True and Holy, by Leo D. Lefebure

Engagement in serious, respectful conversation with other religious traditions is increasingly urgent. Leo Le­febure of Georgetown University details why this engagement is not only urgent but difficult.

The book is primarily a historical report on the vexing attitudes and practices of Christians. Over time, Christians have frequently articulated their faith with absolutist claims and have assessed other great religious traditions by that norm, often with demeaning caricature and stereotype.

Lefebure frames the problem as a hermeneutic of hostility versus a herme­neutic of hospitality. Much of the hostility that has dominated Christian attitudes has been grounded in, or understood to be grounded in, scripture—thus the book’s subtitle. Lefebure urges that it is past time for a hermeneutic of hospitality that takes other religious traditions seriously, respects them, and expects to learn from them.