ABSTRACT
The differences dividing Jews and Christians are "humanly irreconcilable" not because people are incapable of careful listening, respectful dialogue, and discerning theological judgments. Judaism and Christianity emerged from a particular people's encounter with the divine over time. Both the developmental character of Judaism and Christianity as historical faiths and the internal pluralism characteristic of both traditions suggest that the "identity" of a religious tradition "can never be fixed or final because it is always in the making. When the other recognizes the beauty and depth to be found in our tradition, our own appreciation grows for the gifts with which people have been blessed. For Christians who claim "ours is the only truth," engagement with non-Christians is primarily for the purpose of evangelization and conversion. Christians cannot enter into relationship with the God of Israel without simultaneously becoming entangled with God's covenantal partner, Israel.
