Religious Leaders and Scholars “Wrestle with Problem Passages”
New Conference Series Explores Learning in the Presence of the Other
The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, launched a multiyear interreligious study project, “Wrestling with Problem Passages” on December 4-5, 2006. Thirty-one scholars and religious leaders examined how problematic passages from within their own traditions are understood and probed for deeper meaning and possibilities for dialogue.
The 12 scheduled presenters for the conference represented Jewish, Christian and Muslim perspectives. Most were past participants of the Center’s Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students. The Institute was founded in 2000 to educate future religious leaders in Jewish-Christian understanding and dialogue. More than 200 future religious leaders have participated in this program and nearly 80 of them are ordained and working in parishes, synagogues and schools. These ordained leaders continue their dialogue with CCJU and each other as members of the Colleagues in Dialogue Program and through invitational conferences such as “Wrestling with Problem Passages.”
Rabbi Alan Abrams from West Reading, Pennsylvania, discussed Leviticus 10:1-3 at the conference.
The conference format of working through a difficult text or passage in the presence of the other represents a growing educational theory in interreligious study that recognizes the added value of learning in the presence of the other. Dr. Anne Morrow Heekin, Coordinator of Programs and Publications for CCJU said, “In addition to learning about how the other approaches interpretation of texts, there is the added dimension of learning how the other interacts with the text for the faith life of the community.”
The primary goal of the conference was to observe how people wrestle with sacred texts through the eyes of faith, and what methods and approaches they employ in handling a difficult piece of text from their particular faith tradition. “It’s fundamentally important, if we are going to rectify the injustices of the past, that we construct bridges of understanding. We were able to ask each other questions that historically could never be discussed. Sitting down and being able to challenge—and to be respectfully challenged—has excited me personally and rabbinically,” said Rabbi Bryan Bramly, of Temple Sholom in Chandler, Arizona.
Reverend Robert Kersten from
Delhi, New York, offered insights for understanding and wrestling with Joshua 6.
Dr. David Coppola, Associate Executive Director of the CCJU, agreed: “The questions we are asking today are possible because we have built a trust with each other and made a commitment to work together to repair the world. We are convinced that the other is a daughter or son of God and that we are all responsible to work for peace through dialogue.”
The 12 conference presenters from across the country included Jewish presenters, Alan Abrams, Vicki Armour-Hileman, Alana Suskin, Talya Weisbard Shalem, Susan Zengerle; Christian presenters, Gerald Burns, Augustine Carrillo, Robert Kersten, Kent Narum, Michael Peppard; and Muslim presenters, Kareem Adeeb and Hazza Abu Rabi.
Participants said the conference was personally and spiritually moving and acknowledged that this kind of honest and focused work must continue. “I think it’s important for us to know about the faith of other people and how they understand their sacred texts. It will not solve every problem but it will help to solve some problems. That’s what I believe,” said Hazza Abu Rabi, a Muslim and Central Connecticut State University professor.
Over the next several years, the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding plans to extend the problem passages conference theme to scholars and religious leaders in other national and international venues. In addition to posting the papers on the CCJU web site (www.ccju.org), a collection from the series will be published by Sacred Heart University Press as an educational resource for teachers, students and religious leaders.
CCJU Staff
Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz, Executive Director
David L. Coppola, Ph.D., Associate Executive Director
Ann Morrow Heekin, Ph.D., Director of Programs and Publications
Guillaine Dale, Assistant to the Directors
Joan Jackson, Office Secretary
Monthly newsletter of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding.The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University seeks to contribute to the creation of a world of greater respect, cooperation and peace by educating Christians and Jews for a dialogue that is based on knowledge and truth about God and one another. The Center promotes scholarship, trains future religious leaders, educates teachers and leaders of parishes and synagogues, and serves as a leader in promoting Christian-Jewish understanding in the United States and throughout the world.
Previous Page
Back to Newsletters