Bishop Younan said that Arab Christians have much to teach the world about living in harmony with Muslims and Jews. ‘There have been Christians in the Holy Land for 2000 years’, he gently reminded audiences. ‘The gospel was first preached in Arabic and we used the name Allah for 600 years before the prophet Mohammed’. But now, perhaps when they are needed most, Christians are leaving the Middle East. Arab Christians are an integral part of their community, Bishop Younan said, and the fabric of Middle Eastern societies would be weaker for their departure. ‘I tell them, if you emigrate the conflict will become religious, not political’, he said. ‘Christians remain the guarantee of a moderate, modern and civil society, where every citizen lives under the law of the country.
Jesus was always going on his boat to “the other side”, to people outside of his own culture ‘Christians must take on the prophetic voice in the midst of extremism, of what is going on in the world’, he said. ‘While it is true that the so-called Arab Spring may indeed be turned into an “Arab Winter”, the fighting is not about religion. Some will try to use religion to cloak their activities and ambitions; this cannot be denied. Some political parties are explicitly identified with one brand or another of religious commitment. But … it is too simple to say that it is all about religion. The Muslim and Christian perspective on the Arab Awakening is that it is needed for democratic reforms, so that all people … may have equal rights under the law’, he said in his ACLE address. Bishop Younan went on to outline instances of religious co-operation being employed as a force of hope and compassion in the Middle East, Vol 47 No11 P387
reminding Christians and Muslims alike of the dual command to love God and love their neighbour. The ELCJHL lives this out most visibly through its schools, Bishop Younan said. It operates four schools, taking students from kindergarten to Year 12 in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Ramallah and Beit Jala. They have a combined school population of 3000 students, educating both girls and boys, Christians and Muslims. ‘Though the ELCJHL is relatively small in the Holy Land, one out of six Palestinian Christians shapes their thinking in one of our schools or programs’, Bishop Younan told ACLE. ‘Through education and dialogue, we transmute cultures of fear into cultures of hope and compassion. Jesus was always going on his boat to “the other side”, to people outside of his own culture, to meet people where they were, in order to bring healing and good news to all. We are called, as disciples of this same Jesus Christ, to do the same and see the image of God in the other’, he said. He remains hopeful that a peaceful, two-state solution can still be found for the Holy Land. A solution that is based on 1967 borders for Israel, with Jerusalem shared by Christians, Muslims and Jews. A solution that sees construction of Israeli settlements on the West Bank stopped and a right of return granted to Palestinian refugees. A solution based on the sharing of resources and a form of regional cooperation among Middle Eastern states that is similar to the European Union, focused on mutual interdependence. ‘The security of Israel is dependent on justice for the Palestinians’, Bishop Younan told his Adelaide audience. ‘Justice for the Palestinians is dependent on the security of Israel.’ ‘I dream that Palestinians will see the image of God in Israelis and that Israelis will see the image of God in Palestinians. Please pray for us and for what we are doing’, he said. Video of Bishop Younan’s keynote address to ACLE is available from the website acle.net.au
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land: In Beit Sahour, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, working out of a very broad ecumenical policy, strives to ‘build awareness of the role of Christians in the Palestinian society and the importance of non-violence as a means for change.’ In Ramallah, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope is very involved and active in women’s ministries and the ELCJHL Women’s Desk in ‘striving to be a good example in the Palestinian society, promoting gender awareness in all its work, ministries, and institutions.’ In Jerusalem, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is responding to needs of the elderly population through the Martin Luther Community Development Centre. Christian and Muslim elders alike are welcomed and invited. In Bethlehem, the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church continues to grow in service to the community as Dar al-Kalima College joined Dar al-Kalima Evangelical Lutheran School and Dar al-Kalima Wellness Centre this autumn. In Beit Jala, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation offers a place of rest to pilgrims at its Abraham’s Herberge guesthouse, with a vision that is open to all. In Amman (Jordan), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd invites the community in, as it opens its al-Khoimeh Community Center to local groups and events. Source: www.elcjhl.org
The Lutheran December 2013
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