November 18, 2021

Responding to Political Crises: A Gospel-Centered Framework

By Elias Ghazal The situation in Lebanon is heartbreaking. Much has already been written about the catastrophe facing people in Lebanon. The most devastating fact about the crisis is that it is self-inflicted. Lebanon is on a course of self-destruction, and if it continues down this path unabated, the country […]
November 11, 2021

Middle East Consultation 2021 Recap Series: “The Church’s Engagement with Society”

By Martin Accad From September 30 to October 2, ABTS hosted the Middle East Consultation 2021 entitled “Towards a Dynamic Church: Making Disciples, Developing Leaders, and Engaging Society in Lebanon and Beyond.” During the three-day online event, we invited local, regional, and global voices to consider urgent matters of faith […]
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 […]
August 19, 2021

The ABTS Blog: A New Brand for a Long-Established Platform

By Elie Haddad The stated purpose of our blog is to “provide theological reflections by ABTS voices about pressing matters of faith and witness in the Middle East and beyond.” There is no shortage of high-quality theological reflections on pressing matters of faith and witness around the globe. We read […]
August 12, 2021

Summer Repost- Standing on the Edge of a River: Palestine, Israel, and Identity

By Nabil Habiby This post that was first published by IMES in November 2018 It has been a rough week for Palestinians. They witnessed yet more Arab concessions to Israel. Their land continues to shrink. Their hopes of ever achieving freedom from oppression grow slimmer. It has been a rough […]
July 1, 2021

Natural Resources, A Curse or a Blessings? The Egyptian-Ethiopian Nile River Dispute

By Emad Botros During a recent visit to Egypt, I found that the debate over the building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was intense. Ethiopia’s hydroelectric power plant on the historic Nile River threatens the water availability for populations downstream in Sudan and Egypt. As I listened to […]
June 10, 2021

Love Your Neighbor, Be Political!: A Reflection From Lebanon About Faith in Politics

by Martin Accad and Caleb Hutcherson In an interview with Time magazine in 1963, Karl Barth recalled advising young theologians 40 years previous “to take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” It seems he often used variations of this figure of […]
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 […]