How to Respond to Anti-Semitism in Biblical Interpretation
On the evening of Thursday, 22 September, an exciting opportunity to learn about anti-Semitism in biblical studies is available to us for free!
In recent years there has been a rise in anti-Semitic incidents throughout North America, including the horrific murder of eleven people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. The terrorist who carried out these murders even cited biblical passages from the New Testament in defense of his actions. All people of goodwill renounce this sort of evil behaviour, but in recent New Testament textbooks and popularizing books on the New Testament, one can still find subtle anti-Semitic tropes and themes in discussions of Jesus, the Pharisees, and “the Jews.” Ordinary readers and churchgoers can take in this sort of biblical interpretation without realizing that what’s being said or written runs counter to official Church teaching and good historical understanding of the New Testament. The goal of this panel is to shed light on why it’s important that Christians know how to recognize, respond to, and speak against biblical interpretation that is anti-Semitic.
This event is made available by St Mark's College at the University of British Columbia via live stream for free. Click this link to register!