‘Torah Wrestling is as relevant as the daily headlines we are reading’
Rabbi Roy Furman reminds us that Jews, Christians and Muslims share in God’s call to pursue justice
COVER STORY—We invited Rabbi Roy Furman to introduce the importance of this week’s ReadTheSpirit Cover Story. Here is what he said:
“Right now, all of us are experiencing ‘powers’ who are telling us that some people who are different from ‘us’ in some way are also less deserving than we are—and that their lives do not matter, so we do not need to be concerned about them. And this leaves so many vulnerable people around the world abandoned—or, as the Christian theologian Howard Thurman put it—with their backs against the wall. In my new book, Torah Wrestling, I am showing readers why we always—in all times—need to struggle against the dangerous assumption that others’ lives are of less value than our own.
“Of course, this is not a new struggle—it’s a struggle that has been going on for a long, long time. All we have to do is open the Bible to read about powers that oppressed and discounted and marginalized people. If you read Torah Wrestling as a Christian familiar with Jesus, you will recognize that the sayings and actions of Jesus were confronting the same problems in his day. And I have to say: Like Dr. David Gushee in his wonderful Palm Sunday sermon this year, I am not trying to be political. Yet, both of us—Dr. Gushee and myself—certainly are speaking to the time in which we find ourselves. With the rise of such dangerous ‘powers,’ once again, this makes Torah Wrestling as relevant as the daily headlines we are reading.
“That is where I see hope as we publish Torah Wrestling. I am hopeful if people take seriously what I am writing—and are inspired to stand up and say: The victimization of vulnerable people is immoral, unacceptable and we are called to live our lives differently than that. If the work that we do in teaching, preaching and writing helps to transform the way people treat ‘others’ in our world—if we help people to reclaim empathy for ‘others’—then there is hope for all of us in what, right now, is a very troubling time.”
So, please: If Rabbi Furman’s introduction moves you, please click here to visit his new “homepage” online, where you can order a copy of Torah Wrestling in paperback, hardcover or in Kindle editions. You also can read a sample chapter, download a free discussion guide—and learn more about getting in touch with Rabbi Furman if you would like him to speak to your group.
And, if you care to learn more about that Palm Sunday 2025 sermon by Dr. David Gushee, the leading Christian ethicist and author of Changing Our Mind, then click here to visit Dr. Gushee’s website where he provides a video of his Palm Sunday message.
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And more from our Authors—
After the death of Pope Francis, what happens?
How is a new pope chosen? We have a great book for that!
OUR COMMUNITY OF WRITERS IS MOURNING the passing of Pope Francis, this week—and we’re also sharing the news that we’ve now got a terrific new book that provides a lot of fascinating background on the elections of popes from John Paul I through Francis. This book, drawn from the archives of The National Catholic Reporter, is also available in an inexpensive Kindle edition, ideal for quickly searching for details readers want to know right now.
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Holidays & Festivals
Ridván
THIS WEEK, thanks to our Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton we are wishing “Happy Ridván!” to our Baha’i friends and neighbors. Stephanie explains why this is known as “King of Festivals” to Baha’i families around the world.
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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com
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Faith & film
‘Unleashing Hope’ streams this week on Hulu
THIS WEEK, we are responding to a request from a number of our long-time readers to spread the news about an important new documentary about families living with autism. After some horrific public comments about autism this week, several readers whose loved ones are part of the vibrant national network of people on the autistic spectrum suggested we use our Faith & Film section to spread news about Unleashing Hope—streaming on Hulu starting this week.
Care for more information about the film?
A wide array of national media have posted stories this week, including the staff of Guide Dogs of America, People magazine, Variety, and The New York Times published an even more extensive profile.
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Our online magazine has specialized for many years in covering news about religious and cultural diversity as reflected in new books, holidays & festivals and films. In 2024, our long-time film critic Edward McNulty died. In 2025, we continue to publish important reviews—sometimes by drawing on Ed’s considerable body of work and sometimes by welcoming other writers.
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