Research Project with
The Institute for Theological Inquiry
The Institute for Theological Inquiry
The Institute for Theological Inquiry (ITI)
is an ongoing theological enterprise that is a division of the
Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation in
Efrat. Its American partner is the
Witherspoon Institute
of Princeton, New Jersey. The Institutes objective is to engage
world-class theologians to break new theological ground on focused
research projects in areas critical to Judaism, Christianity and
world culture. Through its research, ITIs aims to develop rich new
foundations for cooperative Jewish-Christian understanding, as well
as spiritual and moral values that will bear on global religious,
cultural and political life in the 21st
century. It is the goal of ITI for its research to be adapted and
utilized as pedagogical tools in educational settings.
Rabbi Eugene Korn serves as Director of ITI. He serves with Dr. Robert Jenson as co-director of ITIs initial theology projects for 2008-2010.
2008-2010 Research Project Topics
Covenant, Mission, and Relation to the Other
Jewish and Christian religious life is grounded in Gods covenant with Abraham and his descendants as it unfolds throughout human history. For Jews, this has meant primarily the revelation of Torah at Sinai and its interpretation by Jewish thinkers, as well as Jewish historical experience as Gods chosen people. For Christians, it has meant the fullness of the Jewish covenant through Jesus and its universal redemption for gentiles. The covenant thus mediates the texture of daily religious life for Christians and Jews, as well as their theological, moral and eschatological aspirations. Fulfilling Gods covenant with us, as we respectively understand it, constitutes the mission of both Jewish and Christian life.
ITI invites each scholar to analyze his faith traditions concept of covenant, how it determines his religious commitments, behavior and theology, and how his covenantal theology shapes his relations with people outside his religious community in general.
In addition, Christians are asked to examine the implications of Christian covenantal theology for relations with Jews and Judaism, while Jews are asked to probe the covenantal implications for Jewish relations with Christians and Christianity.
Hope and Responsibility for the Human Future
Conviction in the promise of the messianic era appears to commit Jews and Christians to the belief in the betterment of humanity and its moral progress over history. Normatively, the prophetic vision of the messianic redemption obligates Jews and Christians to take responsibility for the human future. Yet acknowledgement of the tragic history of the 20th century that includes mass murder, genocide, and nuclear warfare, as well as the trajectory of events in the young 21th century e.g. extreme wealth conjoined with extreme poverty, growing radicalism and violence, long term scarcity of life sustaining resources, and the unprecedented proliferation and lethality of war and weaponrydiscourages a rational belief in human progress. The scholars of ITI are invited to present their understanding of the possibility of religious hope for the future and how it can be sustained, and to outline the nature of the philosophical and practical responsibility to ensure the improvement of future human life and culture.
2008-2010 Research Scholars
Covenant, Mission, and Relation to Other
Group Director, Dr. Robert Jenson
Rabbi Irving Greenberg, CUNY (ret.)
Prof. George Lindbeck, Yale University
Prof. Bruce Marshall, Southern Methodist University
Prof. Gerald McDermott, Roanoke College
Bishop Richard Sklba, Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee
Rabbi Naftali Rothenberg, Van Leer Institute
Prof. Michael Wyschogrod, CUNY; University of Houston (ret.)
Hope and the Responsibility for the Future
Group Director, Rabbi Eugene Korn
Prof. Douglas Knight, London
Prof. Alan Mittleman, Jewish Theological Seminary
Prof. Rusty Reno, Creighton University
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Ohr Torah Stone Institutions
Prof. Darlene Weaver, Villanova University
Dr. Deborah Weissman, Hebrew University
Prof. Miroslav Volf, Yale University
Rabbi Eugene Korn serves as Director of ITI. He serves with Dr. Robert Jenson as co-director of ITIs initial theology projects for 2008-2010.
2008-2010 Research Project Topics
Covenant, Mission, and Relation to the Other
Jewish and Christian religious life is grounded in Gods covenant with Abraham and his descendants as it unfolds throughout human history. For Jews, this has meant primarily the revelation of Torah at Sinai and its interpretation by Jewish thinkers, as well as Jewish historical experience as Gods chosen people. For Christians, it has meant the fullness of the Jewish covenant through Jesus and its universal redemption for gentiles. The covenant thus mediates the texture of daily religious life for Christians and Jews, as well as their theological, moral and eschatological aspirations. Fulfilling Gods covenant with us, as we respectively understand it, constitutes the mission of both Jewish and Christian life.
ITI invites each scholar to analyze his faith traditions concept of covenant, how it determines his religious commitments, behavior and theology, and how his covenantal theology shapes his relations with people outside his religious community in general.
In addition, Christians are asked to examine the implications of Christian covenantal theology for relations with Jews and Judaism, while Jews are asked to probe the covenantal implications for Jewish relations with Christians and Christianity.
Hope and Responsibility for the Human Future
Conviction in the promise of the messianic era appears to commit Jews and Christians to the belief in the betterment of humanity and its moral progress over history. Normatively, the prophetic vision of the messianic redemption obligates Jews and Christians to take responsibility for the human future. Yet acknowledgement of the tragic history of the 20th century that includes mass murder, genocide, and nuclear warfare, as well as the trajectory of events in the young 21th century e.g. extreme wealth conjoined with extreme poverty, growing radicalism and violence, long term scarcity of life sustaining resources, and the unprecedented proliferation and lethality of war and weaponrydiscourages a rational belief in human progress. The scholars of ITI are invited to present their understanding of the possibility of religious hope for the future and how it can be sustained, and to outline the nature of the philosophical and practical responsibility to ensure the improvement of future human life and culture.
2008-2010 Research Scholars
Covenant, Mission, and Relation to Other
Group Director, Dr. Robert Jenson
Rabbi Irving Greenberg, CUNY (ret.)
Prof. George Lindbeck, Yale University
Prof. Bruce Marshall, Southern Methodist University
Prof. Gerald McDermott, Roanoke College
Bishop Richard Sklba, Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee
Rabbi Naftali Rothenberg, Van Leer Institute
Prof. Michael Wyschogrod, CUNY; University of Houston (ret.)
Hope and the Responsibility for the Future
Group Director, Rabbi Eugene Korn
Prof. Douglas Knight, London
Prof. Alan Mittleman, Jewish Theological Seminary
Prof. Rusty Reno, Creighton University
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Ohr Torah Stone Institutions
Prof. Darlene Weaver, Villanova University
Dr. Deborah Weissman, Hebrew University
Prof. Miroslav Volf, Yale University
