There Must Be You: Leonard Swidler's Journey to Faith and Dialogue - Paperback

by River Adams (Author)

We live in the era of dialogue, an era Leonard Swidler helped birth. The son of a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant and an Irish Catholic, he set out as a boy to become an intellectual and a saint. There Must Be YOU explores how and why this aspiring Norbertine priest emerged to become the Professor Swidler of today: a teacher, a reformer of the church, a preeminent feminist, and one of the fathers of interreligious dialogue. He argues passionately that dialogue is a matter of more than peacemaking, but of living an authentically human life. Len's journey begins at the start of the Great Depression, and represents the very turmoil and growth of American modernity: our search for faith, our struggle with diversity, and our fight for social justice. Written by Len's colleague and friend, this book offers the reader education, inspiration, and challenge through the remarkable stories of Len's life, conversations with him, and excursions into the history of the world that made him who he is. We turn the last page having laughed with Len and argued with him, and having dialogued more deeply with our own lives.

Author Biography

River Adams grew up a classically trained pianist in Soviet Russia, came to America as a Jewish refugee, and became a Christian by way of conversion. She is an alumna of Harvard Divinity School and a former Assistant Professor of Catholic Studies at Rosemont College. She writes on biblical themes and on themes of peace and justice, and she runs a blog on faith and theology OnMountHoreb.com.