A PALESTINIAN REFLECTION ON CHRISTIAN WITNESS IN THE HOLY LAND

Society for New Testament Studies
Bethlehem University
August 4, 2000

by Naim Ateek

I would like to add my words of welcome and greetings to you. I am glad you have planned to come here today. It is a privilege to be invited to speak to you at this time. Let me give you my own perspective on Christian witness in our country.

It is difficult to talk about Christian witness today without placing the witness in its historical context. As you well know, the church has had 2000 years of existence in this country. By the 5th century Palestine had become predominantly a Christian country with hundreds of churches and monasteries built in every part of it. Yet over the last two millennia, the Christian community in Palestine underwent drastic changes due to both political and religious changes in the land and region. Every change left its indelible mark on the country and people. Some of the ripple effects are still felt today. Let me name some of these major changes: the theological controversies of the early Christian centuries, the coming of Islam, the Crusades, the effect of colonialism, and finally Zionism. The impact of every one of them affected the life of the Christian community and in many ways weakened it.

The theological controversies fragmented the unity of the church. The coming of Islam saw the emergence of a new political and religious order that was destined to swallow the whole area of the Middle East and curtail the vitality of the church and absorb many of its adherents. The Crusades brought in western Christians under the pretense of saving the holy places from the Muslims but turned out to be very repressive not only against Muslims but equally against the indigenous Christian community of the land. Instead of improving the lot of the local Christians it contributed to their political and religious impoverishment. The Crusaders' brutality left a negative legacy some Muslims have not yet forgotten. It also exacerbated the life of the local Christians and led to their persecution and the conversion of many to Islam. The rise and expansion of western powers, their political and religious interest in the Holy Land, and eventually the British Mandate with its commitment to the fulfillment of the Zionist dream through the Balfour Declaration have been the prelude to the catastrophe of Palestine. The success of Zionism in the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and its tragic aftermath in the dispersion of three quarters of a million Palestinians condemned to a refugee status, the failure of the UN to implement its resolutions over Palestine, the role of the Holocaust which the state of Israel, many Jews and others have used to legitimate the claims of Zionism, the depletion of the number of Christians - all these and more are part of the background.

It is impossible to talk about local Christian witness without putting the witness in this broad background. History lives vividly in the Middle East. These major changes did not only affect negatively the physical presence of the Christian community, they contributed to the creation of a psyche that has been detrimental to their ongoing vitality; a besieged mentality with a minority complex that had to coil back into its own denominational compartment believing that it is the only way to survive. It was based on fear and distrust and many times it is still visible in the way some Christians behave. I would even say that it has zapped the vitality of the church's witness and relegated it into traditional, confined, and limited spheres.

That is why one cannot talk about a viable Christian witness today without talking about relations between the churches, i.e. ecumenism. One cannot talk about Christian witness without talking about our relationship with Muslims and Islam. One cannot talk about Christian witness without talking about our relationship with western Christians. Thank God this is not in the way the Crusaders related to us but generally in a more congenial and partnership way. Furthermore, one cannot talk about Christian witness today without addressing the political conflict over Palestine and the impact of Zionism on the Palestinian people including the Palestinian Christians. Therefore, a viable Christian witness today must take seriously the cumulative effect of two thousand years of Christianity and everything in between that is ever real and ever present with us today. All of this background is a part of our collective Christian memory and continuously presents us with opportunities and challenges for witness today.

It is important to point out that the church in its variety of denominations has always maintained different forms of witness. But its witness was done within the scope of the politically possible and largely within denominational confines.

SABEEL, Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center

I have chosen the way of a Palestinian liberation theology as a tool for strengthening and empowering the Christian witness in our country.

Sabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians. It is inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ and seeks to deepen the faith of Palestinian Christians, promote unity among them and lead them to act for justice and peace. Sabeel is not affiliated with any one church. It serves all Christians. It strives to be prophetic in its witness as it wrestles with the contemporary challenges. It is funded by the generosity of friends, largely in the west, who believe in its ministry.

The word Sabeel is Arabic for 'the way' and also a 'spring' of life-giving water. (See Sabeel's purpose statement)

Let me outline five areas of witness today:

1. Witness through better understanding and interpretation of the Bible. The Bible has been abused in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. It has been used to give Jews an exclusive claim to the land. Sabeel helps people understand the text in its own historical context and then arrive at its relevance or irrelevance for faith today by using a Christ hermeneutic. The Gospels, that is the life of Christ, is especially important for us. Jesus Christ is seen as a Palestinian living under occupation. Indeed, he was a Palestinian Jew who lived under Roman occupation. His life, words, and actions were carried out under occupation. How did he cope and how can he help us cope? We help people take a stand for truth and justice without resorting to violence; again following the nonviolent teachings of the Gospels and the New Testament. We are very much involved in an ongoing study of a theology of land. We realize that from a biblical perspective and depending on one's theology of land we can either promote an exclusive or inclusive political solution. Sabeel for its part is promoting an inclusive theology for sharing the land between Israelis and Palestinians.
   This is where some of your research is helpful to us.
2. The Christian ecumenical witness. Today, I believe that the greatest witness of the small Christian community (2%) must be in its ecumenical witness. At Sabeel we work diligently to bring the Christian community closer together. We promote ecumenism and de-emphasize denominationalism. There is still a deep denominational mentality that obstructs our work. It is largely found among clergy. Many Christians give a lip service to ecumenism; but when you scratch below the surface, you feel the denominational bias. We work hard to deepen the love between Christians so that prejudice will disappear. We see the various Christian traditions and liturgies forming a rich mosaic of the church in the Holy Land and making up the One body of Christ. In order to effect change and impact the future, we focus in our programs on clergy, women, and youth.
3. Witness to our Muslim neighbor through better understanding of Islam. Witness through education and a better and deeper knowledge of our Muslim neighbor. We have lived with Muslims for the last 14 hundred years but most of us are ignorant about Islam. Indeed, they are our friends. We go to the same schools and share the same culture. Historically, in order to protect our own community, we built inner walls of prejudice and stereotyping of the other. We must dispel the ignorance and create greater understanding and respect. This is not an easy task but we can do much more than what has been done so far. It is an urgent task given that the exasperating political situation affects religious relations.
4. Witness through justice. As I have already mentioned, one of our major tasks as a liberation theology is to work for a just peace in our country. Without justice for the Palestinians, there is no peace or security for Israel. A just peace is defined by the withdrawal of Israel from the whole of the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the whole of the Gaza Strip in accordance with UN resolutions 242 and 338. A sovereign Palestinian state must be established on this area. Jerusalem's sovereignty must be shared between the two states. Three months ago, Sabeel produced its Jerusalem document on the principles for a just peace. It has been widely circulated. I recommend it to you and hope that many of you will support and promote it in anyway you can.
5. Witness through solidarity with Christian brothers and sisters who come to us. The Christian community in the land is small and vulnerable. These links of prayer, friendship, and mutual support give people great encouragement. Many of our churches and organizations enjoy these links; and many important projects have been funded through such relationships. These projects range from hospitals to schools to housing projects as well as other service organizations. This solidarity is also expressed through a good number of international volunteers who spend time working with these institutions. This relationship between the indigenous Christians of the land and our friends abroad creates greater understanding of the local Christian community, its presence, needs, and challenges. It also provides a witness vis-a-vis the people these church institutions serve, namely, the Christian and Muslim communities of the land.

   In conclusion, let me say that in spite of the fears which many people have about the future of the Christian community of the land, I feel that we are called, as Jesus Christ calls us to be, salt, light, and leaven. We will continue to witness. There is no better witness than a life lived in faith, love, and service. We covet your prayers and support.

   "That [we] may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings." (Philippians 3:10)