September 22, 2022

Dear Woman, You Have a Problem. Sincerely, Man

by Brent Hamoud Dear Woman, This is Man. I’m writing to inform you of a very serious problem. Whether you admit it or not, you’re the main culprit in a severe crisis complicating a person’s entire sense of place and belonging in the world. Woman, you have a nationality problem.
March 3, 2022

“Where Are Your Parents?”: Child Exploitation in Lebanon Today

By Teresa Sfeir The boy seemed to be no more than twelve the first time he tapped on my car window and asked for money as I waited at an intersection. The children standing next to him were even younger. The memory is almost amusing—and you might be wondering what […]
December 9, 2021

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Do We Still Not See How Thee Lie?

By Brent Hamoud It’s nice to go to Bethlehem this time of year as starry imaginations lead us to the site of the first Christmas. Popular depictions of the Nativity story invariably include scenes of a pregnant young lady and her anxious husband searching for a resting place among crowded […]
October 14, 2021

The Maddening Guide for Christian Organizations to Send Much Needed Aid to Syria

By Wissam Al Saliby Imagine that a Christian or a church in the U.S. or in Europe is eager to partner with Syrians in Syria for church ministry and to serve the poor. They get in touch with a small group of faithful believers who are actively ministering in their […]
September 23, 2021

Repost- Death in the Shadows of Displacement: Forced Migration, Deathliness, and the Hope for Life

By Brent Hamoud This is a revised version of a post first published in 2018 How do we share a world with over 82 million victims of displacement? This is a defining question of the 21st century as unprecedented numbers of individuals have been uprooted from their homes and thrust into precarious […]
July 22, 2021

Summer Repost: My Inner Journey to Hell and Back

By Martin Accad This is a revised version of a post that was published by IMES in 2014 Earlier this month, during a conference I was attending in Ghana, I joined a group on a visit to one of the “Slave Castles” on the Southern coast. I expected it to […]
June 3, 2021

Palestine, Evangelicalism, and the Problem of Power

by Caleb Hutcherson As I write this, a ceasefire has been negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Again. During those 11 days, more than 230 people in Palestine, including 66 children, have been killed. Along with at least 12 people in Israel, including 2 children. One report dropped […]
March 25, 2021

Heavy Toll of Sanctions on Syria Raises Questions of Morality and Justice

Wissam al-Saliby If a man is hungry and comes to the church for food, should the church push him away if he is on the United States sanctions list? This delicate question is haunting many Christian ministries in Lebanon and Syria today. Amid conflict, economic crisis, and mass displacement, Middle […]