The intense polarization around the Israel-Hamas war reminds me of a story from another polarizing Middle East war that occurred 20 years ago. In the spring of 2003, soon after United States launched the Iraq war, a retired Army officer…
What happens when the snow melts? Humanizing victims of the war in Gaza with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The new book and movie in the Hunger Games series, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, released Nov. 17, is currently the No. 1 movie in America. The story is a prequel to the four existing stories that take fans…
‘Useful idiots’ won’t end the Israel-Hamas war, and neither will a cease-fire
Picture yourself at a rowdy MAGA rally: Paramilitary types sporting AR-15s and Kevlar vests roam the area, calling for the downfall of any government not led by Donald Trump, their glorious leader. Neo-Nazis spew hatred of immigrants and minorities. Other…
Knowing what we see and remembering what we know
Israel’s war against Gaza is now into its second month. Israel has killed more than 13,000 men, women and children with bombs and bullets. We do not know how many others have died from other causes or will die from…
Christian groups lament and repent role religion played in allowing Israel-Hamas war
A coalition of Christian groups released a statement Nov. 18 blaming Israeli and U.S. officials for the rising death toll in the Israel-Hamas war and admitting their own complicity in the weaponization of religion in the conflict. “We confess that…
U.S. evangelicals continue to unite behind Israel but are less likely to mention Palestinian victims
American evangelicals were quick to stand united in support of Israel after Hamas militants savagely attacked the country Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. But evangelicals differ over whether to show concern for…
A passionate appeal for life vs. death in Gaza
I am the Tuesday designated driver, and this is the fifth and last week. I sit in the waiting room, waiting for my friend to have her radiation therapy treatment administered. The 150-mile roundtrip to Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute…
In Gaza, ceasefire is the necessary moral solution
What we have witnessed in the Holy Land is a catastrophe, and Christians must do our part to end the violence. The terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israelis on Oct. 7 were abominable. This month’s long war in Gaza, which…
If you’re uncertain how to approach Israel and Gaza, start with grief
I’ve known churches that have been on the frontlines of every concern of justice, congregations in which you could well assume nearly everyone is voting for the same candidate at the top of the ticket, churches in which no controversial…