By Rabih Hasbany

Amid a world dominated by division, violence, and pain, especially in the MENA region, there is an undeniable and urgent need for reconciliation. Individuals and communities alike carry wounds that can fracture relationships and fuel cycles of mistrust. The church, as an inseparable part of the social fabric, is not immune to such interpersonal fractures. It too needs to begin a journey of reconciliation, even within itself, if the church and its members are to have a credible witness and be agents of peace in a conflicted world.

From this perspective, the Middle East Consultation (MEC) 2025, hosted by the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary on September 23–26, could not have been more timely. Its theme, “Interpersonal Reconciliation: Practicing Reconciliation in the Middle East”, invited both theological reflection and practical engagement. The conference centered on three essential practices: confession, forgiveness, and confrontation.

I arrived at the conference carrying many questions: Is confession truly part of my faith or just a ritual? What is the relationship between forgiveness and justice? Could confrontation actually lead to reconciliation rather than to escalation? Over the four days of the MEC, I found some answers, discovered even deeper questions, and witnessed how theology, practice, and personal testimony can intersect in transformative ways.

Confession: Naming and Healing

Walid Zailaa opened the theme of confession by carefully distinguishing between two biblical forms: confession of sin and confession of faith. Both are essential. Confession of sin acknowledges our brokenness before God and neighbor, restoring covenant relationship and requiring restitution. Confession of faith, on the other hand, is a bold public declaration that unites heart, word, and action, shaping one’s identity within the community of believers.

Chelsea Hurlburt asked us directly: “When was the last time you confessed, and what was the result?” She reminded us that although God already knows our sins, confession is for us, a release from guilt and shame that heals the conscience. By naming our sins honestly before God, we are freed.

Kees van der Knijff went further, urging us to recover the lost practice of mutual confession. He acknowledged that in Middle Eastern cultures, admitting fault feels deeply shameful, yet Jesus himself lived in this culture and called his followers to reconcile openly. Confession, Kees argued, restores credibility to the church, creating space for authenticity and transformation.

One of the most striking sessions came from Martin Accad, who asked whether confession of war crimes could lead to forgiveness. He showed that while confession cannot erase the past, it can liberate perpetrators to tell the truth and empower victims to begin healing. In a region where impunity often reigns, confession at both personal and national levels could pave the way for true reconciliation.

Forgiveness: Costly but Necessary

If confession opens the door, forgiveness keeps it open. Abed Zien El Dien reminded us that forgiveness flows from God’s covenantal faithfulness. It is not leniency, but love that longs for restored relationship. He described five dimensions of sin—debt, transgression, guilt, intention, and wrongdoing; all of which are addressed in divine forgiveness through Christ. Having received such forgiveness, we are called to also extend it to others, though both actions often collide with our pride and cultural notions of honor.

Riad Kassis posed the question: Is forgiveness conditional? He explained Paul’s emphasis on God’s unconditional grace and Jesus’ teaching in the Lord’s Prayer, which at first glance seems conditional. Forgiveness, he argued, is ultimately a gift, always present and waiting for us to receive, and our response naturally flows into forgiving others.

For George Sleiman, forgiveness and justice must never be pitted against each other. He cautioned against “cheap forgiveness” that ignores wounds. True forgiveness acknowledges pain and seeks healing while still pursuing accountability. Even when justice is impossible, forgiveness can become a repeated choice to resist bitterness and embrace freedom.

Finally, Bassem Melki drew a helpful distinction between forgiveness and pardoning. Forgiveness is not passive silence in the face of injustice, but an active, Spirit-enabled decision to confront wrongs without revenge. He described forgiveness as a mustard seed that matures over time, moving from simply rejecting revenge, to inner release, to full forgiveness, and ultimately to empathy rooted in love and faith.

Forgiveness, then, is never cheap. It is costly, demanding, and countercultural, yet essential for breaking cycles of hate.

Confrontation: Truth in Love

The third theme, confrontation, is perhaps the most misunderstood. In our cultures, confrontation is often avoided, replaced by silence or gossip. Yet the Bible shows confrontation as a tool for restoration, not hostility.

Dustin Ellington reminded us of biblical examples of this: God confronting Adam and Cain, Nathan confronting David, Jesus confronting Saul, and Christ addressing the churches in Revelation. Each instance aimed not to destroy but to restore, combining truth with love.

Grace Al-Zoughbi offered a moving Palestinian perspective, connecting Habakkuk’s lament with the cries of her community under occupation. For her, confrontation with God is not unbelief but an expression of honest faith. Lament becomes both prayer and protest, a way of confronting injustice while still trusting God’s ultimate justice.

Wissam Nasrallah underscored the need for loving, wise confrontation in the church. Whether defending the gospel (as Paul did with Peter in Galatians 2:11-14), awakening conscience (as Nathan did with David), or restoring fellowship (as Jesus instructed in Matthew 18), confrontation requires humility and love. Done rightly, it restores dignity rather than causing shame.

Bassem Melki added a crucial cultural insight: in honor-shame societies, confrontation must aim at turning shame into honor, following Christ who bore ultimate shame on the cross to restore our dignity. Confrontation should never humiliate but should seek creative, gentle solutions that heal relationships.

Putting It into Practice: A Personal Encounter

After days of reflection, I realized I could not leave the conference without putting into practice what I had learned. For years, I had carried bitterness toward a fellow minister with whom I had a painful history. Our relationship had grown cold, reduced to polite but hollow interactions.

I decided to meet with him. With courage shaped by the conference’s lessons, I confessed my own part in the conflict. I admitted the anger and resentment I had harbored, acknowledged the superficiality of our past interactions, and expressed a desire to move toward honesty.

That confession freed me. I felt relief, and I saw God’s image in him again. His response, however, was lukewarm. We did not achieve full reconciliation. Yet something shifted. A first step was taken; a step toward honesty, transparency, and, I pray, eventual healing. Even if our relationship never returns to what it once was, we have begun moving toward something more real.

Lessons Learned: Reconciliation as a Journey

The MEC 2025 reminded me that reconciliation is not a lofty theory but must be a daily practice. Confession, forgiveness, and confrontation are not optional extras in Christian life; they are core disciplines that reshape our relationships with God and with one another.

Reconciliation is rarely instant. It is messy, vulnerable, and at times disappointing. But each step, whether confessing honestly, forgiving deeply, or confronting lovingly, creates space for God’s Spirit to work. And even when full restoration is not achieved, the journey itself is a witness to Christ’s peace in a broken world.

As Jesus declared: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Reconciliation is an urgent necessity, and we are called to serve as its agents within our communities. The church cannot merely proclaim reconciliation; it must actively embody it. And as I experienced, the process of reconciliation begins within oneself before it can extend to others.

Rabih Hasbany is the National Director for Lebanon and Syria with The Navigators. He is currently completing his final MRel project, focusing on the topic of reconciliation, inspired by his experiences and reflections from the Middle East Conference 2025.

Middle East Consultation 2025