2004

Christian Authors To Discuss “Faith Transformed” At Muhlenberg College

In the recently published “Faith Transformed: Christian Encounters with Jews and Judaism,” eleven Christian scholars who have been at the forefront of Christian-Jewish relations share how their encounters with Jews and Judaism have transformed their understanding and practice of Christian faith.

 Friday, September 24, 2004 10:42 AM

In the recently published “Faith Transformed: Christian Encounters with Jews and Judaism,” eleven Christian scholars who have been at the forefront of Christian-Jewish relations share how their encounters with Jews and Judaism have transformed their understanding and practice of Christian faith. On Thursday evening, September 30, John Merkle, the book’s editor, along with Alice Eckardt and Franklin Sherman, two senior contributors, will discuss some of the book’s themes, focusing on how Christian faith is enriched by drawing inspiration from the Jewish tradition. The event will be held in the Recital Hall at Muhlenberg College’s Baker Center for the Arts, beginning at 7:30 pm. It is free and open to the public.

Alice Eckardt is professor emerita of religious studies at Lehigh University and former resident scholar at the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies. She has written extensively on antisemitism, the Holocaust, and Christian-Jewish relations, and has served as a consultant to the President’s Commission on the Holocaust.

Franklin Sherman is professor emeritus of Jewish-Christian Studies at Muhlenberg College and formerly director of its Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding (1989-1996). In March he was the honoree at the Institute’s annual Wallenberg Tribute and was named Founding Director of the IJCU. Prior to his work at Muhlenberg College he was professor of Christian ethics and dean at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. He has published widely in the field of Jewish-Christian relations and currently is associate for interfaith relations with the Department for Ecumenical Affairs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

John Merkle is professor of theology and chair of the department of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, and associate director of the Jay Phillips Center for Jewish-Christian Learning, in Minnesota. Most of his publications focus on Jewish theology and on Christian faith in relation to Judaism.