Middle East

November 11, 2011 was a critical day for the Egyptian Church.

Following months of revolutionary activity, and the blood of many political martyrs, and coming on the heels of almost a decade of faithful prayer for their country, 70,000 Christians of many denominations drew together in a night vigil of worship and prayer at the famous cave churches in Mokattam, at the heart of Cairo, calling to God, to bring transformation, hope, and renewal to the church and the people of Egypt and the Middle East. (The image above shows one of the cave churches.)

In making a decision about taking a trip to Israel/Palestine, in addition to the natural questions about costs and dates, there are several questions that should be answered before making a decision regarding which trip to choose. The more clarity travelers have about the answers, the greater the possibility that they will have an experience that will grow their faith and their faithful discipleship of Jesus Christ.

After serving more than 38 years in congregational ministry, Rev. Bill Vanden Bosch and his wife, Lyn, have been leading “disciple’s pilgrimages” to Israel since 1999.  They have studied twice in Israel at Jerusalem University College and twice under the leadership of Ray VanderLaan, Director of “In the Dust of the Rabbi” ministries and the teacher of the “That the World May Know” video series. Bill has a Doctor of Ministry Degree in multicultural ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. This post is the second of three on traveling to the land of the Bible.

As I listened, the truth became clear to me: These are not issues. They are people. 

Egypt is a country of contrasts and inconsistencies; the uneven application of justice in relation to the Christian minority is one example. Of course, in the Western news media, we hear of the persecution and escalating terrorist attacks which are often directed against Christians. When a young Christian man is attacked by religious extremist youth who do not want to see him in a relationship with their Muslim sister, his business and home are burned, and his family ousted from their village, there may very well be little support from the police or courts.

In 1 Peter 2:9-10, and in Matthew 5:14-16, and in Philippians 2:14-15, we are told that, having received mercy, having been given the role of light (in a world that so desperately needs it), and having God at work within us—we are to see ourselves as royalty. But how should being royalty make us act?

Have you seen the line-up for this year’s January Series from Calvin College yet? Every year, the college puts on a free series of talks on various issues of the day, presented at their campus in Grand Rapids and streamed online, as well as at remote sites across the continent. (Each address begins at 12:30 PM EST.) We commend Calvin for a diverse, high-quality line-up of speakers with important things to say, especially about justice and diversity. Here are our staff picks for this year.  

In response to the San Bernardino shooting and increasingly hostile anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rhetoric, the Office of Race Relations and Office of Social Justice have collaborated on this litany and prayer. The litany is drawn from the Christian Reformed Church’s three confessions, the Contemporary Testimony (Our World Belongs to God), and one Ecumenical Faith Declaration (Belhar Confession).

Litany

People of God, from where does your hope come this day?

On 9/11 the West was suddenly confronted with the reality of Islamic extremism in the form of Al-Qaeda and the ideology of Osama Bin Laden. We all woke up to the dangers of fundamentalism. This was especially true for the Church in North America. Since 9/11 and despite or, as some might argue, as a result of the war on terror, extremism has only increased. Now we hear constantly about ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Al Shabab, and other groups. Our own countries of the USA and Canada are more secure thanks to the efforts of Homeland Security and CSIS.

Can I be honest with you, reader? The last thing I want to do is write an article about Gaza.

Because in the face of what has just happened there, all the words that I keep trying to string together into some kind of meaningful or helpful thought seem superfluous, empty, and trite.

Listing the numbers also won’t do, as horrifying as they are.

2,168 people, killed.

521 children, killed.

12,000 people, injured.

500,000 people, displaced.