Reform Judaism: Undone by Revival

Wed, 01 Jan 1992 00:00:00 -0500

In the 1950s, only some forty years ago, the voice of rejoicing and salvation could be heard in the tents of the righteous. Religion in America was celebrating a great comeback. Billboards invited us to attend the church of our choice. “The family that prays together,” we were informed, “stays together.” A President of the United States called upon the nation to “have faith in faith.” It belonged to the bon ton of good citizenship, it was indeed a prerequisite for escaping the suspicion that one harbored Communist sympathies, to be affiliated with one of the major religious denominations of America. In those days, the late Will Herberg published his noteworthy study in the sociology of religion, Protestant, Catholic, Jew . Herberg argued that, in order to be recognized as a good American, one had to belong to the American Religion, for that was the way in which Americans had learned to identify themselves. And that common American Religion was available in three equally recognized editions: a Protestant one, a Catholic one, and a Jewish one.

Continue Reading »

A Rabbi’s Christmas

Sun, 01 Dec 1991 00:00:00 -0500

In order not to raise false hopes in the hearts of those who still have the expectation that one day all Jews will convert to Christianity, it might be best to begin with a few disclaimers. The writer of this article does not believe in the Trinity. He does not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was either a part of the Godhead or the Messiah expected by the Jews. In other words, the writer of these lines is not a Christian.

Continue Reading »

First Things RSS Feed - Jakob J. Petuchowski

Reform Judaism: Undone by Revival

A Rabbi’s Christmas