Realising the need for a closer working relationship between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) the two organisations jointly arranged a meeting in London in December 2005 of Christian scholars with a few Jewish consultants.
This led to a much more directive consultation of theologians and scholars in December 2006 at the Boldern Evangelical Study Centre on the shores of Lake Zurich. Thirteen Christians and four Jews spent two days under the facilitation of Dr Peter Pettit of Allentown USA with the agenda of together commenting on the WCC Faith and Order Paper 198 “The Nature and Mission of the Church”.
The WCC is hoping to publish this paper by 2011 in order to define a common Christian belief as a tool in seeking unity amongst Christians: a worthy aim indeed. Yet the document seeking to promote Christian unity was found to be riddled with phrases and ideas that were to differing degrees problematic to Jews and Muslims (and Eastern faiths too). Fortunately, before we Jews were asked to speak, a number of Catholic theologians had already distributed comments listing their criticisms of the paper. Just a few examples: using Old Testament to describe the Jewish scriptures, a minor problem. Of greater import, the paper expresses the supercessionist view that Christianity took over from Judaism the title and role of “God’s Chosen People”. Such a view was long ago abandoned by most Catholic authorities and most liberal Protestant theologians and yet it seemed to be present in Paper 198.
We Jews bridled at the very word “Mission” used often in the paper. Christian missionaries sadly have a bad reputation in Jewish circles - especially when they try to convert Jews to their faith. And yet our discussion led us to ask: if one really believes in something and thinks it would help others, what is wrong in trying to promote one’s beliefs, so long, of course, as it entails no coercion or underhand methods? We recalled that the founders of the Liberal Jewish Movement in Britain and the founders of Reform Judaism in Germany decades before had thought that Liberal/Reform Judaism was the ultimate, sensible, rational religion: pure ethical monotheism. They urged their followers to try to spread the word. Maybe the Shoah put paid to that idea, although it was this event that led to the founding of the Council of Christians and Jews and in time to the ICCJ. And this seminar in Zurich was evidence of the work done since the Shoah to remove misunderstanding and distrust between Christians and Jews and to fight anti-Semitism. Yet there are no references to the Shoah in the Paper and there was scant reference to Judaism at all, nor of the Church’s origin in a Jewish background and in the relationship between the two religions over the centuries.
Such was the open and trusting nature of the encounter that all such criticisms were openly stated and careful notes made by Bishop John Hind, the Chair of the Faith and Order Commission, and by others involved in the publication of the papers. And Jews too realised that they had a task to do also and should consider working towards a Jewish equivalent of the Faith and Order Commission to take on the task first approached by the authors of “Dabru Emet”1.
Jews make demands that Christians “clean up their act” but are Jews prepared to reciprocate? We demand that Christians remove from their lectionary and liturgy prayers that we find offensive, but are we prepared to do the same? There are many passages in the Torah that are disturbing, especially in our dealings with other nations and people. Of course we Liberal Jews can omit them, but in Orthodox synagogues they are diligently read out as the word of God, thankfully only in Hebrew. A talk on the history of the Aleynu prayer pointed out that some recently published prayerbooks (eg Art Scroll) had re-introduced passages in this prayer offensive to Christians. And so we discussed and exchanged views - it was positive religious dialogue at its best.
Two memorable experiences: A member of the Church of South India made it clear that people in his church in southern India knew Jews only through the New/Old Testament; no concept of the Judaism that developed for about 2000 years after Jesus. And he said “Your missionaries came and offered us an Asian Jesus but ended up giving us a white God”. Christianity is vibrant in the southern hemisphere, yet still we wish them to see faith through European eyes. This is a challenge to European Christianity, and yet also for Jews if we want them to see beyond an anti-Jewish message that can be found in the New Testament, or to see modern Judaism as being the same as that depicted in the Hebrew Bible
As we got to the end of discussing the Paper, John Mbiti, a black Methodist minister from Kenya made us really think. He spoke of his, and Africans in general, affinity with the story of Israel in the Bible; the slavery, Exodus, trials in the wilderness. And he gently questioned Western Christianity’s emphasis on the crucifixion and resurrection, on life after death, on Jesus bleeding on the cross. In Africa they do not emphasise the dying Jesus, but the living Jesus, the gentle man of peace, an exemplary life, healing the sick, helping the poor and dispossessed, bringing happiness to the distressed. This was the message and the hope Jesus could bring to millions impoverished in Africa. The realisation that the ultimate object of true religion is not to engage in theological debates or ponder the meaning of myths, or to force our beliefs on others, but to do God’s work by bringing healing and happiness to this world, to work to end poverty and the growing gap between rich and poor - the oppression, slavery, crippling wars that blight our world today. This is the urgent task of Judaism as well as Christianity and Islam.
By the concluding session a long list of recommendations and hopes for future discussion was made; some commenting directly on the Faith and Order Paper, but many laying out an agenda for further Jewish/Christian (and Muslim) encounter. For instance, there is a serious need to honestly and deeply discuss the theology and practical implications today of the land and the State of Israel; its meaning to Jews, Christians and Muslims. We need to investigate the accusation of a perceived revival of anti-Semitism in certain Church pronouncements. Yet Jews also need to re-assess the life and ministry of Jesus and both Christians and Jews need to explore ways in which they can work together on common issues like poverty and ecology. Let us hope the thoughts noted down at the meeting will inspire the WCC and ICCJ to find time for further discussion both separately and together.
1 The Dabru Emet ("Speak [the] Truth") is a document concerning the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. It was signed by over 120 rabbis from all branches of Judaism.
Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein is Senior Rabbi of Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, chair of European region of the World Union Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), member of the ICCJ executive board, and co-chair of the ICCJ theology committee.
Ruth Weyl is consultant to the ICCJ and for the last thirty years she has been part of the development of ICCJ as one expression of the Jewish-Christian dialogue.