Are Christian Seders kosher?

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A growing number of churches and other Christian institutions hold Passover Seders, usually as a way of reconnecting with Jesus’s Jewish roots.

On USA Today’s “Faith & Reason” blog, Cathy Lynn Grossman questions the  integrity of the practice:

At Brigham Young University, Mormons offer a series of elaborate ‘traditional" Seders, starting last weekend. The Salt Lake Tribune says these events with a Mormon spin started in 1973 by Professor Victor Ludlow, a specialist in Jewish studies at BYU… He says Seders enrich "appreciation of the ancient Old Testament," and help Christians better understand Easter.

Not surprisingly, on the four occasions during the service when guests must drink "the fruit of the vine," the mostly Mormon group sips grape juice, not the traditional wine.

Cute. But is it kosher, so to speak? Or is it distorting Christian history and ripping off Jewish spirituality?

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