In early September, I returned from a visit to Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Led by the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, my visit was part of a multifaith delegation of Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Quaker, Buddhist and Hindu clergy,…
A Christian call to confront the silence of the Gaza genocide
In our age of advanced technology, where global connections are just a click away, a desperate cry echoes from the Gaza Strip — a cry from a land enduring the weight of more than 57 years of Israeli occupation and…
Letter to the Editor: Don’t forget what ‘Genocide Joe’ has done
Dear Editor: On Aug. 7, David Bumgardner penned a column for BNG under the title “Blinded by Their Hatred of Biden, Arab Voters Cut Off Their Noses to Spite Their Faces.” Bumgardner’s biased and disheartening column takes American Arabs, especially Michigan…
PC(USA) continues protest against Israel with more divestment
The Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly has continued its decade-long protest of Israeli occupation of Palestine by voting to divesting from Israeli bonds. The unanimous consent vote of the 500-member assembly marks a continuation of a protest begun in 2014…
Faith without justice: Baptist blind spots in Palestine
As a concerned believer, I am deeply troubled by the recent resolutions of the Southern Baptist Convention against my family, my people and my homeland, Palestine. Despite professing to uphold Christian values of compassion and justice, the SBC’s approach in…
The sad consequences of the end times theology and entertainment of my youth
When I was growing up in a Baptist church, I was fascinated with end times theology. It was not until later in life that I realized how ahistorical and unscholarly most of that theology was. I read the Left Behind…
It’s complicated: Naming our bias
I began my work as senior editor of Good Faith Media almost three weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks against Israel. I never have been an expert on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Still, I have followed…
Framing the conflict: How religion is a factor of Hamas war
After the International Criminal Court recently issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar for their crimes against humanity, it is becoming clearer that the war between Israel and Hamas since the Oct. 7 attacks has reached…
ABC Chicago adopts resolution calling for Gaza cease-fire
American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago unanimously adopted a resolution May 18 calling for an end to genocide in Gaza, the end of Israeli occupation of Palestine and an immediate cease-fire and rebuilding of Gaza. The Chicago group is the…
Yes, ‘Palestine’ is a place despite what Facebook memes may have told you
As Israel wages war against Hamas in Gaza, many Americans have declared themselves armchair generals who think they understand everything about one of the most complex geo-religio-political conflicts in world history. Dear readers, Facebook is a poor resource for a…
We have a teachable moment, and we’re blowing it
We haven’t seen protests on college campuses like this since the 1960s. As a professor, I’m thrilled to see a deep level of engagement by students on an important issue. I’m also horrified at the responses of many institutions to…
Christians in Palestine ask why U.S. believers ignore them
Since Hamas launched horrific attacks on Israel and Israel responded with its deadly and devastating war in Gaza, we’ve heard much about this conflict. But we’ve been deaf to the pained cries of Christian brothers and sisters caught up —…