Center to Collaborate with Hebrew College and Andover-Newton Theological School in Offering Interreligious Courses

Since its founding over six years ago, the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning has been committed to offering courses that bring Jews and Christians together to study their religious traditions and histories in each other's presence. These courses draw on research into "Interreligious Learning" conducted by Mary C. Boys and Sara S. Lee and feature team-teaching by pairs of Jewish and Christian professors.

Similar iniatives have been underway in recent years since Hebrew College moved into its new campus adjacent to the Andover-Newton Theological School in Newton Centre. A number of team-taught courses have been offered and a thriving student interfaith dialogue group has developed between the two schools.

In an effort to facilitate bringing together Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant students in interreligious contexts, the three institutions are pleased to announce the first of hopefully many joint educational ventures. Center professors Philip Cunningham and Ruth Langer will team-teach a course on the Hebrew College campus this fall in which students from all three colleges will participate. Entitled "Jews and Christians: Understanding the Other" at Boston College and "Major Themes in Jewish and Christian Theology" at Hebrew College, the course examines foundational theological questions in a comparative context. Participants will discuss such matters as the human experience of God, the purpose of human existence, the nature of religious community, and the ways that communities respond to challenges, both contemporary and ancient. The course will be offered on Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m. in the fall semester.

All theology and seminary students in the Boston area are encouraged to consider incorporating at least one experience of  Interreligious Learning into their programs of study.