Millions of American Christians see U.S. support for the State of Israel as a God-ordained responsibility. Millions more see the ''special relationship'' between the two countries as a bond that should never be challenged, much less broken. Robert O. Smith provides an in-depth look at the English Protestant tradition of Judeo-centric prophecy interpretation at the heart of this popular affinity. In 2006, John Hagee founded Christians United for Israel. Several high-level policymakers, both Christians and Jews, flocked to endorse the effort. Soon, however, questions rose about apparently anti-Catholic and anti-Islamic ideas contained in Hagee's preaching and writing. More Desired Than Our Owne Salvation explores the content of Christian Zionist attitudes, their resonance in popular American culture, and the history of the ideas that have contributed to present realities. After discussing polling data and exploring how Black Protestant views clarify general American attitudes, Smith revisits sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Protestant interpretations of scripture and history. The Pope and the Turk figured significantly, identified by both Luther and Calvin as the two heads of the Antichrist. Protestant exiles from England carried these ideas back to Elizabethan England, provided a nationalist twist, and set Anglo-American history on a new path. The resulting English Protestant tradition of Judeo-centric prophecy interpretation shaped Puritan identity, which was then transferred to New England, where it began informing the foundations of American vocation and self-understanding. Through its developments and adaptations, this Judeo-centric tradition provided English colonists and Anglo Americans with purpose and vision. When the State of Israel was founded in 1948, many Americans readily welcomed it as a prophetic counterpart, a country whose preservation ''may be more desired then our owne salvation.''

Features a new section on the institutional settings of German Jewish Studies, a Film Forum on Shahar Rozen's 1998 documentary Liebe Perla, and interviews with Paul Mendes-Flohr and Barbara Honigmann, among other contributions. Nexus is the official publication of the biennial German Jewish Studies Workshop at the University of Notre Dame. Together, Nexus and the Workshop constitute the first ongoing German Jewish Studies forum in North America. Because the locus of scholarship is never incidental, Nexus 6 introduces a new section, "Contexts," to examine, in this case, what it means to pursue German Jewish Studies at a Catholic university, Notre Dame. And because research is never static, it inaugurates a series in which scholars revisit their own prior scholarly publications. Robert Smith launches this initiative by revising his view of Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a source for post-Holocaust Christian-Jewish dialogue. The volume also offers conversations with the legendary Paul Mendes-Flohr on his understanding of the German Jewish "legacy" and with Barbara Honigmann on her distinctive prose style and what it means to her to practice Judaism. The popular Film Forum section returns, this time focusing on Shahar Rozen's 1998 documentary Liebe Perla. Nexus 6 also presents new scholarship on Babi Yar Holocaust memorials, Freud's famous Moses essay, Primo Levi's translation of Kafka, and an introduction to and first English translation of the 18th-century philosopher Salomon Maimon's understudied essay History of His Philosophical Authorship in Dialogues.

The question of the Christian Zionism - the religious and political support of the state of Israel - is fiercely debated within theology and the church, as well as in the wider political and social arenas. Examination of the issue is, highly relevant and crucial, as it cuts across a wide array of constitutive features and beliefs of Christian life, from interpretation of scripture to religious and political ethics. Comprehending Christian Zionism brings together an international consortium of scholars and researchers to reflect on the network of issues and topics surrounding this critical subject; these essays are the fruit of several years of collaboration by the special working group on Christian Zionism. The volume includes essays from Christian scholars around the globe, as well as Jewish and Palestinian contributors to provide interfaith contextual dialogue. Taken together, the volume provides a lens on the history of Zionism within Christian theology from a variety of locations and perspectives and offers a constructive, multidimensional path for assessment and introspection around the meaning of Zionism to Christian faith and practice.

Renowned for his language arts teaching expertise, Del Crandall's rapport with his students and their parents was exemplary. The educator had raised the bar with his innovative writing and speaking techniques, and he was admired by his fellow colleagues for his caring persona and dedicated professionalism. With the addition of directing school plays and assisting in other extracurricular activities, he was at the top of his game in his middle school milieu. Having already been honored with Teacher of the Year awards, the future held only additional promise and accolades. But there were other "players" in his life who would conspire against him and "monkey wrench" his otherwise model of order daily routines. So profound were these nemeses in their destructive machinations that Del Crandall's personality morphed from excellent educator to twisted teacher. His mind bordered on the absurd, ranging from dedicated professional to cold blooded killer. Preoccupation with confronting his demons would cause him to lose touch with reality. Yet confront them he must, lest he lose all things good that he had accomplished and worked for. But were these torments genuine, or were their origins the result of the inner workings of the teacher's vacillating psyche? Would he escape, or endure, a lifetime of sustained dementia? AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS...This story is the fictional account of a teacher being accused of child endangerment or, to be more specific, engaging in sexually abusive advances towards a minor. Yet in reality, the episode occurs frequently where adults and children interact in our everyday work or social settings. From Mary Kay Letourneau to Jerry Sandusky, we are too often reminded through the media that human frailties often overshadow common sense, decency, and the law. In our age of extreme political correctness, the public is quick to assume guilt for the adults whose names and faces are plastered all over the newspapers or televisions. Anyone working w

Fair-minded and sympathetic to Jewish, Muslim, and Christian concerns, Lutz and Smith provide a clear account of the Israeli-Palestinian situation and a compelling plea for Christian involvement in the area. Carefully sorting out the tangled historical and religious roots of the problems, they reveal the strong forces at work in the conflict and lay out the driving biblical notions of election and covenant, the historical causes of the bitter and divisive clashes of the last 50 years, the complex demographic and political issues today, how Palestinians (particularly Christians) have been affected by the turmoil, and how, finally, Christians must engage the future of justice and peace. Includes maps and twelve black and white photos.