Interview with a Pharisee—and a Christian | Christianity Today

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2007 > October

Christianity Today, October, 2007 |

Interview with a Pharisee—and a Christian

How two believers of two faiths talk to one another with conviction and civility.

David Neff | posted 10/12/2007 09:24AM

5 of 5

I also wrote it hoping that fundamentalist, premillennialist Christians might see a different perspective. I would like those who are into replacement theology to see another perspective.

But most of all I think I'm hoping that many Christians will give [the book] to Jews so that the Holy Spirit will use what I said. There's enough in there that God can use to bring many people to the Lord Jesus. And maybe you, David, will have it happen to you. I'm sorry, but I haven't given up.

Rosen: And you'll never give up, R. T.; I realize that.

Related Elsewhere:

Christianity Today sister publication Books & Culture ran a five-part series on Jewish-Christian relations in 2000-2001. It also ran companion articles and a series on evangelical attitudes toward Israel and Palestine.

Other Christianity Today articles on Jews and Christians include:

Kosher Cooperation | Jewish elites broker new relations with evangelicals. (October 1, 2003)

Editor's Bookshelf: The Church's Hidden Jewishness | In the Shadow of the Temple illumines Hebrew thinking in a Greek world (Sept. 15, 2003)

Editor's Bookshelf: 'Normalizing' Jewish Believers | How should Christianity's Jewish heritage change how Gentiles relate to their faith? An interview with Oskar Skarsaune (Sept. 15, 2003)

Christ via Judaism | Lauren Winner's spiritual journey is an invaluable—and, to some, unsettling—reminder of where we came from (July 7, 2003)

Weblog: Messianic Jews in Canada Lose Appeal to Use Menorah Logo (June 26, 2003)

A Christian Studies Torah | Athol Dickson's The Gospel According to Moses encourages exploration of Jewish roots (May 14, 2003)

Weblog: Christian Seders Accused of Being Anti-Jewish | We're waiting for Elijah, not Jesus, say Jews (Apr. 28, 2003)

Do Jews Really Need Jesus? | What evangelicals believe about evangelization of the Jews—and whether the Holocaust makes a difference in that task (Oct. 8, 1990, reposted Aug. 16, 2002)

The Chosen People Puzzle | When it comes to relating to the Jewish people, should we dialogue, cooperate, or evangelize? (Mar 9, 2001)

Is Evangelism Possible Without Targeting? | The founder of Jews for Jesus responds to Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (Jan. 14, 2000)

Can I Get a Witness? | Southern Baptists rebuff critics of Chicago evangelism plan. (Jan. 14, 2000)

Witnessing vs. Proselytizing | A rabbi's perspective on evangelism targeting Jews, and his alternative (Dec. 3, 1999)

To the Jew First? | Southern Baptists defend new outreach effort (Nov. 15, 1999)

How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend | The amazing story of Christian efforts to create and sustain the modern nation of Israel. (Oct. 5, 1998)

The Return of the Jewish Church | In 1967, there were no Messianic Jewish congregations in the world. Today there are 350. Who are these believers? (Sept. 7, 1998)

Mapping the Messianic Jewish World (Sept. 7, 1998)

Did Christianity Cause the Holocaust? | No, despite what a biased film at the tax-supported Holocaust Museum implies (Apr. 27, 1998)

Is Jewish-Christian a Contradiction in Terms? (April 7, 1997)

Jews Oppose Baptist Outreach (Nov. 11, 1996)

Christmas and the Modern Jew | Christians often seem to lack both good missionary strategies toward Jews and sensitivity to their situation in life (Dec. 8, 1958)

Graham Feted By American Jewish Committee | In 1977, Graham walked a fine line between in his work 'to proclaim the Gospel to Jew and Gentile.' (Nov. 18, 1977)

To the Jew First | Witnessing to the Jews is nonnegotiable. (Aug. 11, 1997)

Billy Graham: 'I have never felt called to single out the Jews' | The evangelist discusses targeted evangelism in one of his most quoted statements (March 16, 1973)

Other Christianity Today articles have more specifically examined the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

first page |

5 of 5

share this page

October 2007, Vol. 51, No. 10

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment

Reader Reviews are below

Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders

2-for-1 Gifts!

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Displaying 1 - 3 of 17 comments.

See all comments

Ephrem Hagos

Posted: October 23, 2007 2:11 AM

Christianity has obscured the huge difference between "the Word of God" (as portrayed in the Gospels) and the "interpretations" (as presented in the epistles of the Apostles) with greater emphasis on the latter. This has proved very unfortunate making Christians part of the problem but not the solution. If actually confronted with the truth, as we surely will see, the deeper roots of the Pharisees in the Torah and the Prophets may yet prove to be a real comparative advantage over Christianity.

Myrna

Posted: October 19, 2007 6:10 AM

This article was wonderful! As a completed Jew, I can certainly understand, because in many ways, I have been both of these men. Before I met the Lord, the incarnation was inconceivable. HOW can the Infinite pour Himself into the finite? At best this is a craziness - at worst blasphemy. I understand when the rabbi says he doesn't understand. I didn't either. There is indeed a double blindness on the Jews. Jesus, Himself pronounced it in Mt. 23:39. However, when they turn (as it says in 2 Cor 3:16) to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away! God has NOT forsaken His people. There is no need for a "replacement theology." (Read Eph. 2 and Ro. 9-11.) In fact, God calls all Gentiles who have received mercy to show it to the Jews, so they can be saved (Ro. 11:31) - which is exactly what Kendall is trying to do. There has definitely been enough MISunderstanding between us. Any book that can help us all heal is a good thing. May the Lord use it mightily; there are eternal realities at stake.

George

Posted: October 17, 2007 1:54 PM

Great thoughts from Brenda. The article demonstrates in a beautiful manner how people can stay in dialogue and still maintain their valued positions, not just for themselves but for those they serve. And is there any more mysterious or challenging three chapters in the New testament that Romans 9 -11? Every time I read them I scratch my head a bit even though I resonate with Kendall's posture as a Christ-follower. So I believe that Christians must be faithful to their calling of proclaiming the gospel to whomever will listen, but to do it with the grace demonstrated in the lives of these two long time friends.

The allotted time for commenting has ended.