Much of my work consists of pointing out the ways that Jews and Christians can learn from each other, based on their shared history in Scripture. Today, however, I want to point out some of the ways that the two faiths differ in their theologies. These differences go a lot deeper than simply “Jesus” and… Continue reading The biggest theological differences between Judaism and Christianity
In the company of Jewish friends, I went way out into the wilderness where I could see my tradition through their eyes instead of my own. They taught me what messiah means to a Jew, which is quite different from what it means to most Christians. They taught me things about Second Temple Judaism and… Continue reading Is Judaism inherently legalistic?
I have written before about what I believe it means to practice Christianity "Jewishly": that is, by asking hard questions and expressing spiritual doubts. But there is another, and perhaps more important, way of doing Christianity "Jewishly" -- one that doesn't involve rebranding Jewish theology, or the mistranslation of certain texts so they appear to… Continue reading The Bible’s optical illusion: Jesus or Israel?
If you've been paying attention to the news lately, you may be aware of the controversy regarding Donald Trump declaring Jerusalem the official capital of Israel. This is a controversial move for spiritual reasons as well as political ones. It's interesting that the same issues that plagued interfaith relations 2000+ years ago are just as… Continue reading Interfaith dialogue is necessary for peace
