Interfaithing: When Your Child Thinks You’re Going to Hell

(Editor's note: This episode is revised from the original released last week to clean up & shorten the introduction. The overall content for the episode is the same.) 

Rabbi Ari and Rev. Anna tackle one of the most sensitive theological challenges facing interfaith families: the Christian concept of salvation and what it means when one tradition suggests the other needs "saving." This episode explores real stories of families navigating baptism, christening, and the fear-based theology that can create painful divisions between Jewish and Christian loved ones.

Topics addressed include:

- The christening dilemma: When grandparents are told their grandchild needs to be christened "so the child would not go to hell"—and what this language means for Jewish family members who don't participate in Christian rituals.

- Baptism vs. christening explained: Rev. Anna clarifies the crucial distinction between these practices, revealing that infant baptism historically developed as protection for innocent babies, not as salvation—because babies cannot make that decision themselves.

- A daughter's fear: A powerful story from Jane Kaplan's book about a Christian-raised teenager who worries her Jewish father will go to hell, buying him Bibles and asking her church to pray for his conversion.

- Jesus was a Jew: Rev. Anna's reminder that Jesus never converted away from Judaism, and why expecting Jews to become Christian contradicts the very foundation of Christian history.

- Moving from fear to love: How interfaith families can shift away from theology rooted in fear and toward practices grounded in love, respect, and authentic connection to both traditions.

- Religious literacy matters: Why truly understanding how religions work—not just surface-level knowledge—is essential for navigating these complex theological waters.

And MUCH MORE!!

Join us as we explore how interfaith families can honor both traditions without one needing to "save" the other!

Plus: An update on the DeLucaBerg family's interfaith bar mitzvah planning and their creative solution for honoring both Jewish and Italian Catholic heritage!