Sacred Dissonance: The Blessing of Difference in Jewish-Christian Dialogue

by Anthony Le Donne, Larry Behrendt

Sacred Dissonance: A Richer Faith through Jewish-Christian Dialogue explores the essential distinctions between religious identities and the cultural boundaries between Jews and Christians. Co-authored by colleagues deeply committed to their respective faiths--one a Jewish lawyer, one a Christian New Testament scholar--this book stands in opposition to the notion that all religions are basically the same, an idea commonly put forward in many secular circles or among those who follow personally appointed folkways rather than traditional religions.


Through deeply introspective essays on topics as personal as neighborhood relations and hospitality, and as difficult and sweeping as the Holocaust, Sacred Dissonance challenges the notion that a passive and self-contained approach to religious distinction will bring about peaceful coexistence. In candid conversations between the authors, every section of Sacred Dissonance models the ways in which conversation can be the means of both addressing a difficult past and a challenging present. In the course of exploring how Jews and Christians can speak to one another, Le Donne and Behrendt show that Christianity can become a "pro-Jewish" religion, Judaism can become a "pro-Christian" religion, and communities of faith can open space for others, rather than turning them away, even without breaking down the differences between them.

288 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2017

Reviews

[Connie Connally · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, the two authors--one Christian, one Jewish--engage in dialogue about the differences and assymetry between their faiths. The questions they open are so huge that perhaps a book this size can only scratch the surface. There is so much territory that simply can't be covered, unless one were to write a volumes-long treatise. But this book is a good start, raising issues for the purpose of creating dialogue between groups that don't usually discuss faith with each other. Especially helpful is the book's discussion of the impact of the Holocaust on Jewish-Christian relations.

[Kim Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacred Dissonance is book on interfaith dialogue rendered, in large part, through dialogue. Readers are allowed to “listen in” as two friends, one Jewish and the other Christian, work together through differences in outlook and experience. They bravely tackle issues that have led to misunderstanding, enmity, and even atrocity, with not only intellectual rigor, but deep respect and warm regard for one another and for others different from themselves. In these days when we all seem to be dividing into camps and shouting at or past one another, this book provides a welcome model of what dialogue in difference can be.