Rooted in Faith and Justice (Edited by Rebekah Choate, Krista Johnson Weicksel, & Peter Makari) - A Review
With the release of the last
remaining living hostages serving as the first phase of a ceasefire in the
two-year-old Israel-Gaza War that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian
lives, displaced more than a million Gazans, along with numerous Israeli lives,
including Israeli’s taken hostage on October 7, 2023, the question remains, can
there ever be peace in Palestine? I raise the question because there is no
certainty that this ceasefire will hold, while at the same time, Israeli
settlements continue to go up or expand in East Jerusalem and the West Bank,
further displacing many Palestinians. Many of us are left wondering what we can
do to stop the violence and pursue forms of justice that can provide security
for Jewish Israelis while providing justice and security for Palestinians, both
Muslim and Christian. When it comes to the Christian population in Gaza, East
Jerusalem, and the West Bank, as well as within the borders of the nation of
Israel, their numbers are getting smaller and smaller. The question facing
Christians who have a long history of anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic actions and
theologies is how we can advocate for justice for Palestinians while avoiding
anti-Semitism. Unfortunately, this is complicated by a tendency among some to
equate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.
Questions like the ones I raised in
the opening paragraph are addressed in Rooted in Faith and Justice:
Christian Calls to Conscience & Cries for Peace in Palestine, a book
edited by Rebekah Choate. Krista Johnson Weicksel, and Peter Makari, all of
whom are employed by Global Ministries, a shared ministry of the United Church
of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The leaders of the
two denominational ministries that form Global Ministries, Shari Prestemon of
the United Church of Christ and LaMarco A. Cable of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), provide the Foreword to the book. Rooted in Faith and Justice is also endorsed by the General Ministers of the two denominations,
the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson of the UCC and the Rev. Teresa Hord Owens of
the Disciples. Finally, the book is published by Chalice Press, which is an
expression of the Christian Board of Publication, a ministry of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ). Additionally, I acknowledge that as the reviewer
of this book, I am an ordained minister within the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ). So, I have a stake in what is presented in the book.
As noted above, this relatively
brief volume reflects the concerns and positions taken by the two denominations
that have partnered to pursue our common global ministries, including in
Palestine and Israel. As Peter Makari, the Area Executive for Global Ministries
for the Middle East and Europe, writes in his introduction, the aim of the
editors and the authors of the chapters is to "offer a point of entry to
voices of our partners and leading Palestinian Christians while also providing
a primer on some of the key issues they face today" (p. xi). As such, it
serves as an invitation to readers to dive deeper into the issues and realities
that affect Palestinians, especially Palestinian Christians. Because this
region is sacred to three Abrahamic religions, we all have a stake in the
complex realities present in this region. The contributors include leading
Palestinian Christian leaders and theologians, as well as the editors
themselves. The chapters offer historical and theological foundations for important
conversations. For those of us living in the United States, these are important
conversations since the current government has strongly supported the Israeli
position and has sought to stamp down efforts to support the Palestinian people
as they suffer under Israeli occupation.
The book’s sixteen chapters are
organized into five sections. Section One offers two chapters that focus on
Historical Background. One chapter, written by Rebekah Choate, offers an
overview of the Israel/Palestine reality. This, while very brief, is important
because too many people do not understand the context in which the current
conflicts emerge. Once the overall context is set, Peter Makari provides a
brief background to the situation in Gaza, a narrow strip of land on the
Mediterranean coast that is home to more than two million people, of whom a
little less than a thousand are Christians. Of course, Gaza has been the scene of
the most recent conflict (Chapter 2).
The second section of the book
offers additional contextual background to the conflicts that continue to rage.
The first of the three chapters in the section, written by Rebecca Choate, Minister
for Global Advocacy and Education for Global Ministries of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, focuses on “Refugees and the
Right of Return.” It is important to note that while Jews are welcome to
immigrate to Israel, with some taking up residence in settlements being built
in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Palestinians, whether Christian or Muslim,
do not have the same right of return to their homes. Choate then offers a
chapter on the ongoing fragmentation of Palestinian society (Chapter 4). This
fragmentation is the result of Israeli policies that have carved up the West
Bank and East Jerusalem, creating numerous barriers that impact daily life. On
page 23, you will find a series of four maps that reveal the manner of this
fragmentation. Finally, in Chapter 5, Dr. Mira Rzeq, President of the World
YWCA, writes of "The Impact of the Israeli Occupation and Displacement on
Palestinian Women and Their Journey for Justice." Here, Dr. Rzeq documents
the impact of the occupation on Palestinian women through the decades.
Section 3 focuses on the "Religious
Background" of the ongoing conflict. The four chapters in this section
focus on efforts taken by Palestinians and supporters of the Israeli occupation
to root their efforts in their own religious context. So, in Chapter 6, Derek Duncan, a member of
the Global Ministries staff, writes about the impact of Christian Zionism on
the situation in Israel/Palestine, noting that Christian Zionists have offered
strong support for Israeli expansionism, especially in the West Bank. Then, in
Chapter 7, Dr. Bernard Sabella, the director of the Department of Service to
Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches. Sabella briefly introduces
us to the identity and presence of Palestinian Christians, a community that has
gotten smaller and often gets ignored by Christian supporters of Israeli
expansionism. Naim Ateek, the founder of Palestinian Liberation Theology,
amplifies the message of Dr. Sabella with a chapter introducing the reader to
Palestinian Liberation Theology. Finally, in Chapter 9, Peter Makari addresses
the issue of antisemitism, which continues to be a major issue for Christians.
Makari takes note of the problem but also insists that the history of Christian
antisemitism cannot be used as an excuse for not pursuing justice for
Palestinians.
Section 4 focuses on "Modern
Day Israel/Palestine." Many American Christians, especially those
attracted to Christian Zionism, tend to connect modern Israel with biblical
Israel. As a result, many Christians feel as if they must support Israeli
policies or they will somehow be going against the Bible. But modern Israel is
not the same as ancient Israel. It is a modern nation, not a restored kingdom
of Israel. With that question in mind, Rebekah Choate writes in Chapter 10,
which is titled “Colonialism and Settler Colonialism, that the establishment of
Israel is an example of “Settler Colonialism." She reminds us that one of
the arguments for making Palestine a Jewish homeland was that this was a land
without people, as if the Palestinian population, which would be displaced, did
not exist. With that view in mind, as the British pursued their own colonialist
aims, they facilitated the creation of the modern nation of Israel, much to the
chagrin of the people who inhabited the region, people who were not consulted
along the way. Then, in Chapter 11, Krista Johnson Weicksel, a staff member of
the Disciples Division of Overseas Ministries, addresses the charge that has
been made by many critics of the current Israeli policies regarding the
occupied territories, that the current arrangements in Gaza and the West Bank
meet the criteria of what is known as Apartheid. While this term, which
originated with South Africa's white minority hold over that nation, is
controversial, Weicksel raises the question of whether Israeli policies meet
the criteria. She argues that what we’re seeing take place on the ground does
meet the criteria, especially in light of the creation of Jewish-only
settlements that continue to expand in the West Bank, breaking up Palestinian
lands into smaller fragments. Finally, Rebecca Choate returns to offer a
reflection in Chapter 12 on the longstanding “U.S. Military Aid to
Israel," aid which has enabled Israel to pursue its aims in Gaza.
The fifth and final section is
titled "Moving Forward." This section has four chapters, the first of
which is offered by Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Lutheran minister and
founder of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. His chapter, titled “Palestine:
Toward a Paradigm Shift" (Chapter 13), addresses the suggestion that
Christians must support Israeli policies because of the Holocaust. While we
live in a post-Holocaust world, perhaps it's time to think more clearly about
the oppressive policies and actions pursued by the Israeli government and not
excuse them by reference to the Holocaust. This must be done without denying
the Holocaust, but this should not give Israeli’s carte blanche support for any
and all policies that are unjust. Then in Chapter 14, Jonathan Kuttab,
executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America and co-founder of the
Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, proposes the oft-abandoned idea of the establishment
of a single state that would serve Israelis and Palestinians equally. While
this idea is often proposed and then dismissed, Kuttab argues that it is the
only long-term solution to this ongoing conflict. Kuttab may be correct, and
thus his proposal needs to be taken seriously as the only viable solution for
sharing this piece of land in peace. It is an idea that I personally find to be
intriguing. Then, in Chapter 15, Rifat Kassis, a co-author of the Kairos
Palestine document and General Coordinator of the Kairos
Palestine global coalition, offers a chapter focused on "Pursuing Justice
and a Just Peace." Kassis writes that justice and a just peace are
necessary for Palestinians to achieve their aspirations as a people that have
faced settler colonization, apartheid, military occupation, and the
dispossession of Palestinian land and rights” (p. 101). Finally, in Chapter 16,
Krista Johnson Wecksel writes of "Economic Measures in the Pursuit of
Justice.” Among the economic measures advanced here is the controversial use of
boycotts and disinvestment policies to force the Israelis and their supporters
to address unjust policies.
Each of the sixteen chapters
introduces the reader to the complex issues facing the people of Israel and
Palestine. This includes the churches that seek to minister there. Among the
leaders of these Palestinian churches is the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, pastor of
the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. The editors have chosen
to include the text of Pastor Isaac’s virtual Easter Vigil sermon preached on
March 30, 2024, a sermon that addresses the reality of observing "Easter
Amidst a Genocide." The genocide is the ongoing war that has killed and
wounded thousands of Gazans, as well as displaced most of the population. While
the term genocide is often bandied about, we must ask whether something like
what Pastor Isaac lifts up in the sermon is truly happening.
The editors of Rooted in Faith and Justice have attempted to provide readers with a brief overview of the
issues at hand, helping us better understand the situation taking place in our
midst. When we finish reading Pastor Isaac’s sermon, we encounter several
appendices, starting with a brief description of “Ways to Take Action,”
followed by three appendices that help us understand how the United Church of
Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have addressed the issues
at hand. In Appendix A, Peter Makari provides us with a brief overview of the
positions taken over the years by the Disciples' General Assembly and the UCC
General Synod. This introductory chapter is followed by a posting of the two
most recent resolutions agreed to by each of the two official bodies at the
time the book was published in 2024. The first is the UCC Synod resolution
“Declaration for a Just Peace between Palestine and Israel” (2021) and the Disciples
General Assembly Resolution “Compelled to Witness: answering the Cry of Our
Palestinian Siblings” (2023). For full transparency, I served on the General
Board that approved and forwarded to the General Assembly the Disciples'
resolution of 2023. Therefore, I do have a hand in this.
As a Christian leader who has never
visited this region but who has a strong interest in the realities that have
existed in that region for the entirety of my life, I greatly appreciate what
the editors and authors have undertaken with this volume. It covers a lot of
ground in a brief package, but it is detailed enough that readers will gain a
greater appreciation for what is happening in the region. They will discover
that the situation is much more complicated than they may have been led to
believe, especially since the American political leadership has generally taken
a pro-Israel position without considering the concerns of Palestinians. Therefore, I believe Rooted in Faith and Justice is a much-needed contribution to the ongoing conversation about
what is currently taking place in Israel/Palestine and what may happen in the
future. Although this book was published in 2024, the war in Gaza continued
until the recent fragile ceasefire that has just been implemented after more
than two years of death and destruction. Because this volume is also the
product of my own denomination, I have an even greater interest. So, yes, take
and read and consider how you might respond.
Copies of Rooted in Faith and Justice can be purchased from the publisher, your favorite retail store, my Amazon affiliate or my Bookshop.org affiliate.
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