Remembering the Shoah without Jewish Voices: "We Remember" as a Failure of Memory

No abstract is available

Confessions of a Catholic Theologian: On Silence, the Shoah, and the War in Israel-Palestine

This is a post-October 7th reflection on Jewish-Christian relations by a post-Shoah Catholic theologian. It thus tries to assess how Hamas’ October 7th killings and kidnappings of Israelis and the subsequent Israeli bombing and fighting in Gaza impact and challenge the current state of Jewish-Christian dialogue. I first discuss the problematic role of silence in Jewish-Christian relations and try to assess if there is a right kind of silence and listening within the dialogue. I then trace my journey from identifying as a post-Shoah Catholic theologian to a post-Shoah, Catholic pluralist theologian, which was buttressed by the institutional Church’s contemporary theological journey towards disowning supersessionism and admiring and learning deeply from Judaism. In outlining this path, I also reflect and evaluate how my previously romanticized vision of Judaism matured and was nuanced through my work in witness testimonies of atrocity, humility studies, and religious pluralism. Such steps are intended to help guide me in trying to answer some very difficult questions I outline in the Introduction and return to in the Conclusion, including: To what extent should the Shoah hover over all genuine Christian-Jewish relations? Is Christian guilt, acrimony, and moral debt accrued from Christian supersessionism and its murderous conclusions towards Jews and Judaism so inexhaustible that it can never be repaid and healed? Or can even the (supposedly) repentant perpetrator challenge and question their now empowered victims? Will many Jews listen to Christians? &nbsp

Humbling the discourse: why interfaith dialogue, religious pluralism, liberation theology, and secular humanism are needed for a robust public square

Our public square is in need of much refurbishment, if not reconstruction. Access for many seems barred by various ideological platforms and walls. Some are deemed too much of this, another too much of that: liberal, religious, anti-Trump, anti-Brexit, pro-life, anti-gay—whatever the label or brand—and some access points are opened, others closed. Gatekeepers are many, deeming who really counts, who really represents. The public square, of course, should be big, bustling, semi-chaotic “places”, rife with ideas, questions, passion, and curiosity, yet measured by standards of decorum, listening, and mutual respect. Most importantly, it should be characterized by a robust (or spunky) humility, aware of its strengths and its weaknesses. It is fair to say that in 2019, our public square could use a little uplift. While certainly not a miracle cure, nor the only possible salves, interfaith dialogue, religious pluralism, liberation theology, and secular humanism have much in their favor to nuance, challenge, and yes, purify our present polarized, and so sometimes catatonic public square. After a brief overview first explaining the title, along with what is meant in this paper by the secular and humility, it will then be argued how interfaith dialogue, religious pluralism, liberation theology, and secular humanism can liberate and purify our public square discourse—namely by practicing and promoting a robust humility

Sacrificial Love (Of Cyborgs, Saviors, and Driller, a Real Robot Killer) in the Comics Descender and Ascender

Seeking to examine cases of sacrificial love for another that is empathetic, unconditional, and morally redemptive, I focus on writer Jeff Lemire’s and artist Dustin Nguyen’s heralded comic series, Descender and Ascender (published by Image Comics starting in 2015 and 2018, respectively). In the first main subsection, I argue how illustrative fictional cases (some involving robots) can mirror inter-human ethical struggles in our own world and examine what I call the “The R2-D2 and Wall-E Syndrome”. Next, I look at some representative theoretical, literary, and biblical examples of sacrifice, especially regarding morally problematic theories about Jesus’ death on the cross, a classic Western example of sacrificial love. I then provide a brief context for why I chose Descender and Ascender and highlight some of the main themes and characters in the comics. In doing so, I draw from three main examples: the cyborg and mother Effie (Queen Between), the companion robot TIM-21, and the robot Driller (“a real killer”), where I gleam key traits of sacrificial love as empathetic, unconditional, and morally redemptive. I close with how to distinguish unholy and holy forms of sacrificial love and reflect on how the examples of sacrificial love in the comics ultimately complement my reading of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross while adding some stipulations to his oft-quoted saying: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13)

Compassionate, Gentler Sci-Fi: Extraterrestrial, Interspecies’ Dialogue (EID) in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers Series

After a brief overview of Becky Chambers’ the Wayfarers series, I will focus on character-catharses in the four novels that highlight interactions with some ‘other’, demanding reassessment, if not movement towards greater interspecies communion and awareness. While applying the new field of astrotheology, I will first sketch what I call extraterrestrial, interspecies’ dialogue (EID) and touch upon key modes and methods of interreligious dialogue. Ultimately, I will contend why and how these compassionate works of gentler science fiction can be valuable today for interreligious and intercultural encounters, providing examples to both emulate and mirror. Linked to this journal issue’s special theme is also how and why such interfaith and intercultural encounters are relevant to mobility studies. In short, they expand and enhance both inner and outer growth, providing impetus for building bridges across societal and religious divides

Millstones, Stumbling Blocks, and Dog Scraps: Children in the Gospels

In this article I examine the varied and conflicting instances where children are explicitly mentioned in the Gospels and how the often ambiguous interpretation of the child poses some moral and theological problems today. While this article will seek to flesh out what it means to be a child according to the Gospels, it will also grapple with whether, in fact, childlikeness is a state toward which Christians should even aspire. While the message of humility and serving others are the main themes behind Jesus' radical challenge, the passage is problematic when read today in light of the child abuse scandal and the reality of child soldiers. The simplicity, vulnerability, and helplessness of the child are not the best attributes for most of us—adult or child—to embrace in the context of rampant injustice and abuse. </jats:p

Theist–Atheist Encounters in Les Misérables, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Plague

Turning to the novels, Les Mis&eacute;rables, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Plague, this article focuses on theist&ndash;atheist encounters within fiction as guides and challenges to contemporary atheist&ndash;theist dialogue. It first provides a discussion of definitions pertinent to our topic and a reflection on the value and limitations of turning to fiction for the study and development of theist&ndash;atheist dialogue specifically, and interreligious dialogue more broadly. In examining each of the novels, I will first provide a very brief historical context of when each novel was written, the time and place the covered scenes transpire in the novel, and the authors&rsquo; positions toward religion(s) when writing their books. I will close the article on some lessons to glean from these fictional dialogues for contemporary theist&ndash;atheist dialogue

Review of Faith and Unbelief

Faith and Unbelief by Stephen Bullivant. Norwich: Canterbury Press, 201