Here are your instructions. Take out two pens, one red and the other blue. Read through this edition of The Outlook, underlining everything you like with the blue pen and everything you don’t like with the red. Then compare the blue-marked words with the red-marked, asking yourself, 1) “Why do I like or dislike this?” and 2) “Why do other Christians of sincere conviction like or dislike this?”
Before taking on that assignment, do finish reading this editorial.
This Outlook includes several articles that give a glimpse of the hopes and fears of recent years felt by the children of Abraham.
The operative term is “glimpse.” Our hopes and fears are so varied that they have become the source of hundreds of studies in every academic department of sociology, international relations and, of course, religion–plus innumerable table discussions in every corner of the world. The articles we have gathered highlight just a few of those perspectives: a sanguine discussion with Iran’s president; a pained study of the impact the barrier fence has had upon Palestinians; an incisive examination of the horror felt by Israelis over Presbyterians’ venture into divestment; and a critique of ways we stereotype Muslims.
You’ll find plenty to like and dislike in these articles. You’ll also gain insights into why others think differently than you do.
Now listen in on the telephone conversation I had the other day with Salim Munayer, the founding director of Musalaha, which in Arabic means “reconciliation.” I caught him at home in Jerusalem.
A Palestinian, he first embraced the gospel in a fellowship of Messianic Jews at his high school, one of the few mixed public schools in Israel. In time he gained a theological education–a master’s degree in Missions at Fuller Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Wales–and became academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College. While there he launched Musalaha.
Salim: I’m glad to talk with The Presbyterian Outlook. Most of our supporting churches are Presbyterian. Most [fundamentalist-dispensational] churches don’t show much interest in what we are doing. It’s amazing that the Presbyterian Church came aboard and responded very well.
Jack: Your Musalaha ministry takes Christians, Jews, and Muslims on wilderness journeys to get to know one another.
Salim: Yes. In order to develop relationships with people where there’s so much dehumanization, the context best for that is the wilderness. There you have to relate as humans in God’s image, and through this relationship you can deal with the issues that divide us. The wilderness is a first stage to enter into a process … then you move from stage to stage, learning history and culture. … We share historical narratives for Palestinian Christians and Israelis.
Jack: And Muslims?
Salim: One track works among believers: Palestinian Christians and Messianic Jews. Another track is trying to build bridges between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. This works best with girls. Our society does not give much attention to girls, so they respond very well to this, especially through girls’ sports camps.
Jack: You’re working mostly with youth?
Salim: Adults, too. Last year we took 12 Muslim and 12 Christian leaders into the wilderness experience. It was amazing. It was a value-based process, using biblical values. The result has been that they are now doing events together; this last month we brought families together for a family event.
When I said to Christian leaders in Bethlehem that we need to reach out to Muslims, there was much hesitation. But we realized that the issues are mostly in our heads. After we did so, we were kicking ourselves, asking, “Why haven’t we done this before?” We have spent so much time defending our people group. This effort has helped us to get together, to take on issues of our community.
One of the Muslim leaders said, “It is essential for you Christians to stay here with us. We need the diversity you bring. You are a litmus paper for how we are treating each other. If you leave, that will be disastrous for our community.”
Of course some people don’t want us there, but when some of them make this kind of statement it is encouraging to us.
Jack: So there are signs of hope.
Salim: It is amazing what is happening. Right now the division of the church between Israeli and Palestinian is a theological problem. The dispensational theology in America doesn’t have room for Palestinians. On the other hand, the covenant theology of Presbyterians has a strong social justice element. It does give hope for justice for us due to the fact that it really understands that Jesus died on the cross not just for us but for our enemies, too.
Neither Salim Munayer nor any other human offers a simple, single answer to the hopes and fears of recent years felt by the children of Abraham. But as you read and reflect, would you also pray that grace, peace, mercy, and justice would rain down upon us all and that the ministry of reconciliation, Musalaha, might be advanced in our day?
— JHH
