The General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations heard open testimony Monday morning from a broad spectrum of people concerned about “Christians and Jews: People of God” and “Understanding Christian-Muslim Relations.”

The paper on “Christians and Jews” resulted from criticism of previous actions of the General Assembly in which the governing body was accused of taking steps to abandon the historical tie between the two groups. Committee 8 considered a 7,1000 word document that said “Christians are called to know Jewish brothers and sisters, to listen and learn from them in the sharing of faith and faithfulness, and to give thanks for their living testimony to the enduring fulfillment of God’s gracious promises.

The paper concludes with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer which says in part:

Almighty God, you are the one true God,
and have called forth people of faith
in every time and place.
Your promises are sure and true.
We bless you for your covenant given to Abraham and Sarah,
that you keep even now with the Jews.
We rejoice that you have brought us into covenant with you
by the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ,
himself a Jew, nurtured in the faith of Israel.

The General Assembly Mission Council urged approval of “Christians and Jews: People of God” and “Understanding Christian-Muslim Relations” and said they may serve the church as the basis for study by congregations and individual Presbyterians, and as grounding for further conversation and consultation among the many constituencies of the PC(USA) and its partners.

Russ Greenleaf, representing Jewish Voices of Peace, encouraged commissioners on Committee No. 8 to vote against the paper on Christians and Jews, saying it is bigoted against Muslims, who should also be included in the claim of Jews and Christians to being the children of God.

Rabbi Gill Rosenthal, speaking on behalf of the dialogue partner of the PCUSA since the 216th General Assembly, participated in the consultations that produced the Christians and Jews paper. “I believe that in our interfaith relations we seek conversation not conversion, consultation not confrontation. This paper is a step forward for all of us, Jews and Christians.”

Fahed Abu-Akel, moderator of 214th General Assembly, said, “We as Presbyterians believe that the Word of God is from Genesis to Revelation. So the Hebrew Scripture is my Scripture. The reason that I hope you will reject this paper is basically that the people who wrote the paper never even said ‘hello’ to the millions of Middle Eastern Christians. They did not say ‘hello’ to 750,000 Presbyterians in the Middle East. They were never consulted. This paper affects the Palestinian Christians in Israel and Palestine and they were never consulted. We need more consultation. I am against the paper as presented to you.”

The talking points for those opposing the documents include:
· The process followed was insufficient to hear all relevant voices including 15 million Middle Eastern Christians, specifically the 750,000 Palestinian Christians.
· The absence of consideration of contemporary Palestinian Christian context.
· This style of interfaith “dialogue” actually threatens to contribute to injustice.
· The inclusion of the land in this paper makes it a political paper when it supposed to be a theological paper.

One speaker pleaded that “God is not a real-estate broker. The issues should not be separated into Christian, Jewish and Muslim. All people are chosen and all land is holy. If you believe in segregation you should forward these reports. If you don’t, you should reject them.”

Ethan Felson, vice president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, spoke on behalf of approval of both papers. He raised concern about the breakdown in civility throughout our culture. “We have adopted a zero-sum approach to everything from health care to Middle East peace to banking. In order to build up your perspective you have to tear down others. What we need is Christians, Jews, Muslims and everyone else talking and working together. We have to build trust, dialogue and understanding. What you have before you helps us do that. Rejection of these documents will send a chill up the spine for those who want to build the middle ground as mutual witnesses of peace.

A Middle Eastern Christian said, “When Abraham came to the land he was hosted by Palestinians. The land has always been inhabited by people other than Israel. When we talk about the land, we do not talk about the original inhabitants of the land, whom God will not abandon, even if this paper does.”

Dr. Adam Gregory, scholar of The Center for Jewish-Christian Studies, spoke in behalf of the paper. “This paper should make you proud. It is faithful to the work that has been done over the past half century in Christian-Jewish relations. As a scholar, I appreciate that this paper is based on a fair reading of Jewish history, efforts to balance complicated issues, the endorsement of the need to spread the work of Christ with sensitivity without deception, and comprehensive dealing with the issues in the land of Israel. This matters deeply to me as a Jew, and it matters to me as a member of the conversation between Christians and Jews.”

Khader El-Yateem, a Palestinian Christian born in Palestine into a Christian family, said he was attending the committee meeting “to let you know that the land of Palestine is for everyone. I was never a citizen of Palestine because you cannot be. But even as an American citizen, I cannot travel to Israel because I am denied the right of traveling to the place I call home.”

Pauleen Kaufman, elder from Chicago presbytery, said, “The topic of the land is of particular concern. It is a difficult issue for us because we are so invested in the Biblical concept of the land having been given to the Jews. It’s mainline Christian churches in this country that need to grapple with our misunderstanding of the issue. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggeman has changed his views, which is only noted in a footnote.”

Noushin Framke, Newark presbytery elder and ACRC’s liaison to MRTI, offered her experience as a middle eastern Christian from Iran and the grand-daughter of a survivor of the Armenian genocide, said, “We see these papers as the beginning of a needed process, but not complete.”

The committee will consider recommendations to the full General Assembly on the “Christians and Jews: People of God” and the “Toward and Understanding of Christian-Muslim Relations” papers later today.