Judaism and Christianity are not worlds apart says Bishop

One of the Church of England's most controversial voices is to explore how Christians and Jews approach the problem of suffering in a public lecture at the University of Aberdeen next week (Thursday, February 20).

In The Malcolm Hay of Seaton Memorial Lecture, Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, will look at what Christians and Jews can learn from each other to go on living with both courage and hope.

Bishop Harries is a prolific author and broadcaster and is Chairman of the Council on Christians and Jews. In his latest book, After the Evil: Judaism and Christianity in the Shadow of the Holocaust, due out in the summer, he argues for a radical rethink in the light of the evil of the holocaust.

He also offers fresh approaches to controversial issues such as forgiveness and the problem of suffering in the two faiths, and says that Christians should not be trying to convert Jews to Christianity but should build on what they have in common to work together for a better world.

An outspoken critic on war in Iraq, Bishop Harries has recently hit the headlines with his views on a Just War. He has advocated that political and military judgements are also moral judgements and that the use of force to remove Saddam Hussein in not a moral option.

Jewish and Christian Approaches to Suffering, The Malcolm Hay of Seaton Memorial Lecture by Rt Rev Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, King's College Conference Centre, Thursday, February 20, 2003, 5.00pm. Admission free and open to the public by reservation on 01224 274444 or events@abdn.ac.uk.