To a startling extent, we Christians have related, and still relate, to Jewish people in ways that encourage anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism. We often do this as we exegete the Bible in our sermons, classrooms, and books. Our sins against Jews can be just as horrendous when they flow from our ignorance, arrogance, and privilege as when they are the expression of outright prejudices. This book is a plea for Christians to live up to the challenge Jesus, as well as the great writing prophets of the Old Testament, set for us. We must learn to tell the truth rather than hiding from it, to shed the tears of broken hearts, choose turning from our old ways to new paths, and practice trusting that God will bless the efforts. Although the author believes it is important to know that the mostly Jewish writers of the New Testament were not rejecting their Jewish roots, and certainly were not anti-Semitic, he acknowledges that church history ensures that there is almost no other way to hear some passages today. We can choose a new path that honors Jesus and honors all we owe the Jewish people past and present.
