Like many of you, we are deeply grieved by the violence and unrest which continues to ripple through the Holy Land. We have long had a heart for and worked for peace in that region, leading 3 peacemaking pilgrimages to Israel/Palestine with Telos Group through the years so that we could better appreciate the deep, deep complexities of the political/cultural/religious landscape there and be formed. As Bill Haley (Coracle Executive Director) summarizes in a compilation of his writing about these pilgrimages, “Nothing is Not Complex” about Israel/Palestine.
This remains true about the tragedies of the past few weeks. Here are a few resources we would like to offer you to help keep you informed and give you a few opportunities for meaningful action.
Stay Informed:
- In this very helpful Instagram Post, Telos lays out some of the background context that sparked the continuing conflict.
- Relevant Magazine interviewed our friend Todd Deatherage of Telos about the current conflict in Israel/Palestine and how American Christians might respond.
- Telos’ most recent “Weekly Check-In” Podcast offers first-hand accounts of the situation from Telos Staff in the region.
Take Action:
- Join us in praying especially for our brothers and sisters in the region.
- Pray for protection for the Jewish community in Israel and for wisdom for their leaders. Pray for the security of Israel and the cessation of current violence.
- Folks at Bethlehem Bible College are requesting prayers, including for
- Protection over the civilians (especially children)
- For the Christians and churches in Gaza
- Justice for Palestinians and lasting peace for all
- International intervention to stop the war in Gaza
- Pray against the spirit of evil and death, and pray for the people to have life – and life in abundance.
- Make a Gift towards peace:
- Support the work of Bethlehem Bible College
- Support the Telos Peacemakers Fund
Finally, if you are interested in learning more about Telos’ work and our partnership with them, these offer helpful context:
- Bill and Todd discuss “The Discipleship of Peacemaking” in this 2018 Soundings Seminar
- Todd Deatherage shares what it means to be “Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestine, and Pro-Human” on the Coracle Journal
We hope these resources, opportunities, and invitations will help all of us continue steadfastly on the journey to bring God’s Kingdom of Shalom (justice, peace, flourishing) to our broken world.