An Unusual Relationship: Evangelical Christians and Jews - Hardcover

by Yaakov Ariel (Author)

It
is generally accepted that Jews and evangelical Christians have little in
common. Yet special alliances developed
between the two groups in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Evangelicals
viewed Jews as both the rightful heirs of Israel and as a group who failed to
recognize their true savior. Consequently, they set out to influence the course
of Jewish life by attempting to evangelize Jews and to facilitate their return
to Palestine. Their double-edged perception caused unprecedented political,
cultural, and theological meeting points that have revolutionized
Christian-Jewish relationships. An Unusual Relationship explores the
beliefs and political agendas that evangelicals have created in order to affect
the future of the Jews. Additionally, it analyses Jewish opinions and reactions
to those efforts, as well as those of other religious groups, such as Arab
Christians.

This
volume offers a fascinating, comprehensive analysis of the roots,
manifestations, and consequences of evangelical interest in the Jews, and the
alternatives they provide to conventional historical Christian-Jewish
interactions. It also provides a compelling understanding of Middle Eastern
politics through a new lens.

Author Biography

Yaakov Ariel is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His book, Evangelizing the Chosen People: Missions to the Jews in America, 1880 - 2000 (UNC Press, 2000), was awarded the Albert C. Outler prize by the American Society of Church History.