April 27, 2023
Kees van der Knijff God’s work in the world has a distinct character. It often moves against all expectations. God chooses the younger brother. He gets into a covenant with a marginal tribe that is more often disobedient than not. He comes to earth as the son of a carpenter […]
October 27, 2022
Kees van der Knijff From September 21 to September 23, ABTS hosted the online Middle East Consultation 2022 entitled “Peace I Leave With You: Theories and Practices for Peace Ministry in the Middle East.” A collection of contributors gathered virtually to help us consider how the Church can be peacemakers in […]
July 7, 2022
by Kees van der Knijff If you move to a different country, like I did a little over a year ago, you may start to see many things in a different light. Things you thought were self-evident appear not to be so. Things you consider rare can appear to be […]
March 17, 2022
By Kees van der Knijff We were sitting around the table with our small kids. As we are used to, at the end of dinner we were about to pray together. The kids had been exposed to rumors of war on this first day of the conflict in Ukraine. It […]
December 30, 2021
Kees van der Knijff Last week, we celebrated Christmas. As a number of my ABTS colleagues shared, the celebration of Christmas is a highlight of the Christian year and raises all kinds of beautiful feelings and thoughts. In essence, what we celebrate at Christmas is the Incarnation: the unheard-of, unthinkable, […]
September 9, 2021
by Kees van der Knijff Too often these days, I find I am unable to pray more than a few words: “Lord, have mercy.” Overwhelmed by all that is happening in Lebanon and all around the world, everything else seems shallow, superfluous. Other mornings, I hear myself pray for justice, […]
April 29, 2021
By Kees van der Knijff The needs in the world are immense, the needs in the Middle East are staggering, and the needs in Lebanon at the current moment are overwhelming. As churches and individual believers, this presents us with difficult decisions. For how do we discern where to contribute? […]