Reflections on Conversion and Proselytizing in Judaism and Christianity

Setting aside disputes regarding the State of Israel, there is no more sensitive subject in the universe of Jewish-Christian relations than conversionary aspirations on the part of Christians. The reasons for this appear obvious—and in large measure they are—but they are also marked by layers of complexity that we would do well to examine, particularly in light of the controversy engendered by the revised Tridentine mass issued by Pope Benedict XVI and a full page advertisement in the New York Times in which prominent evangelical Christians advocated the targeted proselytizing of Jews.