American Christians are walking a difficult path in trying to bear witness to the biblical mandates we are required to follow related to issues of peace and justice. How we respond to events in Israel and Palestine illustrate this difficulty. Can Christians be advocates of peace and against the occupation of Palestinian communities without alienating Jewish communities?
This past week Christian leaders in the US met with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and the National Council of Churches USA released a letter to both Israeli and Palestinian leaders supporting peace efforts. NCC reports:
NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar, along with other Christian leaders, met May 26 with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, who is in Washington to meet with government officials and religious leaders. Edgar told President Abbas of his deep sadness when he saw the so-called security walls between Israeli and Palestinian neighborhoods. "Walls separate, bridges heal," he told Abbas. Edgar also told Abbas that there is support for justice for the Palestinians from a broad spectrum of Christians in the U.S. Following an official delegation to the Middle East earlier this year, the NCC wrote to both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Abbas to express alarm and worry for the people in the region and to ask for a meeting to discuss the longstanding concern for peace, security and justice in the Holy Land. Click here for more information.
The Presbyterian Church USA has adopted a strategy of economic divestment from companies profiting from the occupation. The United Church of Christ will consider a similar proposal this summer at General Synod.
Such strategies have come under fire from Jewish groups. That is one reason Christians and Jewish leaders have been meeting in the US over the last year – and have now jointly planned a trip to the Middle East. NCC reports:
A dialogue table begun a year ago between staff and representatives of several Christian denominations and mainstream Jewish organizations is showing signs of maturity, says the NCC executive who coordinates the Christian partners in the dialogue. At its most recent meeting May 13, the table members agreed on plans for a Jewish-Christian trip to the Middle East September 18-23, and reached a consensus on a set of principles about how the groups speak to one another and to the media. "The table, which sometimes experienced intense negotiations and often felt tenuous, has held," Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, NCC Associate General Secretary for Interfaith Relations, said Wednesday. "There was hardly a 'tea and sympathy' phase in this dialogue," he said, citing a phrase attributed to Rabbi Leon Klenicki. "The stakes for peace in the Middle East were too high." For more information, click here.
Continued dialogue is important. All people of faith have a stake in the events occurring in the Middle East. We must pray for peace – but we must also find ways to take actions that further the cause of peace. There may be times when such actions are unpopular but still wise.
