Gathering Magazine: Advent/Christmas/Epiphany 2025-26

Embedded in Christian doctrines, preaching, prayers, and hymns, one often finds the idea that the Christian faith has taken over from or superseded the Jewish faith. Certain readings of the Gospel of John and other Christian scripture have been used to support this approach. This belief in supersessionism has led to horrific acts of antisemitism, stemming from the idea that the Jewish people are wrong in not choosing to follow Jesus. This issue will address ways of approaching the supersessionism found in scripture and in some of our most beloved hymns, such as "O Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" and "The First Nowell".