TALKING ABOUT GOD IN A TIME OF GENOCIDE

Working in partnership with Sabeel-Kairos, we put on an event with them that included a Palestinian theologian called John Munayer. He has jointly edited a book of essays by Palestinian theologians called ‘The Cross and the Olive Tree’. The book explores grass roots thinking about the nature of God and the Christian life in the context of living in a time of genocide. It is a series of relatively short essays and is a book where it is easy just to read a chapter that catches your attention.

John is based in Jerusalem(!) – so he joined us via Zoom. After a brief presentation from Prof Esther McIntosh, a Sabeel Kairos Trustee and professor of Feminist Theology at the University of York st John, John gave a little background about the book and opened up the discussion to the 30 people who came along.

People really engaged and John was asked a number of searching questions to which he responded in a very thoughtful way. The first question asked how, given the circumstances in Gaza and the West Bank, could ‘Palestinian Christians love their enemy’? He responded that Palestinian Christians needed to really think carefully about what makes a loving response in each situation; starting from a Christian position of non-violence he simply said that, at times, it is very hard. Another questioner asked if there were efforts to bring together younger Palestinian Christians with younger Jews. Here, John said that there were very limited moves towards this sort of activity. The main reason being that younger Jewish people, in particular, are generally more right wing – with hardened attitudes- than older generations (this, John readily conceded, is a generalisation – but, in his view, is a justified one).

There were many other equally challenging questions. Of course, many people wanted to know what they could do to best support Palestinians in their current situation. John stressed the importance of maintaining pressure for more political action by Governments. At a more personal level, he was encouraged by being able to take part in meetings like this that demonstrate the global solidarity felt towards Palestinian Christians. More work is needed in understanding goods that are produced in illegal West Bank Israeli settlements and calling for boycotts of such goods. Equally, he recommended people to buy Palestinian products (such as Zaytoun olive oil) .

It was a very thought-provoking evening.