Since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza, Arab Christians in the Middle East have complained that Western Christians, particularly White evangelicals, have exhibited a lack of compassion for the Palestinians, more than 40,000 of whom have died since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7.
The Middle East has long been fodder for apocalyptic preachers aiming to excite their audiences by using the latest conflict as proof of a dubious prophecy.
Christian Zionism has become common among American politicians, reaching an extreme in the current violence with former Vice President Mike Pence approvingly signing Israeli bombs intended for Palestinians and Lebanese targets and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley writing “Finish them” on an Israeli bomb destined to kill Arabs.
Arab Christians in the Middle East, evangelical and others, have decided they can no longer be silent about their co-religionists’ solidarity with what has been called at best an act of revenge and at worst a genocide.
Besides the tens of thousands of women and children killed, hospitals, houses of worship, ambulances, universities and bakeries have been shelled and a population has been starved. Churches and Christian shelters in Gaza are no longer safe havens. Yet many in the global church are either silent or have approved of the carnage.
On Aug. 5, a group of Arab Chrisian leaders from Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Syria and Lebanon issued “a plea to Christians everywhere to restore unity in the body of Christ, which has been hurt due to the distorted view of Western church leaders.”
In their statement, coordinated by Fares Abraham, a Palestinian American who heads Levant Ministries, these leaders “lament the silence and at times support of some church leaders within the Western Church regarding the actions in Gaza — actions that have been labeled as plausible genocide by the International Criminal Court, human rights groups and an increasing number of nations.”
They “unequivocally reject all forms of violence against civilians to achieve justice,” citing the biblical books of Jeremiah and Romans.
They further “condemn all religious, political and social ideologies that hinder a lasting peace, including antisemitism, islamophobia and Christian Zionism. . . . We believe we are called to speak the truth and pray for those in authority so we can live in peace.”
To bridge a “missional gap” between the Western church and the churches of the Middle East, the statement invites Western Christians to visit the Middle East and reckon with the emergency Palestinians are facing, “to visit not only the ancient biblical sites and relics of the past, but to come and engage with the living stones of the Middle East — a faithful community of believers who have maintained their presence in this region for over two millennia.”
The Arab leaders are holding a meeting on Zoom on Sept. 18 for all church leaders who wish to join them. They are organizing a Christian summit in Jordan in the spring of 2025 to seek the unity of the church that has been hurt by one-sided support for Israel.
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