Worldly Holiness

In early March I returned to Bethlehem and engaged in a historic conference for Evangelicals seeking to address the issues and frame a response to the situation in Palestine/Israel. Many felt this was a major breakthrough in the evangelical world. I agree. I was part of a group of 8 Covenant leaders, gathering with over 600 international and local Christians, including renowned evangelical leaders. Organized by Bethlehem Bible College, the conference, under the banner “Christ at the Checkpoint,” addressed the issue of how to find hope in the midst of conflict. The conference exceeded all expectations. Here is an important manifesto that was the fruit of our time together.

The Christ at the Checkpoint Manifesto:

1. The Kingdom of God has come. Evangelicals must reclaim the prophetic role in bringing peace, justice and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel.
2. Reconciliation recognizes God’s image in one another.
3. Racial ethnicity alone does not guarantee the benefits of the Abrahamic Covenant.
4. The Church in the land of the Holy One, has born witness to Christ since the days of Pentecost. It must be empowered to continue to be light and salt in the region, if there is to be hope in the midst of conflict.
5. Any exclusive claim to land of the Bible in the name of God is not in line with the teaching of Scripture.
6. All forms of violence must be refuted unequivocally.
7. Palestinian Christians must not lose the capacity to self-criticism if they wish to remain prophetic.
8. There are real injustices taking place in the Palestinian territories and the suffering of the Palestinian people can no longer be ignored. Any solution must respect the equity and rights of Israel and Palestinian communities.
9. For Palestinian Christians, the occupation is the core issue of the conflict.
10. Any challenge of the injustices taking place in the Holy Land must be done in Christian love. Criticism of Israel and the occupation cannot be confused with anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel.
11. Respectful dialogue between Palestinian and Messianic believers must continue. Though we may disagree on secondary matters of theology, the Gospel of Jesus and his ethical teaching take precedence.
12. Christians must understand the global context for the rise of extremist Islam. We challenge stereotyping of all faith forms that betray God’s commandment to love our neighbors and enemies.

The Statement and Manifesto were presented to the conference participants on the last day but were only agreed on and endorsed by the Conference Organizers.

Conference Organizers: John Angle, Alex Awad, Bishara Awad, Sami Awad, Steve Haas, Munther Isaac, Yohanna Katanacho, Manfred Kohl, Salim Munayer, Jack Sara, Stephen Sizer

I was praying/reflecting the other day on what I’m asking people to do as I share the story of my time in the West Bank / Israel. Would love any feedback.

1. Repent of theological or political positions which eclipse the full application of the Abrahamic Covenant to be a blessing to all nations and peoples. See especially Gen. 12:1-3. Isn’t the Good News supposed to be Good News for everybody?

2. Do better Biblical and theological work around: a. The Holy Land in relation to the Kingdom of God, b. An Eschatology that embraces the world, and this region, instead of abandoning it. and c. Answering the question, “who are the chosen people?” in the context of the full Biblical story. What are they chosen for? And who is to be included in the blessing?

3. Exercise fairness, i.e. “principled impartiality” in our dealings with people and issues impacted by activity in the region. No room for Antisemitism, Islamophobia, or forgetting what is happening to the persecuted church [in this case the Palestinian Christian community]. In this vein, we need to correct stereotypes that characterize Palestinians as a violent people bent on the destruction of Israel, or Christians who ask questions about the policies of the Israeli government as anti-semitic.

4. Support, show solidarity for ALL who seek a just peace, including Israeli and Jewish activists. Engage in protective presence, an ethic modeled and taught by Jesus, with the vulnerable. Tell their stories far and wide.

5. Resist injustice. Demonstrate a Christian faith that is genuine in action and deeds as well as mere belief and doctrine. Afterall, as I mention in a book I’m writing, orthodoxy without orthopraxy is heresy. Think about the words of Jesus near the end of Matthew.

6. Come and see. An invitation to take trips to the Holy Land to see, experience and witness Palestinian hospitality and see the consequences of policies which violate international humanitarian law and Christian ethics. [This is where I hope to add a piece to what I'm doing with Mosaics Project].

This is my wish list. I need some time to percolate, mature, improve, add, subtract. Also need to attach little “behaviors” or “things you can do now” to help get traction. In time. In time.

“They don’t let them into the city to meet real Palestinians anymore!” Words shared with me yesterday outside the Nativity Church in Bethlehem from Ahmed. “They are just greedy and selfish.” I’m finishing a 3 month term serving with EAPPI as an Ecumenical Accompanier, providing protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitoring and reporting on the situation at checkpoints, learning about the ramifications of the wall to all sides in the current situation in the West Bank. Have also had the opportunity to visit a settlement and meet with Israeli and Jewish activists who disagree with many of the current policies and strategies of the current Israeli government.

I haven’t entered the typical build-up to Christmas as normally experienced in the US. I’m still in Hebron, just south of Bethlehem by about 20 kilometers, through Dec. 5th. I’m in Bethlehem taking a few needed days off and trying to reflect on what I’ve seen and experienced in my time here. I’m also trying to prepare for Advent. Some of that includes buying gifts for loved ones. But I also want to take advantage of being so close to where it all started–the place of Christ’s birth. There are others here doing the same. Many tourists from around the world make their way to Bethlehem this time of the year, trying to get close to the story of Jesus. But most miss the point.

There is plenty of room in the Bethlehem Inn, or other nice hotels where people camp out before they head over to Manger Square and step through the very low door into the Church of the Nativity. The “door of humility,” a small rectangular entrance to the church, was created in Ottoman times to prevent carts being driven in by looters, and to force even the most important visitor to dismount from his horse as he entered the holy place. The doorway was reduced from an earlier Crusader doorway. The different iterations of the entry can be seen in the stones and refurbished masonry, kind of in reverse of the height charts on your wall at home showing the growth of your children. It appears the door kept getting smaller, making it less penetrable by invading forces.

The tourists today arrive in droves in December. They arrive in beautiful buses, not donkeys. Tour guides shape the story and guide them step by step through a tight script, photo opps, plenty of food, and trips to trinket stores. Wonder what Jesus thinks of all this hubbub. “Those tour guides get a big commission from each stop on the tour. They are all greedy,” continues Ahmed. I went over to the coffee shop next to the Nativity Church for a nice hot cappuccino. Probably something Joseph and Mary didn’t do when they came looking for a place to rest for a night.

So much has happened here in Bethlehem since those humble beginnings. It’s amazing to think that where I stood yesterday, it is reported that 100 Israeli tanks, and snipers, were poised, taking shots at the Nativity church, just a little over 10 years ago during the 2nd intifada. They were trying to capture 200 Palestinian militants who had found refuge in the church. It is reported that tourism took a big hit because of that siege. Wonder why? But now, more than a decade away, the tourism spicket seems to be wide open.

Part of me would like to return home and forget some of what I’ve seen the last few months here in the West Bank. I’d like to have the warm devotional thoughts about advent, and the Christmas story. I’d like to join those tourists on the warm, heated bus. It can hit freezing in December here in Bethlehem. With central heating a rare thing, except for the nicer hotels and tour buses, you feel exposed to the elements. Much like Mary and Joseph, and Jesus of course.

Part of me is emotionally raw, another part angry, because of what I’ve seen and experienced here in the West Bank the last 3 months. The Kingdom of God which Jesus came to inaugurate seems absent still. The operative word is “seems.” The great proclamation that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” [John 1:14] (as we are, not as we wish it would be), assures us that God did in fact enter human history through his incarnation. And he is at work through you and me to give hints of what that Kingdom looks like. I’ve met some courageous Palestinians and Israeli activists these past months. Many keep working for peace, by using non-violent means. They are the leaven in the dough that God seems to be using to move things in the right direction.

This season of Advent, a season of waiting and cultivating hope in the work and presence of Christ among and through us, gives me strength. Our sense of anticipation is heightened looking forward to the day when the lion will lie down with the lamb, death and destruction will be swallowed up, and every tear will be wiped away. Peace in the Middle East, and our extended families and places of service will come in full. Advent captures in microcosm the big picture of Christ’s work of redemption.

Don’t board the tourist bus. Mix it up with the locals. Be agents of the Kingdom, beacons of hope pointing to the key figure of the Advent season where you live and serve Christ this advent. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

Tags: "Just peace" Bethlehem EAPPI Palestine "Nativity Church" "Andrew E. Larsen"

“According to Jesus, there is no authentic Christianity, discipleship or Christian ethics apart from doing the deeds he taught his followers to do….” – Glen Stassen

“Life naturally provides those moments and occasions of unintentional contemplation, times when the foundations of life seem swept away and we are left with the need to see life from a different perspective. – Parker Palmer

Recently I had the chance to help with a project building a home in North Africa in a region that was struck by an earthquake a few years ago. Many in the host community lost their lives and the survivors are struggling to put the pieces back together as they put a new roof over their heads, hopefully a home that will better withstand a future quake. I volunteered with a non-profit that is rebuilding communities, house by house, making an impact on lives and families and helping the local economy by employing local tradesman for various aspects of the building projects.

It was our job to dig ditches for the foundation of a new home. Not a large home but one that makes sense for the region and fits the lifestyle of a small family. As we worked harder than I’ve worked for a long time, family members dug alongside us investing sweat equity and pride in the building of their own home. They also provided food and wonderful, sweet mint tea during breaks. The weather was intense for a guy from the Northwest and the topography did not easily yield to our intentions to dig ditches. But we made headway. A particular feature that slowed our work were the veins of rock that decided to hide themselves under the veneer of normal dirt where we drew our lines for a hole or trench. The rocks probably saw us coming and wagered on which of these white guys could break them down. Ha.

I pounded on one such rock for the better part of 30 minutes one morning. After me, another guy on our team spent yet more time on the same stone. Thought I had loosened it for him. Apparently not. One of the local workers finally came to our rescue. He got into the same hole we were in for 45+ minutes with a pick. He taped in several places, found a weak spot, pried with the point of the pick, tapped a bit more. In less than 10 minutes he dislodged a huge rock to our shame and chagrin. But were we glad. We also knew who knew what they were doing right then.

I don’t want to over spiritualize this little story but the parallels are striking. Sometimes in my inner life I try to remove the rocks myself, with brute force of will or determination. These are good qualities for some tasks in my life but generally not the inner life. The best way to become conformed to the image of God is to yield, to trust the Holy Spirit to apply his gentle hand at the inner surgery that is sometimes needed in my heart. That is not a passive, static posture. I still need to get in the ditch to uncover the rocks and use the tools given by God. But ultimately it is a work of the Holy Spirit.

The guy who unearthed the rock at our project site has a nickname. They call him “rock whisper.” I kind of like that idea when I think of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.

“The things that come out of a man are they that defile him, and to get out of them a man must go into himself, be a convict, and scrub the floor of his cell.” – George MacDonald

Home Demolition in the West Bank, originally uploaded by papalars.

I’ve been torn recently by two conflicting, but related, realities in my heart. Many of you know that Carol and I are trying to buy a house. The market is good for buyers and interest rates low so that is bringing this aspiration closer to a reality. A year ago that would have been a long stretch, perhaps impossible. Pray for us. We want to have an adequate place for friends, family and ministry. It is about making a home, having a place we call our own. A basic need, right?

There’s another story that is rattling around in my head these days. It makes me conflicted. Last week, I heard a young Palestinian women at a chapel service share the heartbreaking story of what is happening to many of her friends in Palestine. Home demolitions are still commonplace in the West Bank, most often happening to Palestinians, to make room for new Israeli settlements. An alarming fact struck me in her talk. A full 80% of Palestinians have lost land in recent years. Furthermore, the huge wall, standing 26 feet high which has been built “for protection,” often separates family members, farmers from their land and makes normal day-to-day life very difficult. Many Palestinians are not given legal citizenship and if they leave the area, then need a visa to return. For many, they are not a legal citizen anywhere but just resident aliens. These stories resembled the ones I heard last fall when I was at a leadership conference in Palestine. I know some of these people. Their stories break my heart. I know the issues are complex and they resist simple solutions. It just seems wrong. I was encouraged to hear that some Israeli soldiers are being jailed for refusing to be involved in home demolitions and forceful takeover of land in the Palestinian Territories. A new word has been coined to identify these courageous contrarians–they are called Refusniks. [click the link for more information].

If you want to know more about the situation check out this website: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

My last thought in this vein brings the issue of homes full circle. I just plopped some good money down on an airplane ticket to North Africa this summer where I will be joining a team building homes for a community struck by a recent earthquake. I’m reminded of the Psalmist who identifies the importance of shelter. I don’t think David was just speaking metaphorically.

“For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.” Psalm 27:5