2003 Reviews

Review of The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations, by Jonathan Sacks

Knitter, Paul

From a geopolitical, economic perspective, Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of Britain, takes up a problem that has befuddled theologians, especially over the last half century: how to balance—that is, give equal importance to—both identity and difference. Or, How can I be as committed to my own religion as I am open to others? "On this question," Sacks warns us, "the future of the twenty-first century may turn" (p. 43). Only if we can affirm and feel "the dignity of difference" can we "avoid the clash of civilizations."