Jewish Theology in Our Time : A New Generation Explores the Foundations and Future of Jewish Belief

by Cosgrove, Elliot J.

• ISBN13: 9781580234139
• ISBN10: 1580234135
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-06-01
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Pub

Summary

At every critical juncture in Jewish history, Jews have understood a dynamic theology to be essential for a vital Jewish community. This important collection sets the next stage of Jewish theological thought, bringing together a cross section of powerful new voices from all movements in Judaism to inspire and stimulate discussion both now and in the years to come. Provocative and wide-ranging, these invigorating and challenging insights from a new generation¿s thought leaders create a coherent and inspiring picture of Jewish belief. Together, they explore the breadth and depth of contemporary Jewish theological thinking: ¿ Foundation of belief: How is it informed by sacred texts, and how does it inform life experience? ¿ Limits of Jewish belief: What can a Jew believe and still call it Jewish theology? Who or what determines an ¿authentic¿ or ¿coherent¿ Jewish theology? ¿ The role of the ¿non-Jew¿ in Jewish theology: Can one affirm a unique relationship between God and the Jewish people, yet validate the integrity of another theological system? ¿ Israel: To what degree has the creation of a modern State of Israel forced a re-orientation of Jewish theology? How has the ¿actualization¿ of this longstanding theological category changed Jewish theology as a whole? ¿ What¿s next: Does the contemporary Jewish condition insist on any other ¿new questions¿ when it comes to Jewish theology? Does the ¿new atheism¿ suggest a new challenge to belief?

Author Biography

Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD, is rabbi at Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan. He received his masters of Hebrew letters from American Jewish University, studied at the Schechter Institute of Judaic Studies in Jerusalem, and was ordained at The Jewish Theological Seminary. He received his doctorate in the history of Judaism from the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Rabbi David J. Wolpe is rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, and author of Why Faith Matters, among other books.
Rabbi Carole B. Balin, PhD, is professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is currently working on an updated version of the 1984 edition of Liberal Judaism with Dr. Eugene B. Borowitz and Frances W. Schwartz.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xvii
The God in Process
I Will Be Who I Will Be: A God of Dynamic Becoming	p. 3
God as the Breath of Life	p. 11
Living and Dreaming with God	p. 17
Cosmic Theology and Earthly Religion	p. 23
Non-dual Judaism	p. 31
The Gods of The Text
Open-Source Covenant	p. 43
More Theos, Less Ology	p. 50
A Progressive Reform Judaism	p. 56
Spiritual Mappings: A Jewish Understanding of Religious Diversity	p. 63
The Religion of Torah	p. 71
Ways of Talking about God
Five Pillars of Orthodox Judaism or Open Charedism	p. 81
Toward a New Jewish Theological Lexicon	p. 86
Martin Buber: The Dialogue with God	p. 93
Radically Free and Radically Claimed: Toward the Next Stage of Liberal Jewish Theology	p. 102
Can Traditional Jewish Theology Still Speak to (Some of) Us?	p. 114
A Quest for God
A Quest-Driven Faith	p. 123
Theological Proximity: The Quest for Intimacy with God	p. 129
Longing to Hear Again	p. 135
Walking the Walk	p. 143
On This Sacred Ground	p. 149
The God in Between
The Radical Divinity	p. 159
How I Came to Theology, or Didn't	p. 170
The Theology of the In-Between	p. 175
First Fruits of the Seasons of Hope and Renewal	p. 183
Afterword	p. 188
Notes	p. 192
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 198
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