Follow-up Post: Disciple Resources

I previously wrote a post about Disciple Resources, including my preliminary take on the book, Jews & Christians, A Troubled Family (by Walter Harrelson and Randall M. Falk). A quick glance at my post will show that I had some initial concerns about where this book was heading - and after finishing I can only say... this book is Hogwash!

It saddens me that the United Methodist Church includes a book like this in any teachings, but particularly in a class that is designed to "make Disciples for Jesus Christ!" I'm not going to give a full report on this book because, frankly, it's not worth my time or yours. But I will share some of the assertions and conclusions from the "Christian" contributor, followed by my one-line responses:

• Christianity, as a religion, is to blame for Jewish persecution and oppression
• These actions were a perversion of Christianity, not Christianity as a religion
  


• Christians blame Jews for Jesus’ death
• This may have been true in the past, I don't see much of this today
  


• Christians should let “Jews be Jews”, and not proselytize to them
• The Gospel is not for Jews, did Paul know this?
  


• Jesus was a liberal Pharisee
• His explanation is much softer than this, but this is his conclusion
  


• Christians have forced Messianic prophecy into the OT
• I thought God put the prophecy in there!
  


• The Deity of Christ is not an issue to be dogmatic about
• I think we should be dogmatic about essentials to the faith.
  


• “Little is to be gained by the flat assertion of the divinity of Jesus by Christians…”
• I would argue that all is to be lost by denying it
  


• “Jesus is a representative of God”
• And his implication here was just a represenative (small "r")
  


• He is the “one through whom God is bringing the New Age”
• Not the "One", but the one (small "o")
  


• He is the “announcer of the New Age”
• Ditto
  


• and the “bringer of what He announced”
• And again
  


• Jesus is not necessarily the only way to God
  
• I was surprised he admitted to this sentiment. So there is no truth? Direct quotes from the book:
  
• “…we do not need to insist that our way to God is the only permissible way”
• “I am unable to say to the adherents of other religions, or to the non-religious, my truth is also yours”

Sad, very sad. Worse yet, 14 other people in my class will read this book over the next 7 months. Thankfully, we will be discussing it in depth - giving me and others an opportunity to point out the errors.

UPDATE 10/10: I feel the need to point out that there were positive elements to this book. In fact, much of what the Jewish co-author wrote was well worth reading - if only to gain a Jewish perspective on Judeo-Christian relations. Also, the above bullets of course lack context - making them in some instances seem worse than they actually are. All that said, one cannot get past the fact that the Christian author claims that not only is it unimportant to defend the Deity of Christ - but it is also unnecessary to claim Christianity as truth. As Christians, we cannot tolerate this.

AUTHOR BIO's

Dr. Walter Harrelson — Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Bible, Vanderbilt Divinity School, and Adjunct University Professor of Wake Forest University Divinity School. Dr. Harrelson is an ordained American Baptist and Disciples of Christ minister and has served other professorships at Andover Newton Theological School and the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is author of Interpreting the Old Testament, The Ten Commandments & Human Rights, Jews & Christians: A Troubled Family (with Rabbi Randall M. Falk), Jews & Christians in Pursuit of Social Justice (also with Rabbi Falk), and The Making of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible (with Bruce M. Metzger and Robert C. Dentan). He is the General Editor of The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, published by Abingdon. He was a member (now chair) of the translation committee that produced the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible and continues to work and speak on issues of biblical translation. Dr. Bernhard W. anderson—Professor of Old Testament Theology, emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary. His teaching career also included professorships at Drew University, where he was dean of the Theological School; Colgate Rochester Divinity School; the University of North Carolina; and Colgate University. An ordained minister of The United Methodist Church, Dr. Anderson is author of Understanding the Old Testament, now in its fifth edition and, most recently, Contours of Old Testament Theology.

Rabbi Randall M. Falk — Rabbi, Emeritus, of the Temple, Nashville, TN, adjunct faculty of The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University, and member of the Board of Directors of Meharry Medical College. He is co-author with Walter Harrelson of Jews and Christians: A Troubled Family and Jews and Christians: In Pursuit of Social Justice. Rabbi Falk is on the Board of Directors of Shepherd Centers of America and of the World Union of Progressive Judaism.