Practice holy envy

I’m way behind on all sorts of things, not the least of which is keeping up with the blogosphere’s enormous output on the Gibson film. But one piece I don’t want to lose at the NTGateway blog is Krister Stendahl’s comment:

It was not until after World War II and the Second Vatican Council, Stendahl said, that "Christians began to learn how the things we say sound in the ears of the Jews. We have a new situation which calls upon us to make new attempts to help one another against the undesirable side effects of our devotion. The historical record is shocking." The cross, he said, is a symbol of faith and hope for Christians. "But the Cross reminds Arabs of the Crusades. The Cross reminds the Jews of the Crusades and the pogroms (massacres). Historically, most attacks on the Jews in Europe took place in Holy Week, after the people in church heard the Passion narrative." Stendahl suggested that, to live together, we have to practice three principles of communal living: 1. "Let the Other define herself. 75% of what our tradition says of another tradition is bearing false witness." 2. "Compare equal to equal. We all have our extremists and nuts. Don't compare ideal Christianity with the actual or distorted form of the Other." 3. "We will never have good relations without an element of holy envy. Find something in the Other that is beautiful and meaningful and that tells you something about God. You are not called upon to absorb it or to pass judgment on it."