When pastor Mitri Raheb finds someone who is surprised to learn that he is a Palestinian Arab Christian he assures them that there are many Christian Arabs living in the Palestinian territories. And also in Israel.
Speaking in Madison Sunday afternoon, the pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem said that he sometimes asks people if they know when the gospel message was first preached to Arabs in Jerusalem. Many respond with a guess that it was sometime during the 19th century.
The answer is much earlier than that. In fact it was on the day of Pentecost in the first century, according to Acts 2:11. (The Christmas Lutheran Church though, according to its website, is currently celebrating its 150-year anniversary.)
Pastor Raheb was in the Madison area to speak to a variety of groups mostly connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. But the meeting Sunday afternoon was with a broader group of about 100 local Christians and was held at Christ Presbyterian Church, 944 E. Gorham St.
Speaking on "The Holyland Through the Eyes of a Palestinian Christian," pastor Raheb offered seven keys to understand the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
- Too Many Peace Processes, Too Little Peace – Quoting the prophet Jeremiah, ("They say ‘peace, peace, when there is no peace.’" – Jer. 6:14) Raheb noted, "After 2700 years we are still at the same place. We were never as far from peace as we are now." Believing that actions speak louder than words, Raheb and his congregation have invested in a number of outreaches to benefit Bethlehem-area residents (both Christian and Muslim). The latest of these is Dar al-Kalima College, the first Christian college in the Middle East with an arts focus.
- Too Much Politics, Too Little Care for the Polis – Polis is Greek for city, and Raheb says the people in the city need jobs not political posturing. He observed that instead of negotiating with Herod and Pilate, Jesus spent his three years of ministry preaching, teaching and healing. "That’s what we want to do," he said, adding that the outreaches his church has initiated have made it the third largest employer in the Bethlehem region.
- Too Much Religion, Too Little Spirituality – Noting that God told his people through the prophet Amos (who came from Tekoa, next door to Bethlehem) "I’m fed up with your religion," Raheb said the message still resonates. "Preaching (the Christian message) that we are saved by grace, through faith, is so important in the Middle East," he said. "Because the majority of people think that they can earn their salvation by what they do."
- Too Much Humanitarian Aid, Too Little Empowering Aid – Mentioning the Gaza blockade, which has been in the news lately, Raheb said that sending bread through the blockade is of limited help when the real need is jobs that will put people to work to provide for their families. "We don’t give handouts normally," he said. "What is needed is empowering aid, which is why we focus on education."
- Too Much Passion, Too Little Compassion – Raheb said too many Christian visitors to Israel are more interested in prophecy than people. "They see revelation unfolding and they miss seeing the little people," he said.
- Too Much Obsession on the Past, Too Little Focus on the Future – Raheb observed that Jews, Muslims and Christians all can over-obsess on the past. Jews have the holocaust and Muslims talk about the Crusaders. "And Christians want to run where Jesus walked," he joked, adding that there’s no easy place to stop once the discussion starts digging into the past. "Jesus said those who put one hand on the plow and look back are unfit for the kingdom," he continued, suggesting it’s time to focus instead on looking ahead.
- Too Much Pessimism/Optimism, Too Little Hope – Emotional pendulum swings between optimism and pessimism are not unusual in the region, given its history. Raheb said he could not be optimistic. "We are heading towards the most sophisticated apartheid system in modern history," he said, describing routes in Bethlehem that have been restricted to Jewish traffic only and declared off limits to Arab residents. (Raheb could have also discussed the 25-foot-tall security wall that has been built by Israelis around Bethlehem.) But he was hopeful. "Hope is not what we see, it is what we do," he said. "We believe we can make a difference."
U.S. Christians who want to support Raheb’s vision for the future in Bethlehem can join Bright Stars of Bethlehem, a U.S. ministry based in Rockford. The website for more information is http://www.brightstarsbethlehem.org/.