"What has happened in the past 35 years in Christian-Jewish dialogue is unimaginable in the history of our relationship. We need to carry it forward," stressed noted theologian Dr. Mary Boys in a lecture at Sacred Heart University April 29, 1999.

"What Do You Believe? The Challenge for Christian-Jewish Dialogue" was the theme of her address, which was sponsored by the University's Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding as part of its ongoing efforts to encourage  discussion and promote understanding on issues of mutual concern.

Dr. Boys is the Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Long active in ecumenical and interfaith circles, she invited her audience to consider ways that Christians -- and Roman Catholics in particular -- have institutionalized a kind of anti-Judaism in their beliefs and public practices. This bias against Judaism is sometimes subtle and sometimes blatant, she stated, but always unacceptable.

As an example, she cited the familiar Gospel reading concerning a man born blind who is cured by Jesus. When the man's parents are questioned about the matter, they refuse to answer because of their "fear of the Jews." Too many Christians, she said, fail to recognize the potential damage caused by teaching this seemingly harmless phrase until they begin to imagine how such a passage might sound to Jewish listeners. The author of more than 60 articles and several books on related topics, Dr. Boys noted the power of public worship to teach. Too often, she explained, it has taught a negative lesson regarding the value and validity of Judaism and the Jewish people. Solemn prayers offered in the traditional Good Friday Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, for example, beseeched God to touch the hearts of the "unbelieving" or "unfaithful" Jews and remove the veil from their hearts. Present-day versions pray that the Jews will receive the fullness of redemption, which to some listeners still seems to pit one covenant against another.

A more accessible example is in the Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" which begs God to "ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here." Dr. Boys suggested that such lyrics, so ancient and so beloved, could subtly teach Christians that Judaism has, in effect, been "superseded" by the New Covenant of Christianity. This may well encourage a kind of arrogance among believers who feel they alone have received "the fullness of redemption."

The speaker admitted that she posed more questions than she answered, which is the prerogative of a teacher, she explained. "I would like to see both Christians and Jews so solidly grounded in their own traditions that they are able to enter openly into dialogue and discussion," Dr. Boys said. "Understanding does not always mean agreement." 

After the CCJU Lecture a smaller group gathered for dinner and discussion with Dr. Boys at Sacred Heart University's Board Room at the Pitt Center. The dialogue centered on an article written by Dr. Boys and Dr. Sara S. Lee, in 1996, which reported on the work of  "Religious Particularism and Pluralism," a Lily Endowment-sponsored project involving Jewish and Catholic educators and academics.

This year's CCJU lecture was in memory of Frank H. Brennan, Sr. who was the founder, publisher and editor of National Dialogue Newsletter. Mr. Brennan was a remarkable man of integrity, faith, and he worked to further the Christian-Jewish dialogue in this country until his death in 1992. Mrs. Mary Brennan, joined by her daughter, Sally, were present at the lecture and dinner. 

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