Back from Israel, Still Reading March 31
I returned just over a week ago from Israel, touring with Insight for Living for a week and a half. As always it was a great trip. I really enjoyed my Jewish guide, Mark Sugarman, who is so full of information and a joy to be around. However, this trip also involved a trip to Bethlehem to a conference hosted by Palestinian Christians called Christ at the Checkpoint.
I returned just over a week ago from Israel, touring with Insight for Living for a week and a half. As always it was a great trip. I really enjoyed my Jewish guide, Mark Sugarman, who is so full of information and a joy to be around. However, this trip also involved a trip to Bethlehem to a conference hosted by Palestinian Christians called Christ at the Checkpoint. I spoke, as did Lynne Hybels, and we heard from the President of the Palestinian Authority at the conference. We also toured a 60 year old refugee camp. I have waited to write about this because the experience was so profound it took some processing. My topic was the land. I was asked in because they knew I held to a future for Israel and that they had a right to the land, which I explained (although I complicated things by also noting the land also belongs to the Messiah [opening up some interesting possibilities for a solution], Israel has responsibility to behave justly [as her Exodus experience was to make her sensitive to foreigners in her midst], and that her house is "desolate" until she responds to her Messiah [secular Israel is not equal to covenant beneficiary Israel]). I spoke for 30 minutes, took questions for about an hour, spoke with individuals that afternoon. We are working on a transcript to post down the road on the conference website. I learned why the issue of land settlements is so sensitive (given the history of 1948 and the right of return) and how they feel about the wall that surrounds much of the West Bank. It was a chance for me to hear the other half of the story. I was grateful I did. I have been reading since. Benny Morris is a Jewish Israeli historian who has written a wonderful account of the 1948 War. He is part of the Israeli "revisionist" school, which means he has made an effort to write with an eye to both sides of the conflict. In this study of the War that established the state of Israel and put it on the map you can see the seeds of much of what we are still dealing with practically in the Middle East. He also has written an even more superb study of the history of the attempt to resolve the dispute, a work called One State, Two States. This book walks through the core history from all perspectives in 200 pages. Morris shows blame exists on all sides of the dispute, but is perceptive in how he analyzes the posturing that goes on in the discussion that most Americans miss. Now I am tackling The Iron Cage, written by a Palestinian, Rashid Khalidi. This last writer is who the Palestinians wanted me to read. I'd recommend these books to anyone wanting to get a sense of the realities on the ground and the clash of perceptions that exist.
Morris, 1948 Morris, One State Khalidi, Iron Cage
I am particularly sensitive to the plight of the Palestinian Christians, who are a minority in their community and also are having to deal with the reality of how Israel handles the region. My thanks to Bethlehem Bible College for hosting me. I look forward to more interaction in the future, as whenever I go to Israel I try to get on both sides of the divide to get a more complete sense of what is happening.
8 Comments
Matt
RVL
Dr. Bock-
Welcome back from your trip! Glad to hear of your good time there. I was there at the same time and actually ran into your group (or at least a few busses of them) at Qumran. Pretty neat to see you guys there at the same time as we were (I’m a DTS alum from 2002).
Our tour was affiliated with That the World May Know Ministries – founded by, as I assume you know, Ray Vander Laan. What I learned over there was both interesting and also much different than what I am accustomed to hearing. Have you interacted with much of his teaching (or others that share his school of thought)? Do you find it to be credible?
Please feel free to respond via email if that’s better for you.
Thanks!
bock
RVL dlb
Matt:
I am not familiar with him. The day my tour was at Qumran was the day I was in Bethlehem. I could not respond by email as there was no email address.
dlbÂ
Matt
RVL
Sorry! I entered it in the box, but I guess it didn’t work. His website is http://www.followtherabbi.com to get an overview. To oversimplify, I got the impression that he interprets much of Jesus’ ministry (and the rest of the New Testament) through Jewish & rabbinical lenses. Much of it makes sense, but I was so shocked that I hadn’t heard it before – especially at DTS…which of course led to some suspicion. I was told you had maybe written a book in response to this type of teaching, but didn’t know the title. Any insight you have would be great. My email is [email protected]. Thanks for your time!
bock
RVL dlb
I work with this all the time. One has to be careful with rabbinics because it postdates the time of Jesus, so appeal to it can be anachronistic. I am not familiar with him. Sometimes this material is helpful when it is carefully used.
Brenda
Back from Israel
Did you sense that the younger generation on both sides of the wall are tired of the politics?
I ask this because a young man from Israel told me that his generation was tired of the politics and the fighting. He was here in the U.S. working for a short time before returning to school in Israel.
Martin Clay
Christ at the Checkpoint
Dear Darrell. I was at the conference and you kindly gave me your email when going round Aida. Coming as I did from a pro palestinian perspective then and still now I was impressed by your honesty and sensitivity to the issues coming as I see it from a pro-Israeli perspective. These labels are less than helpful in that I am not anti Israeli and you were not anti-palestinian, however they are akind of starting point. I haven’t caught up with all my notes and cards and somewhere I have your email. Mine is [email protected]
I picked up your study book, Can I trust the Bible for my house group and it would be interesting to have a dialogue with you. I see that you are involved in the Lausanne conference with Manfred Kohl and he gave a very impressive paper on the pietistic movement and “holocaust mentality”.
I am working with Musalaha to spread news of their work of reconciliation within the UK and meeting Salim Munayer soon again to further it. I recommend his paper on “the Land” available on the “catc” site.
I am afraid I am the guy who was wagging his finger at you disconcertingly from the floor and Gary Burge rightly “told me off” as we say.
Thank you for your work and efforts to see both sides. I do too and have been privileged to meet messianics in Israel and the Palestinian Christians who do too, even though it is hard.
Visitor
Christ at the Check Point 2010
Dear Dr. BocK; I noticed you were one of the speakers at the 2010 Christ at the Checkpoint conference in Bethlehem, along with another messianic Jewish believe, John Feinberg, son of my former professor at Talbot TS. I cannot say I read you speech, which I will. But I was more concerned with the participants at the conference with whom you shared the rostrum. I know the point of the conference is reconciliation, understanding and hearing one another's viewpoints. But do you really know the Palestinian Christian viewpoint? Are you aware of their efforts within the evangelical church to not merely "hear their side," but to also turn Christians away from supporting Israel, supporting boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.
Recently, a committee of Palestinian Christians, some of whom you were sharing the program with, helped compose a document for the PCUSA called the Kairos Palestine Document. The document is filled with historical revisionism when considering the history of the ME conflict, strongly anti-Israel, placing all the blame for the conflict on Israel while ignoring the terrorism of their own people. You can read more about the KPD here: http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/pressreleases/simon_wiesenthal_center_extremely_concerned_by_flawed_presbyterian_palestin/
In addition, Sami Awad and Stephen Sizer were strongly involved in the production and research of two pro-Palestinian films called LIttle Town of Bethlehem and With God on Our Side. Both films are again flawed in the presentation of the historical roots of the ME conflict, places heavy blame on Israel and ignores Palestinian terrorism, a daily reality of the Israeli citizen. These films are being touted around evangelical churches with the goal of convincing the church not to support Israel. The films are strongly slanted against Christian Zionism. Only one side is represented in these films save for a few film clips of Christian Zionist at pro-Israel rallies.
At the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference, last year and this year, one of the main participants is Stephen Sizer, who is more than just a replacement theologian. From the following article you'll realize his political position as well: http://hurryupharry.org/2011/06/05/spreading-the-bad-news-stephen-sizer-speaks-at-viva-palestina-malaysia/
Dr. Boch, I would hope you would reconsider speaking at one of these Palestinian Christian sponsored conferences once you discover their real agenda which is being closely watched by the Jewish community in the US. Jewish leaders are wondering if Christians will stand with Israel (not approve everything Israel does) and maintain the position that God's has chosen the Jewish people (Romans 9:4) and promised the land of Israel to them as the location where Jesus will return and set ip His kingdom on earth and teach all the nations from Jerusalem (including Palestinians) , the law of God (Isaiah 2).
I would hope you would do more research on the activities of Palestinian Christians. It's more than about reconciliation. It's about pulling the wool over your eyes while they engage in anti-Israel activities in the church. Your own research on the internet will either prove or disprove my observations.
In our Messiah's name,
Louis Lapides
Darrell L. Bock
Checkpoint
Louis:
I am well aware of the people and positions they take. I was asked to speak as one who holds that the land belongs to Israel. That is what I did for 45 minutes and then took questions for about as long. When I go to Israel, I spend time with Christians on both sides. I hear and know their views. Christians on both sides are a minority in different ways. They need each other. Hopefully the more they see that the better. Still the situation is a mess (frankly) and calm voices are needed on all sides. That is why I chose to speak in a context where some are riled up.