King’s Inaugurates ‘The King’s Forum’ Speaker Series in Dallas

On September 16 and 17, The King’s College launched the first events of its national lecture series with presentations from Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik and Dr. William J. Abraham.

Billy William Abraham Forum
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On September 16 and 17 in Dallas, The King’s College launched the first events of its national lecture series, The King’s Forum. As guest speakers, the Dallas events featured Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, minister of Congregation Shearith Israel, and Dr. William “Billy” Abraham, a senior fellow at King’s who has been described as “a modern-day C.S. Lewis.” President Tim Gibson, senior fellow Dr. Todd von Helms, and board member Susie Wilson also attended on behalf of King’s. For most audience members, this event was their first introduction to The King’s College.

Abraham says, “The King’s Forum events represent an opportunity to bring a network of people together who are starved of high-powered engagement of the relationship between faith and culture.”

WATCH: Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik and Dr. William J. Abraham at the inaugural King’s Forum

Von Helms, who has been spearheading the College’s efforts in launching The King’s Forum, said that these Dallas lectures were modeled after the discussion of religious freedom and anti-Semitism presented last fall by The King’s College and Princeton University at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. “Last fall’s event on the same topic was so well received that we thought it would be well received in another city,” said von Helms.

Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik
Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik

Sammye and Mike Myers hosted the Sunday lecture at their private residence. After brief introductions by Gibson and von Helms, Soloveichik shared the miraculous testimony of Israel Meir Lau, a Holocaust survivor and later Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel. Lau was informed of his freedom at the end of World War II by a Yiddish-speaking Allied rabbi. Soloveichik said that Lau’s story illustrates the indestructibility of the Jewish people and the compassion of the Christian West, and it celebrates the miracles that abound from the common biblical foundation shared by Christians and Jews. “Out of the ashes of the European Holocaust, in an embodiment of Ezekiel’s valley of the dry bones, a people have built a country in their homeland that is a beacon of democracy and a wonder of our age,” he said.

However, “Some 70 years after the liberation of Europe, anti-Semitism haunts Europe still.” Anti-Jewish sentiment and discrimination are evident in many European communities, as evidenced by restrictions on ritual animal slaughter, resistance by Britain’s Labor Party to acknowledge the United Nations’ definition of anti-Semitism, and, most emphatically, refusal to accept the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state. Much of this hatred stems from resentment of Jews as a divinely chosen people, Soloveichik said, and European nations have tried to shunt Jews into subordination.

How, then, has America largely avoided the blight of anti-Semitism? Soloveichik attributes the answer to America’s relationship with the Hebrew Bible. The Founding Fathers were “entranced with, rather than envious of, the miraculous story of the Jews.” America sought to imitate, not replace, Israel as a uniquely blessed nation, which led to an extraordinary precedent of Christians and Jews celebrating the new Constitution side by side in 1788. Still, America is not immune to anti-Semitism.

Abraham’s talk highlighted the commonality of Jews and Christians as deeply religious people who depend on American protection of the freedoms to worship and hold civil discourse. Historically, Ireland has been reluctant to acknowledge and support the state of Israel, and—of all the ironic accusations—Jews have been smeared for allegedly championing Nazi policies. In contrast, religious freedom is an integral facet of America’s design and culture. One reason for discussing the resurgence of anti-Semitism, Abraham said, is that “Anti-Semitism is the first step in the elimination of religious freedom, not just for Jews, but for others.” Furthermore, Jews are the living people of God, and Americans should resist discrimination against them as a religious or racial group. He concluded, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, starting with attention to anti-Semitism.”

Abraham’s charge was followed by a round of questions from the audience, and Gibson concluded with prayer. The following day, Soloveichik and Abraham spoke again to a new audience at the Petroleum Club, hosted by Jerry and Susie Wilson.

“At The King’s Forum we discover ourselves as Jews, as Christians, and discover what we share as Americans as well,” said Soloveichik, whose congregation at Shearith Israel is the oldest in America. Soloveichik maintains that continued discourse between Jews and Christians, through venues like The King’s Forum, is necessary:

God, in beginning the Jewish people’s miraculous story, informed Abraham that “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. And through you shall all the nations of the world be blessed.” Speaking as a Jew, I am incredibly grateful for the blessing of not only Jews but of so many Christians in America who understand and who cherish this verse. And that’s why moments such as I’ve experienced at The King’s Forum are so incredibly inspiring to me, because this event and those who have put it together are really a testament to that blessing.


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