Broken Gospel?

The Holocaust lies, oftenunacknowledged, near the heart of our contemporary crisis of religious faith.The horrific fruit of two millennia of Christian antisemitism, the slaughtercalls into sharp question the moral and intellectual credibility of the Churchesand the Christian faith itself. Can Christianity ever recover? In BrokenGospel? Peter Waddell suggests that it can, but only by facingunflinchingly the history that paved the way for the Nazi genocide, and theChurches' sins of omission and commission as it took place.Engagingwith both Christian and Jewish scholarship, Waddell also approaches withsensitivity the theological issues that arise from the horror: questions of howthe claimed holiness of the Church relates to its wickedness; ofChristian-Jewish relations; of prayer and providence; of heaven and hell, andthe faint possibility of forgiveness. Scholars, clergy and general readersalike will be challenged by this exercise in repentance and reconstruction, andinspired by the possibility it offers for Christian theology and practice toflourish once more. 

"I can think of no other recent work on this subject which offers so unsparingly honest and so theologically intelligent a perspective. Dr Waddell recognises with complete clarity the degree to which the Holocaust puts in question the moral integrity of Christian language, and his proposals for responding to this challenge are deeply thoughtful and constructive. This is a very significant essay for Jewish-Christian relations." The Rt Revd Rowan Williams "With meticulous attention to texts, statements and facts, Peter Waddell sets out with great clarity the historical, theological and spiritual record for which Christianity must account. This does not make for comfortable reading, but the issues he raises are unavoidable and of existential import. In particular, the discussion on the shaping of Christian-Jewish relations - the question of covenant(s), the place of evangelism, the idea of fulfilment - is handled with a sensitivity and nuance which are exemplary but rare. This is a book which deserves serious attention from all who take seriously the need for Christian repentance in light of the long and painful history of our relationship with our first and most significant other." The Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave, Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews "To wrestle honestly with reality at its darkest points is one of the greatest challenges. Waddell does that - profoundly, courageously, and taking into account the best thinking about evil, sin, and the human condition. What is more, at issue is the appalling record of his own Christian community before, during, and after the Holocaust. Waddell not only vividly exposes this, and offers penetrating critiques of Christian responses to it, but he also opens up a wise, practical way forward that is deeply Christian." David F. Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus, University of Cambridge "In this fine book Peter Waddell addresses the most testing of all questions facing the church. Has the terrible history of Christian anti-Judaism and complicity in the holocaust fatally undermined the Christian Gospel? He traverses a range of highly controversial issues in a way that is both comprehensive and balanced and whilst fully facing the evil does not lose hope for a repentant church, even repentant Nazis." Professor Richard Harries,    author of After the Evil: Christianity and Judaism in the Shadow of the Holocaust    

PeterWaddell is Vicar of Abbots Langley and Bedmond in the Diocese of St Albans.After receiving a doctorate in theology from the University of Cambridge, hetaught theology there and subsequently at the University of Winchester, wherehe remains a Visiting Research Fellow. He is the author of Joy: The Meaningof the Sacraments and Charles Gore: Radical Anglican.