February 12, 2026
Published by Bassem Melki at February 12, 2026
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The Quadrilateral We Don’t Talk About: Piety, Politics, Power, and Honor in the Life of the Church

by Bassem Melki Over the years, in teaching at ABTS, walking alongside pastors through conflict, and facilitating reconciliation processes in churches across our region, I have noticed a pattern that keeps recurring. Most church conflicts may sound theological or doctrinal, and we debate interpretations of Scripture and argue about what […]
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June 5, 2025
Published by Bassem Melki at June 5, 2025
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Forgiveness: Becoming People of Grace in a Wounded World

By Bassem Melki A friend recently confronted me, sharing that he had been hurt by my actions. Honestly, I deserved more than just a confrontation. I apologized and asked for his forgiveness. He replied, “I had already forgiven you—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to confront you.” It took me […]
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October 10, 2024
Published by Bassem Melki at October 10, 2024
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Can We Still Believe In Peace?

by Bassem Melki Lebanon, a country that has long been a crossroads of civilizations and faiths, has experienced cycles of war and conflict, shaping its modern history. Many people like me have endured the civil war (1975-1990), yearly assassinations and car bombs, the 2006 war, and ongoing blows since 2019 […]
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July 4, 2024
Published by Bassem Melki at July 4, 2024
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Logo of Jesus

By Bassem Melki Adidas’s logo that we know today as three steps  started in 1949 as three stripes on sports shoes, then changed into three leaves (the trefoil) in 1972, and finally in 1997 became the version we know today. When we see the adidas logo on a product, we […]
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November 9, 2023
Published by Bassem Melki at November 9, 2023
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The Predicament of Confrontation

by Bassem Melki Following the October blog by Sherri Ellington (“Layers of Peace”) about MEC 2023, I want to shed light on the issue of confrontation (which was raised during MEC 2023 and will be tackled again during MEC 2024) as an important step of peacemaking that we cannot neglect […]
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July 21, 2022
Published by Bassem Melki at July 21, 2022
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Can Bad Pizza Survive in a Shame-Based Culture? What About Us?

by Bassem Melki In 2010, Domino’s Pizza, one of the biggest food chains in the world, had a problem. Although they had the speediest delivery service, the pizza quality was so bad that Domino’s CEO Patrick Doyle said, “we had somehow created a situation where people liked our pizza less […]
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January 20, 2022
Published by Bassem Melki at January 20, 2022
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Divinating Off Course

By Bassem Melki You might have read this title and wondered if there is really something called “divinating”. Keep reading! Every New Year’s Eve it is common for Lebanese TV stations to feature programs involving certain individuals with the “gift” of foreseeing the future. They excite viewers with predictions about […]
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July 29, 2021
Published by Bassem Melki at July 29, 2021
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Moving Away from Faithless, Self-Centered Prayers: Towards the ‘True Disciple’s Prayer’

By Bassem Melki “My Father, hallowed be my name, my kingdom come, my will be done, hopefully also in heaven as it is on earth. Give me today and everyday what I am entitled to. Help my debtors repay me their debts as I have repaid You my debts (if […]
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