Zionism And The Quest For Justice In The Holy Land

A critical examination of political Zionism, a topic often considered taboo in the West, is long overdue. The discussion of Christian Zionism is usually confined to evangelical and fundamentalist settings. The present volume will break the silence currently reigning in many religious, political, and academic circles and, in so doing, will provoke and inspire a new, challenging conversation on theological and ethical issues arising from various aspects of Zionism - a conversation that is vital to the quest for a just peace in Israel and Palestine. The eleven authors offer a rich diversity of religious faith, academic research, and practical experience, as they represent all three Abrahamic faiths and five different Christian traditions. Among the many themes that run through Zionism and the Quest for Justice in the Holy Land is the contrast between exclusivist narratives, both biblical and political, and the more inclusive narratives of the prophetic Scriptures, which provide the theological foundation and the moral imperative for human liberation. Readers will be drawn into a compelling, readable, and stimulating series of essays that tackle many of the complex issues that still confound clergy, politicians, diplomats, and academic experts.

"This book contains the papers of the International Conference of Sabeel (the Palestinian Liberation Theology Center). Fifty years after the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948, it remembers the past, assesses the present and plans for the future. It poses Israel the challenge of jubilee, and asks, 'What does the Lord require?'" "Keynote speaker, Edward Said, argues that in the wake of 'the misery of the Oslo Accords', Palestinians are worse off than hitherto. Meanwhile, Israel continues to absolve itself of any responsibility for its past behaviour, continues its systematic oppression of the Palestinians, while employing the language of peace. Hanan Ashrawi appeals for an inclusive peace that would respect the narratives of the two parties, and Knesset Member Azmi Bishara argues for a bi-national, rather than a two-state option."--Jacket

A passionate inter-weaving of modern stories, historical study and biblical and theological insight in the quest for justice in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whose Land? Whose Promise? is a passionate and personal set of reflections about the crisis in the Middle East, born out of personal experience, historical and theological study. Untold and heartbreaking stories from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are combined with the insights of a biblical scholar with a passion for justice. Burge wrestles with questions such as: - How do I embrace my commitment to Judaism, a commitment to which I am bound by the Bible, when I sense in my deepest being that there is a profound injustice about Israel? - How do I celebrate the birth of this nation Israel when I also mourn the suffering of Arab Christians who are equally my brothers and sisters in Christ? - How do I love those Palestinian Muslims who are deeply mis understood by all parties in this conflict? This book is a powerful, prophetic call for justice that all Christians with an interest in the Middle East ought to ponder carefully.

Religion has played a major role in history, affecting the course of events and influencing individuals. Today one frequently hears the expression "the return of religion" but opinions differ as to how this "return" is to be understood. It is clear that modernity and postmodernity have not meant that religion is dead or relegated to society's backyards. Religion is still of vital importance for many people. It has, to some extent, changed shape but has not lost its legitimacy and attractiveness to broad groups. Religion is public, visible, and has a sought-for voice; but it is also wrestling with extremism, ignorance, and preconceptions. Just like ideologies, religions are capable of activating diametrically opposite traits in humans. It is this dual tension that is implicit in the question mark in this book's title: Mending the World? This book's aim is to help explore whether, how, and in what ways religion, church, and theology can contribute constructively to the future of a global society. In thirty-one chapters, researchers from around the world address the relation between religion and society.

At its heart, liberation theology is a modern theology of resistance to the oppression imposed by colonialist and post-colonialist systems and even by churches that cooperate with secular centers of power to oppress the poor and disadvantaged. It is a grassroots social justice theology, a cri de cœur, that seeks to give spiritual succor and hope to those living in seemingly hopeless circumstances. Palestinians--a people whose suffering has largely been forgotten by the world since Israel's establishment and who are most often stereotyped as extremists and enemies of Israel with no legitimate claim to their own homeland--are among the world's most marginalized populations. The small Palestinian Christian community, an indigenous population descended from Jesus's first followers, has created a liberation theology for the Palestinian context that reaches out to its own Christian faithful and their Muslim compatriots. This is a nonviolent political-theological resistance that follows Jesus's teaching that God is present with all God's children and heeds Jesus's gospel injunctions to comfort the suffering and "let the oppressed go free." For Palestinians, their very survival in the land is resistance to Israel's efforts to remove them, and liberation theology sustains their resistance. Jesus was the first liberation theologian.

The most violent American and European anti-Semites in the 21st century, including not only Jihadists but also white (and black) supremacist terrorist, made some reference to religion in their hatred of Jews. This is surprising. Religious antisemitism is often seen as a relic of the past. It is more associated with pre-modern societies where the role of religion was central to social and political order. However, at the end of the 19th century, animosity against Judaism gave way to nationalistic and racist motives. People, such as Wilhelm Marr, called themselves anti-Semites to distinguish themselves from those who despised Jews for religious reasons. Since then, antisemitism has gone through many mutations. However, today, it is not only the actions of extremely violent anti-Semites who might be an indication that religious antisemitism has come back in new forms. Some churches have been accused of disseminating antisemitic arguments related to ideas of replacement theology in modernized forms and applied to the Jewish State. Others, from the populist nationalist right, seem to use Christianity as an identity marker and thus exclude Jews (and Muslims) from the nation. Do religious motifs play a significant role in the resurgence of antisemitism in the 21st century?

What is a homeland and when does it become a national territory? Why have so many people been willing to die for such places throughout the twentieth century? What is the essence of the Promised Land? Following the acclaimed and controversial The Invention of the Jewish People, Shlomo Sand examines the mysterious sacred land that has become the site of the longest-running national struggle of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Invention of the Land of Israel deconstructs the age-old legends surrounding the Holy Land and the prejudices that continue to suffocate it. Sand’s account dissects the concept of “historical right” and tracks the creation of the modern concept of the “Land of Israel” by nineteenth-century Evangelical Protestants and Jewish Zionists. This invention, he argues, not only facilitated the colonization of the Middle East and the establishment of the State of Israel; it is also threatening the existence of the Jewish state today.

The question of the Christian Zionism - the religious and political support of the state of Israel - is fiercely debated within theology and the church. This volume includes essays from Christian scholars around the globe, as well as Jewish and Palestinian contributors to provide interfaith contextual dialogue.