Fall 2009

Boston College 

Present: Catalano (chair), Cathey, Cunningham, Eckardt, Fisher, Krondorfer, Menn, McGarry, Pawlikowski, Pettit, Suomala, Townsend, von Kellenbach (scribe)Non-members present: Bernauer, Doetzel
Absent: Boys, Ruiz, Sherman, Heim

1.      Minutes of October 2008 were distributed

2.      The gathering was asked to answer three questions concerning the CSG’s past, present and future.

(1)   What is the most important thing for me about this group?

• think tank; “siblingity” (gender inclusive fraternity/sorority), community of knowledgeable colleagues; mutual edification across historical-critical and theological disciplines; scholarly intergenerational dialogue, long-working heritage (40 years); exposure to other areas; safe space; sustained in-depth scholarly engagement; networking, connections in the field; crucible for new ideas; critical and supportive feedback on writing and thinking; quality of presentations; experimental; ecumenical; ecclesiastical engagement

(2)   What is the most important thing that we do?

• fructify each other; mutual support, inspiration in research and teaching; working across institutional boundaries, unlike other more impersonal institutions like AAR; personal attention and care; think tank, “brand name” for a group that is speaking on Jewish-Christian relations from within the Christian community; recognizable entity, “the” address for Christian-Jewish issues; history/record/ archive of scholarship of the group; its contribution in shifting theology and practice (passion narrative, Paul van Buren, John Pawlikowski); academic focus strengthens advocacy, activism; projects, statements (sacred obligation); ecumenical, takes the pulse of the field;

 (3) What are we not doing that you think we should be doing?

• long term projects and public theology; advancing CSG work to wider public; regain pro-active education; expand diversity; cultivate more/ new talent; create new institutional ways to include younger scholars;  initiate more dialogue on Sacred Obligation; Israel, Zionism (divestment movement esp. within churches),  engage the elephant in the room, invite discomfiting voices, encounter other perspectives, including Christian Zionism and Palestinian Christians; address Christian theological issues; more ecumenical perspectives on Christian-Jewish relations;  interreligious diversity/ pluralism; lived religious experience: inter-marriage; take note of paradigm shifts, e.g.: memory of Shoah fading, rise of interreligious diversity; identify timely issues and propose materials;  keep Jewish presence in the room;

 3.      Meeting Times/Host-Institutions and institutional Co-Sponsorship

Discussion ensued over the desirability of meeting semi-annually. It was feared that once-yearly would be perceived as a loss of continuity and lead to diminished loyalty among the members.

Phil Cunningham introduced a motion to meet twice a year, however implemented.

His motion carried:  13 Yes and 1 abstention.

Discussion ensued over the possibility of sharing/spreading our meetings across different host institutions. At an approximate cost of $ 7500 (so the guesstimate of one meeting at Boston College), different institutions (Bernadine Center, Chicago; Muhlenberg College, Bethlehem; Saint Joseph's, Philadelphia; CCJR) might be able to pick up the tab every two or three years.

These institutions would need to benefit from our meetings and receive something in return for their sponsorship, including participation of graduate students, and local faculty, or public presentations and meetings (fishbowl style).

The following sequence of meetings was envisioned:

Spring 2010:   Saint Joseph's /Philadelphia

            Beginning at 5:00 pm April 17, ending at noon on April 19

Fall 2010:        Chicago

Spring 2011:    Boston College, Boston

Fall 2011:        Muhlenberg/ Saint Joseph (depending on financial feasibility)

Spring 2012:    Boston College, Boston

Fall 2012:        Saint Joseph/Muhlenberg (depending on financial feasibility)

4.      Membership

For financial and other reasons, membership has been frozen at 16. As the group replenishes its membership, there is a need for creative ways to engage younger scholars and to recruit new members for specific projects and topics.

CSG should project a membership of 20, with a regular term of 5 years, as well as the possibility of 3-5 slots for project-specific advisors and participants who can help move along particular inquiries and topics.

Von Kellenbach introduced the motion to invite a potential candidate to present a paper and attend the whole meeting prior to the decision to extend a formal invitation for membership.

The motion passed unanimously by 14 YES

The meeting adjourned at 9 PM

---

Business Meeting continued on October 24, 2009

Present: Catalano (chair), Cathey, Cunningham, Eckardt, Fisher, Krondorfer, Menn, McGarry, Pettit, Suomala, Townsend, von Kellenbach (scribe)
Non-members present: Doetzel, Cohen, Mach
Absent: Boys, Ruiz, Sherman, Heim

The entire business meeting was devoted to surface and decide on common projects for the group. After an exhaustive process and spirited discussion, described in more detail below, two projects could be agreed upon:

1. Book Project on the Christian Creed in light of Jewish-Christian dialogue (Catalano, Cathey, Eckardt, Fisher, McGarry, Townsend)
2. Young Scholars Seminar titled, Interreligious Engagement: the Jewish-Christian Case and a Pluralist Future (Krondorfer, Menn, Pettit, Suomala, von Kellenbach)

 These two projects arose from a plenitude of possible issues and projects that were ably organized by our intrepid chair into five areas:

1. Theological issues: covenant, creed, supersessionism, liturgy

Christ and the Jewish people, Covenant-Fulfillment; The New Supersessionism,  Gospel of Mark, Response to New Jewish framings of Christianity, Differences in R-Catholic and Protestant J-C Relations, Expansion of Ecumenism to include Evangelical and Orthodox-Eastern Christianity, Knitter’s theology; Eucharistic Prayers in Light of J-C Dialogue, Nicene Creed

2. Boundary Issues:

Interfaith Marriage, messianic Judaism, conversion; post-missionary messianic Judaism: the second generation

3. New Realities:

demographic changes, underserved populations, global pluralism, conservative backlash, Ethnicity in J-C Relations (Latino, Asian, etc), Secularity, interreligious dialogue; pluralism, self-reflection on the current state and history of J-C relations, the role of younger scholars;

4. Pedagogy, Education,

Pedagogies of pluralism, curriculum resources, new electronic media, blogs, web, TV, radio; teaching workshop, week-long seminar; Christianity for Jews;

5. Israel, Land, Nationhood;

The Israel-Palestine conflict in Jewish-Christian relations; theology of the state of Israel

The meeting adjourned at 11:45 pm

Katharina von Kellenbach