April 7, 2016

Come Follow the Crucified! An Interfaith Reflection on Easter

By Martin Accad My father worked for the Bible Society in Lebanon for most of his life, serving as its General Secretary for over 25 years. Growing up, several of my summers were spent in the distribution of Biblical literature and in organizing viewings of the Jesus Film in Christian, […]
March 4, 2016

Syrian Refugees and the Church in the West: Some Practical Suggestions

By Martin Accad In recent months, I have received a number of invitations from the West to speak about the crisis in Syria, and particularly about the massive refugee migration into Europe. The question that keeps coming is: ‘How should the church in the West respond to the massive refugee […]
February 4, 2016

Islam Means Peace? A brief etymological reflection

By Martin Accad ‘Islam Means Peace!’ So affirmed the flyer of a conference organized in the US that remains etched in my memory. And so affirm many books and websites you will find by simply googling the phrase. You will also find an equally large number of websites and books […]
January 8, 2016

‘Religious Registration’: An Insult to Human Dignity and Decency

By Martin Accad Maryam was born a Muslim. Her society required her to live as a Muslim and eventually to die as a Muslim as well. Youssef was born a Christian. His society too required him to live and die as a Christian. But when they fell in love with […]
December 3, 2015

The Church of the Middle East is on Life Support: Lessons for the Global Body of Christ

The remains of the Amir Tadros Coptic Church in Minya, southern Egypt. (VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG/AFP/Getty Images) – originally published here By Martin Accad The Church of the Middle East is on life support, and fingers regularly point at Islam as the cause of its demise. Some, like influential popular historian […]
November 6, 2015

ISIS and the Future of Islam – داعش وتأثيره على مستقبل الإسلام

By Martin Accad Would you believe it? It turns out that more than two dozen conferences and consultations have already been organized by international Islamic bodies in order to condemn the behavior of ISIS! And that was in the mere 12 months immediately following the emergence of the group in […]
October 8, 2015

Has Lebanon finally figured out its own version of the ‘Arab Spring’? هل توصّل لبنان أخيرًا إلى إصداره الخاص لـ’الربيع العربي‘؟

By Martin Accad I was travelling when the recent popular uprising began in Lebanon. At first it emerged as an outcry to the trash crisis that has been engulfing Lebanon with its stench for several months now. Lebanon hasn’t had its ‘Arab Spring.’ Some people think that’s because – God […]
July 30, 2015

“The World Is Yours!” A Brief Reflection on Citizenship and Stewardship

By Martin Accad Yesterday morning, I collected my daughter’s U.S. passport that needed renewal. It was accompanied by a leaflet that read on the front: “With your U.S. passport, the world is yours!” Nothing shocking on first glance; just a sense of pride and patriotism that citizens of most countries […]