While
I was working on my doctorate, I traveled back and forth between Huntington,
West Virginia (where I lived), and Memphis, Tennessee (where I was
attending). On one of my flights to
Memphis, I was seated next to an older gentlemen who was traveling to Memphis
for business. He was a lawyer from
Boston, and was traveling to Memphis for a board meeting at St. Jude’s Children’s
Hospital. As we begin talking during the
flight, the question of religion eventually came up. He discerned quite easily that I was a Christian,
probably by noting what I was reading. He,
then, noted that he was Jewish. As we continued
talking, we noted the number of areas that we had in common—a love for God, a
respect for creation, a concern for ethical living and social justice, and a desire
to meditate on Scripture. He shared with
me that his daily practice was quite simple: Every morning, he rose and read a
Psalm. He would then pray for moral
guidance throughout the day. Not long
after, it time to secure our trays and refasten our seat belts.
Ironically,
my daily devotional practice is similar: I rise, read a psalm and pray for
guidance throughout the day. The only
difference between my Jewish traveling companion and myself is that he is
Jewish and I am Christian. On one hand,
my practice of Christianity is the logical continuation of the Jewish religion,
as defined by the New Testament (or Christian Bible). On the other hand, my practice of
Christianity is a divergence from orthodox Jewish faith, as defined by the Old
Testament (or Hebrew Bible). The question
is not necessarily who is correct but can we (Jews and Christians) have open
and engaging dialogues about the similarities and differences in our
understandings of faith.
This
is where Anthony Le Donne’s book comes into play. A New Testament professor at United
Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, Le Donne is an emerging prolific author
who focuses his research on the historical character and mission of Jesus. As such, Le Donne spends much of his time
dialoguing with both Jewish and Christian scholars. And this volume serves, somewhat, as a
summary of the conversations that he has had with both his Jewish and Christian
dialogue partners, conversations that are becoming more and more nuanced as
scholars and religious teachers continue flowing towards a more inclusive acceptance
of one another.
Le
Donne finds himself in a quandary. He was
raised in a fairly conservative religious home, one that ingrained a more
black-and-white understanding of the relationship between the Jewish and
Christian religions. [Having come from
the same denominational tradition, I can certainly “Amen” many of his
concerns.] Armed with a doctorate in New
Testament and Christian studies and the humble attitude of a student, Le Donne
sought out on a journey to discover the complex and rich nature of the Jewish
religion and how Christianity has been deeply influenced by it. In engaging in these conversations, Le Donne
found his faith in God growing deeper as he embraced the values of honesty,
integrity, humor and tolerance that undergird modern Jewish faith. He finds himself growing in faith by living
on the “borders” of Jewish and Christian spirituality.
Overall,
I enjoyed this volume. Although it could
have easily been constructed as a series of lectures, it is not. It is crafted more like conversations with over
coffee or a meal. Whether it be a dinner
group that has come together to discuss connections between Jewish and Christian
adherents, Le Donne is transparent in his concerns and his limitations. He does not present himself as an expert on
these “borders,” nor does he bring theological judgment against either
side. Instead, he offers a model of transparent
tolerance and open dialogue with those who stand on the borders of particular
religions and (perhaps) faith in general.
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