Interfaith course explores two perspectives of gospels

Interfaith course offered about Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism perspectives of the gospels

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley will present a four-part interfaith series focusing on two perspectives of the Gospels: Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism.

Temple Beth Shalom Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Bruce Scott, director of program ministries for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, will jointly teach the course, which will be from 10-11 a.m. Thursdays, April 4, 11, 18 and 25 at Temple Beth Shalom.

These two religious leaders and teachers have very different approaches to the subject matter not only because they believe in and practice different faiths, but also because they have different viewpoints about religious studies.

Together, they will look at four central topics in the development of Judaism and Christianity, as found in the gospels. This will be a great opportunity to compare Jewish and Christian perspectives on a variety of important foundational principles.

For this course, the leaders will be using the text of the “Gospels and Rabbinic Judaism: A Study Guide.” Excerpts from the book, which include primary sources, will be provided to students, but those who prefer their own copy will find it available from Amazon for about $16.

To register and pay the course fee, call the Temple office at 623.977.3240. For more details about the course,  go to tbsaz.org.

Rabbi Kaplan serves at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, a Reform Jewish congregation.  While serving as a pulpit rabbi for 25 years, he is recognized as an authority on the history and development of Reform Judaism, challenging Reform leaders with respect to the future of the Reform movement. Among the several books he has authored, the most recent are “The New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections and A Life of Meaning: Embracing Reform Judaism’s Sacred Path.”

Bruce Scott is the author of the book, “The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah.” He is a graduate of Central Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He is the Director of Program Ministries of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, a worldwide evangelical Christian ministry founded in 1938. In his current position, he oversees online educational programs, educational excursions to New York City’s Jewish neighborhoods, and volunteer trips to Israel.