By: Cathy Glei on September 2, 2024
“The very existence of a community living like that – scandalous as it appeared to many- was the sign to the watching world that something radically new had come about, a way of life that was attractive and vibrant even as, in social and political terms, it was costly and dangerous. “ [1] Drawing attention…
By: Tim Clark on September 2, 2024
If you’re an American of a certain age raised in a charismatic/pentecostal tradition, you will remember the Power Team: A half-dozen or so bulked up men who would hold assemblies at churches and schools, displaying feats of strength and attributing them to God. I think the reasoning went something like this: If these guys can…
By: Jennifer Vernam on September 2, 2024
With the backdrop of the upcoming elections for the President of the United States looming, N.T. Wright and Michael Bird’s Jesus and the Powers[1] have provided the global Church with a thorough review of the moral imperative for remaining involved in public life. While we may have heard this concept in other spaces, Wright and…
By: John Fehlen on September 2, 2024
I never want to reduce a book to quippy tweet-like punchlines. However, Jesus and the Powers by N.T. Wright and Michal Bird is absolutely chock full of amazingly powerful teeth punches that capture so much of the significance of this important resource. Examples include the following: • “The greatest evils are not done by people who…
By: Kally Elliott on September 2, 2024
If you back off from every little controversy in your life you’re not alive…and what’s more, you’re boring! [The truth is] you can be more alive in pain than in complacency. It’s not enough to pray, ‘Grant us peace in our time, O Lord.’ God must be saying, ‘Oh, come off it! What are you…
By: Esther Edwards on September 2, 2024
At seven years old, Helene was faced with a dilemma. She was a daughter of Pastor Jacob, a small-town pastor who was deeply concerned regarding the changing political landscape. Hitler had gained much acclaim for helping Germany recover from World War 1 but was now showing signs of tyrannical power. Many Jews had already been…
By: Kim Sanford on September 1, 2024
Jesus and the Powers by Tom Wright and Michael F. Bird was not at all what I expected but was a delight to read. Readers journey through the history of God’s people who have nearly always lived under or at least nearby imperial rulers and then dive into the Biblical mandate to bear public witness…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on August 30, 2024
What did you know about Israel before 7th October, and what was that based upon? I had a Biblical understanding of Israel. The lessons on God Abraham and Jacob’s descendants being the chosen people in the chosen were taught throughout my life. I never quite made the modern-day connection until I was in my late…
By: Todd E Henley on August 29, 2024
As I gratefully and thankfully enter into my third year, I am approaching everything with the mindset, “Todd, you have more to learn than you realize. Therefore, intentionally look for what you do not know and what you do not see.” As I read The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict by Martin Bunton, I thought about what I…
By: Adam Harris on August 29, 2024
Well, summer is officially over, and we’re diving into a simple topic: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I’m just going to answer these in the order Dr. Jason Clark gave them to us. What did you know about Israel before 7th October, and what was that based upon? Being an enthusiast for ancient religion, most of my…
By: Pam Lau on August 28, 2024
“Mythic violence is blood-violence over mere life for the sake of violence itself; divine violence is pure violence over all of life for the sake of the living.”[1] – Walter Benjamin What I Knew Before October 7th, 2023 Golda[2] is the 2023 biographical film dramatizing the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir during the 1973…
By: Kally Elliott on August 28, 2024
In this blog post I will answer three questions. “What did you know about Israel before October 7th 2023, and what was that based upon? What does this book help you understand that you didn’t know before? How do you navigate the Israel-Middle East conflict? What did you know about Israel before October 7th 2023…
By: Scott Dickie on August 27, 2024
What did you know about Israel before 7th October, and what was that based upon? I knew some of the long-term history of Israel due to my theological and historical studies in my undergrad and graduate degrees. I was relatively familiar with the creation of the modern state of Israel and the WWII context that…
By: Jennifer Vernam on August 27, 2024
Israel and Palestine’s Origin Story What I have known about the conflict between Israel and Palestine begins with Israel’s origin story in Genesis and God informing Abram about his plans to make him into a great nation: Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make…
By: Kim Sanford on August 26, 2024
Looking Back Reading about life in Israel and Palestine over the past 100+ years evoked some diverse emotions. Firstly, nostalgia as I was taken back to my college Hebrew classroom where we began each class by singing, “Hineh ma tov uma na’im Shevet achim gam Yachad.” How good it is for brethren to dwell in…
By: Cathy Glei on August 26, 2024
A Peek Into My Limited Understanding Admittedly, I have a limited understanding of the conflict that is taking place in Israel. John, I think I need the 5-year-old explanation of the conflict too. For several years I taught in an Arabic/Muslim in Michigan and not much was said about the historical conflict of the region,…
By: John Fehlen on August 26, 2024
I read this entire book, and I still don’t fully understand the situation in the Middle East. I didn’t prior to October 7th, and I still don’t fully after October 7th. Honestly, I just don’t get it. Reading The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict by Martin Bunton only seemed to confuse me more, and the material only covered up…
By: Tim Clark on August 26, 2024
One of the features of the home I grew up in was sitting down in front of the TV to watch the nightly news. Some of my earliest memories are of news anchor Walter Cronkite signing off the end of his program with “And that’s the way it is…” (and then he would give the…
By: Jenny Dooley on August 26, 2024
My Understanding of Israel The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, by Martin Bunton was a timely and informative read. As the Israeli-Hamas war continues, this short volume helped me understand the complexity of how two peoples came to be at violent odds with one another. Before reading this book, I knew Israel became a nation in 1948, continues…
By: Russell Chun on August 23, 2024
Week 1: Aug. 26-Sept. Hebrew: זוהי אדמתי (Zo hei adma’ti), Arabic: هذه أرضي (Hadhihi ardi) “This is my land.” What’s happening now. What happened before. (The book) Major Events since 2013. DIME + R, What the bible says, what the Koran says. The way ahead Epilogue 1.What’s happening now… Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah…
