Few hot button issues are hotter than the question of the Jewish people and antisemitism. But that’s the very question on the table in today’s episode of Canterbury Trails.

Our listeners know this podcast is dedicated to the cultural apologetic for Anglicanism, so why are we talking about this subject? We're responding to a recent article in The Christian Post (“New Antisemitism Rising Among Christians is Heresy”) written by a prominent Anglican professor, Dr. Gerald McDermott.

And here’s the problem: McDermott’s article adopts a Zionist perspective—a perspective in opposition to the historic views of the Church—then equates rejection of his Zionism to antisemitism, which he then defines as a heresy.

We’re not looking for a fight, but we are looking to shift the terms of this debate.

To help answer this inflammatory article, our hosts, Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel, have invited Father Ricky McCarl of Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Harrisburg as today’s guest. Father Ricky serves as vicar of the church, and as a hospice chaplain. His uncle was a Palestinian and a Christian who witnessed firsthand a lot of appalling history in that part of the world—and he shared those stories with Father Ricky as a young man.

The article sets the narrative right up front: “antisemites” who disagree with McDermott’s Zionism are heretics in the tradition of Marcion, Arius, and Pelagius. But “antisemitism” increasingly has no meaning. To some, the Christian desire to see Jewish people come to Jesus is itself antisemitic. None of our hosts or guests are antisemitic or are promoting hatred or violence against the Jews. Nor do they believe Jews are behind every bad thing that happens in the world.

Instead, contra McDermott, they believe we can condemn murder and hatred of Jews without entering into theological error concerning the nature of the Jewish people and covenant.

The point of this episode is not to create controversy or sow division by picking a juicy topic to talk about, but rather, to promote peace: to suggest that maybe we should not be calling those who hold positions that have been held throughout the history of the church heretics and antisemites.

Visit Father Ricky online at Good Shepherd Anglican Church: https://www.goodshepherdanglican.net/

Read Professor McDermott’s article on antisemitism: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/new-antisemitism-rising-among-christians-is-heresy.html

By Hel-hama - Own work using:InkscapeSource: England and Wales at the time of the Treaty of Chippenham (AD 878). From the Atlas of European History, Earle W Dowe (d. 1946), G Bell and Sons, London, 1910 (see: File:England-878ad.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19885072