'Believing  Today' is a deeply satisfying dialogue between an                   orthodox Jewish Rabbi (Leon Klenicki) and a theologically conservative Lutheran Pastor (Richard Neuhaus). So much Jewish Christian dialogue has been conducted by theological liberals in an atmosphere of strained courtesy and excessive formality. This is entirely different. Klenicki really believes in the God of the Hebrew Scriptures and Neuhaus really believes that the Old and New Testaments witness to Jesus as Messiah and Eternal Son of God. The conversation is between two genuine friends and their friendship is clear throughout the text. Nevertheless they grapple with the real issues in a frank, perceptive and profound way. Neuhaus believes, on the basis of the frequently quoted Apostle Paul, that God has a continuing purpose for the Jewish people. Jewish rejection of Jesus was ordained by God as the means by which He would redeem the world and therefore God will not let His ancient people go but one day re-unite Jew and Gentile in Christ towards the end of the age. For Neuhaus then, Jewish - Christian dialogue is not for those with a hobby-horse to ride, but springs as a necessity from the gospel itself. Obviously Klenicki, as a Jew, cannot accept this. Nevertheless in their discussion of Jewish and Christian eschatological hopes, Klenicki does not deny that some Jews do accept that when the Messiah comes, He may be Jesus.

Subjects covered in this easily flowing and often profound conversation include: the person of Jesus, Christian claims to have fulfilled Judaism, dispensationalism, heaven and earth, death and eternity, election, the Holocaust, anti-semitism, Zionism, the significance of the Land of Israel, and the plight of the Palestinians.

Both men do well in this dialogue but I was most impressed by Neuhaus who through his gentle and sympathetic probing of Klenicki, leads us into many deep truths of God and redemption. Only on the theological significance of land did I find myself siding with Klenicki against Neuhaus.(For my view of the current peace process in the Middle East click here.)

Small parts of the book will be of interest only to American readers, but with this minor qualification I certainly recommend this book.