Hailey HancockI was brought up in a Christian home that taught me that the whole Bible is important. I believe that the Old Testament points to a coming of a Messiah and the New Testament explains how that was fulfilled in Christ. Jesus made clear in Matthew 5:17 that he did “not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” I think that Christians must emphasize that point to other Christians who take on a more supersessionist viewpoint. Those who assume a strong supersessionist viewpoint do not look at the Torah in the same manner as Jews do. As Christians, we are taught to love one another, to follow Jesus’s commands, and the revere the Ten Commandments (if you are a modernist Christian, then you would follow these as long as they were applicable to modern times). Combating antisemitism may be approached by pointing out that the Ten Commandments lead to a better and more peaceful society for everyone- Protestants, atheists, Catholics, etc. This means that Jews believe adultery, murder, stealing, lying, etc. are sins. I would approach anti semitic beliefs by understanding why or what would bring on those beliefs. I would then challenge those beliefs by further explaining the peaceful approaches Jews have taken over the course of history and that their religious beliefs encourage a more virtuous society whether or not one believes in their doctrine.
