Christians, Let's Talk...

Something I’ve realized from finally catching Omicron is that playing catch-up with Blogger’s algorithm is a losing battle. I don’t have the time and energy to fight the metrics, and what netted big Views, while fun to write, doesn’t interest me quite as much anymore. So instead of playing this game, I’ll focus on my interests. Like this book I read recently, the drama that unfolded and if the backlash was worth ruining the life of its author. Yes, you read that correctly.

A while ago I wrote about the dangers of Christian Supersessionism. To quote myself:

“These terms might sound like no-brainers to Jews, but mainstream discourse doesn’t stop to think about them. The word ‘supersessionism’ even shows up as a spelling mistake, despite being a real concept. Therefore, I should also refer to them as two facets of ‘Christian Superiority’.”

The “plural” language here refers to another term I also mentioned, but I’ll focus specifically on the supersessionist part because people get prickly when confronted over it. Yet be it the language we use, the laws we practice or the history we’re taught, it’s as much a part of life as the implications for people who aren’t Christian. Even Western atheism, which arose as a rejection of Christianity, still dabbles in Christian Supersessionism, much to its chagrin.

Enter Rabbi Mike Harvey, and his book Let’s Talk: A Rabbi Speaks to Christians. I know Rabbi Harvey is protective of his rabbinic status, especially given his pulpit being stripped, but out of deference I’ll call him one anyway. It’s the kind of person I am, bestowing respect to people and giving them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, Rosh Hashanah has recently ended, and Yom Kippur’s around the corner, so I hope he’ll forgive me. Anyway, moving on.

Rabbi Harvey states in his introduction that he wrote this book to dispel any myths and confusion about Judaism. It’s not a long read, you can easily finish it in one sitting, but it’s chock-full of material. Rabbi Harvey tackles many sensitive issues, major and minor, in order to better create a dialogue between Jews and Christians, which he argues is necessary if we’re to understand one-another. For example, did you know that The Bridal Chorus isn’t used in Jewish weddings because of its ties to Richard Wagner? I always assumed it wasn’t a Jewish tune, but that was eye-opening to learn!

But he doesn’t stop there! Rabbi Harvey also criticizes Jewish institutions to show that this isn’t one-sided. Jews have been hurt by Christian Supersessionism, but they’ve put up barriers that’ve made dialogue tenuous at best. An example he gives is of a Christian visitor at his congregation who crossed her chest after kissing a Torah during a Shabbat service. Many congregants sneered at this, but he pointed out that her connection to something so spiritually-Jewish was strengthening her ties to Christianity. The little acts matter, something this book is also about.

Perhaps the secret of this book is how extensively researched it is. Rabbi Harvey pulls no punches when analyzing Christian and Jewish texts, showing how they evolved over time based on historical circumstances. I don’t agree with everything he argues, I don’t subscribe to The Torah being written by multiple, anonymous authors, but it’s still interesting nonetheless. If anything, he shows more respect to Judaism than many practicing Jews! (Not that he isn’t practicing in his own way, mind you.)

Essentially, it’s a solid book. So why all the blowback? I think that has to do with the domination of Christianity in the Western zeitgeist. People don’t like being taken out of their comfort zones. And here was Rabbi Harvey doing exactly that. Naturally, there was bound to be pushback.

However, was the extreme nature of it worth it? Was it worth making videos and internet posts angrily warning others to stay away? Was it worth him losing his job, his pulpit title, his original publishing agreement, and even, albeit temporarily, his Twitter account? And was it worth the endless harassment and doxing he received online? Was it worth, to use a term we’re familiar with, cancelling Rabbi Harvey?

The answer is, obviously, “no”. But while the backlash from extremists was unsurprising, what disappoints me are the moderates who let it happen. True, many didn’t know; after all, the world’s vast! Yet of those who did, passing it off as “not my problem”, or even deflecting with the phrase, “This isn’t reflective of ‘True Christianity’”, is unhelpful and enabling. If MLK Jr.’s statements about the “White Moderate” can be grafted onto any situation, it’s this. Except that instead of “white”, it’s “Christian”. This also includes those Christian-adjacent.

I’m not even sure what warranted this. Rabbi Harvey wasn’t forcing people to read his book, he was recommending it. He also wasn’t pushing it any more than other authors. I can honestly say that I’ve been more in-your-face about my writing before, and I’ve never published a book! Even if the caustic nature of his Tweets had been a “red flag”, in which case…fair enough, that doesn’t counteract the hate he got for pointing out what Jews have been saying for a while, but nicer.

Essentially, Rabbi Harvey’s personal life getting sabotaged over a book, irrespective of what people claim was in it, wasn’t justified. Nor are the continued attacks from people who still can’t fathom Christianity not being the centre of the universe. And yes, this is a callout to the Christian world. And no, I’m, not ashamed. Because if being nice yields results like this, then why bother? Why not fight fire with fire?

What can be done to remedy this mess? For starters, buy Rabbi Harvey’s book. I got it on Amazon for almost $30 Canadian, and I don’t regret it. In the long-term, however, a reframing of how Christianity relates to Judaism needs to happen. Remember, Christians vastly outnumber Jews. We can’t do this alone, and we need your help. Even if it gets messy, it’s necessary if we’re to be better off. And believe me, we will.

Now then, I think I’ll get me some more tea…