Mary C. Boys is the Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary and the author of several books including Jewish-Christian Dialogue: One Woman's Experience. It is her contention that anti-Judaism has informed ancient and modern Christianity through triumphalism, Christocentrism, salvation history, supersessionism, a misunderstanding of the Pharisees, and the use of the cross to spark hatred and engender violence against Jews.
Boys states very clearly: "Recognition of the inadequacy of the conventional account of Christian origins and the determination to draw upon a truer account constitutes the destruction of an idol that has deformed Christianity and harmed the Jewish community. Engaging in the demanding task of reworking Christian self-understanding in light of the Jewish-Christian dialogue provides a glimpse of a new truth and God." This trenchant book shows how even the great mystics and teachers such as Hildegard of Bingen, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther revealed in their writings a hostility toward Jews. Current day feminist and liberation theologies also disparage Judaism, according to the author.
Boys suggests practical ways the Christian community can "promote understanding and justice for the Jewish community" by revising worship, preaching, and the use of scripture. One of the best ways to start is "being attentive to the effect our symbols of faith have on those who are religiously 'other.' "