task of theological dialogue between Jews and Christians does not lie in exploring the religous boundaries of a lowest common denominator within a secular society, nor does it consist merely in engaging in common ethical causes - good as the latter may be. For serious Jews and Christians such endeavors are theologically uninteresting and do not touch the heart or either community. Rather, true dialogue must engage itself with the elements of uniqueness of each group and focus on its highest denominator. Perhaps one place to begin is for Jews and Christians to agree in confessing faith in the one eternal God of Israel who also wills salvation for the Gentiles. Each community will make its own formulation in response to the Bible's pressure to retain Israel's particularity commensurate with the universal rule of God. For the Christian church the continuing paradox of faith lies in its encounter through the Jewish Scriptures with the selfsame divine presence which it confesses to have found in the face of Jesus Christ.Childs, "Does the Old Testament Witness to Jesus Christ?" 64.
2 comments:
The task would seem to be harder to achieve among evangelicals who often use John 14.6 to exclude the other party.
Hi Levi,
I agree that the exclusive claims made concerning Jesus make interreligious dialogue more demanding, but I don't see how that excludes others from dialogue. Especially if they are Jews. Christians can benefit a lot from the dialogue for, as Childs says, "For the Christian church the continuing paradox of faith lies in its encounter through the Jewish Scriptures with the selfsame divine presence which it confesses to have found in the face of Jesus Christ."
Most Evangelicals I know are in some way supportive of Christian Zionism. From my experience, this party is not particularly exclusive of Jews when it comes to learning from others.
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