I really enjoyed your conversation with Molly Worthen. So interesting to hear an intellectual talk about what it’s like to become an evangelical Christian.
I’m Jewish, live in Berkeley Cal., and attend a Modern Orthodox shul, though I myself am not orthodox. I’m writing to point out something I noticed recently: Christians of faith are described as devout; Jews of faith are described as observant.
Here’s how I came to this realization.
I belong to a desert hiking group. I was planning to join the group for a camping/hiking trip (Jews DO camp ;-)) in the Valley of Fire in Nevada. A friend of mine from shul asked if she could join and ride with me, and I said of course, but I plan to drive home on Shabbat. My friend is observant and won’t travel on Shabbat. I suggested she talk to the trip leader about whether anyone was returning on Sunday and she could ride with them.
In the end, my friend was not able to come. I spoke to the trip leader about her and he said, “Yeah, we weren’t able to find her a ride that was not on the Jewish Sabbath. I understand she’s very devout.” And I realized that I don’t usually hear the word “devout” applied to Jews, only to Christians. Jews are described as being more or less observant, not more or less devout.
I think this is a significant distinction. Being Jewish isn’t about how much you believe in God, it’s about being born into the Tribe. There are lots of Jews who are non-observant but are still considered Jewish. I think that in Christianity, unless you are devout and accept Jesus into your heart, you’re not considered a real Christian.
Anyway, I thought this was an interesting observation and wanted to share it with someone who thinks about these things.
Thanks for all you do!
Sincerely,
Ricki Landes
Berkeley, Cal.