Thursday, April 08, 2004
ETHICS - WEEK 2
How long, O Lord?
By now, I would assume that all of you know of my fast approaching trip to Jerusalem. On the evening of Monday, April 12, 2004, Newland and I depart for the Holy Land to attend a conference on “Challenging Christian Zionism”, sponsored by the Palestinian Christian organization Sabeel, led by the Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek (Anglican). Some of you may be wondering, “What does this have to do with Christian Ethics class,” but I hope that number is small.
For several years now I have adopted the cause of seeking out and striving to implement a justpeace solution to the Palestinian/Israeli crisis. In the summer of 2002, I was part of the Caux Scholars Program, a conference in Switzerland which focused on issues of peace, justice, non-violent conflict transformation, and personal, spiritual transformation. It was there that this conflict came alive for me, as several of my classmates and conference colleagues had a direct vested interest in peace for that area.
In chapter five of the Blackwell reader, Kenneson states, “The ekklesia also seeks to speak truthfully about the world as the arena of God’s redemptive purposes, as the realm of God’s work of transforming the kingdoms of this world into the kingdoms of our Lord” (p. 62). When I read that quote I was immediately struck by how it resonated with what I am about to do. World. Realms. Kingdoms. All of these words cried out to me from the perspective of the conflict in the land our Savior walked. People may say that the problem “over there” is for Muslims and Jews to solve, but I maintain that we, as the body of Christ, need to strive for justice and peace wherever it is lacking or being abused. Note the title of the conference – “Challenging Christian Zionism”. What the heck is Christian Zionism anyway? Well, Zionism is a secular movement begun in the mid-20th century which had as its purpose the reclamation of the land of Israel for the Jewish state. It has since furthered its cause to include the establishment of kibbutzim, or settlements of Jews in traditionally Palestinian land, oftentimes ousting the former occupants violently. Some Christians have adopted Zionism and colored it religious. They claim that in order to facilitate the second coming of Christ, all occupants of the land of Israel must be removed save for the Israelis. Some have gone so far as to support the use of violence to accomplish this end. We, as rational, intelligent, prayerful Christians, need to oppose this ill-founded ideology.
Because of Zionism, seemingly unending cycles of violence have been established in the Holy Land, with both sides being complicit in the fight. These cycles are extremely difficult to break, and become so enmeshed with the society, that a culture of death develops. There are people living in Israel and Palestine right now who have never known peace. Take a moment and think about that. What needs to be our ethical response? Well, first and foremost, prayer, followed by education. Understand that not all Palestinians are terrorists and that not all Israelis are militant Zionists. Under the leadership of Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Defense Force is committing terrible war crimes. Under the leadership of varying heads of militant groups, some Palestinians are committing atrocious acts of terror. There is not room here to mention all the non-violent atrocities being committed, primarily by the state of Israel. Prime example of which is the so-called “security fence”. Prison wall is really a more apt description.
We know all of this from the news and it would seem there is no hope. I am here to tell you today that there is always hope, because the love of God sees beyond our human frailties and sins to the day when we all will be reconciled to God. Think also on what you don’t hear about happening. For example, how many news stories have you read that speak about the youth soccer league incorporating both Israeli and Palestinian youth? This is so important because it teaches, at an early age, that hatred, fear, and violence are not the only options. Why aren’t we hearing about more things like this? I leave that for you to decide.
It is with this hope that I go. I hope to be able to blog while I am over there, at least for this class. In conclusion, I ask you to pray for the safety of Newland and I while we travel and for our safe return. More than that though, begin your ethical response to this blight on God’s reign of justice by praying for a justpeace resolution to the problem, an end to violence, and reconciliation among the peoples of the land, our brothers and sisters.
-R
How long, O Lord?
By now, I would assume that all of you know of my fast approaching trip to Jerusalem. On the evening of Monday, April 12, 2004, Newland and I depart for the Holy Land to attend a conference on “Challenging Christian Zionism”, sponsored by the Palestinian Christian organization Sabeel, led by the Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek (Anglican). Some of you may be wondering, “What does this have to do with Christian Ethics class,” but I hope that number is small.
For several years now I have adopted the cause of seeking out and striving to implement a justpeace solution to the Palestinian/Israeli crisis. In the summer of 2002, I was part of the Caux Scholars Program, a conference in Switzerland which focused on issues of peace, justice, non-violent conflict transformation, and personal, spiritual transformation. It was there that this conflict came alive for me, as several of my classmates and conference colleagues had a direct vested interest in peace for that area.
In chapter five of the Blackwell reader, Kenneson states, “The ekklesia also seeks to speak truthfully about the world as the arena of God’s redemptive purposes, as the realm of God’s work of transforming the kingdoms of this world into the kingdoms of our Lord” (p. 62). When I read that quote I was immediately struck by how it resonated with what I am about to do. World. Realms. Kingdoms. All of these words cried out to me from the perspective of the conflict in the land our Savior walked. People may say that the problem “over there” is for Muslims and Jews to solve, but I maintain that we, as the body of Christ, need to strive for justice and peace wherever it is lacking or being abused. Note the title of the conference – “Challenging Christian Zionism”. What the heck is Christian Zionism anyway? Well, Zionism is a secular movement begun in the mid-20th century which had as its purpose the reclamation of the land of Israel for the Jewish state. It has since furthered its cause to include the establishment of kibbutzim, or settlements of Jews in traditionally Palestinian land, oftentimes ousting the former occupants violently. Some Christians have adopted Zionism and colored it religious. They claim that in order to facilitate the second coming of Christ, all occupants of the land of Israel must be removed save for the Israelis. Some have gone so far as to support the use of violence to accomplish this end. We, as rational, intelligent, prayerful Christians, need to oppose this ill-founded ideology.
Because of Zionism, seemingly unending cycles of violence have been established in the Holy Land, with both sides being complicit in the fight. These cycles are extremely difficult to break, and become so enmeshed with the society, that a culture of death develops. There are people living in Israel and Palestine right now who have never known peace. Take a moment and think about that. What needs to be our ethical response? Well, first and foremost, prayer, followed by education. Understand that not all Palestinians are terrorists and that not all Israelis are militant Zionists. Under the leadership of Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Defense Force is committing terrible war crimes. Under the leadership of varying heads of militant groups, some Palestinians are committing atrocious acts of terror. There is not room here to mention all the non-violent atrocities being committed, primarily by the state of Israel. Prime example of which is the so-called “security fence”. Prison wall is really a more apt description.
We know all of this from the news and it would seem there is no hope. I am here to tell you today that there is always hope, because the love of God sees beyond our human frailties and sins to the day when we all will be reconciled to God. Think also on what you don’t hear about happening. For example, how many news stories have you read that speak about the youth soccer league incorporating both Israeli and Palestinian youth? This is so important because it teaches, at an early age, that hatred, fear, and violence are not the only options. Why aren’t we hearing about more things like this? I leave that for you to decide.
It is with this hope that I go. I hope to be able to blog while I am over there, at least for this class. In conclusion, I ask you to pray for the safety of Newland and I while we travel and for our safe return. More than that though, begin your ethical response to this blight on God’s reign of justice by praying for a justpeace resolution to the problem, an end to violence, and reconciliation among the peoples of the land, our brothers and sisters.
-R
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