November 13, 2019

The Road from Damascus: How a Syrian Christian Spoke at Harvard’s Commencement

by Jayson Casper Following Turkey’s recent incursion into Syria and establishment of a “safe zone” in coordination with Russia, the beleaguered nation faces another refugee crisis. According to the United Nations, 6.7 million Syrians have registered with their High Commission for Refugees. Turkey hosts the largest share, with 3.4 million, followed by Lebanon with 1 […]
November 11, 2019

Iraq Brief – November 2019

During these Times of Revolution, the Church Needs to Offer an Alternative to the Dominant Model by Martin Accad News In the month of October 2019, the global media reported the arrival of new disturbances, protests, and violent government reprisals and deaths in Iraq. As of early November, the death […]
November 7, 2019

Why Do the Nations Rage? The World’s Plea for Leadership with Integrity

by Mike Kuhn Media outlets are noticing an unprecedented proliferation of uprisings around the globe—Hong Kong, Chile, Addis Ababa, Baghdad, and of course, our own beloved Beirut. While some debate the legitimacy of Christians’ participation in these demonstrations, there is a more fundamental issue that is at stake as we […]
November 5, 2019

Lebanon Brief – November 2019

A Church Aware of its Role at All Times by Chaden Hani News Lebanon is currently witnessing unprecedented mass protest movements against the political ruling class for the failures contributing to a dire national economic and social crisis that has undermined the dignified existence of its citizens. Protest events included […]
October 31, 2019

Jesus Followers in the Public Domain: Pray or Protest?

by Nabil Habiby Day 13. Demonstrators close the main roads in almost every major city in Lebanon. This is the biggest protest (the people on the street call it a revolution) since the formation of the modern state of Lebanon (1920). It has reached across party lines and religious sects. […]
October 24, 2019

Lebanon’s McKinsey Report: corruption, for a price of a sandal

by Robert Hamd In 2017, the Lebanese government brought in the international consultancy firm, McKinsey, to analyze Lebanon’s public and private sectors. In January 2019, the Ministry of Economy released the report, describing what they saw as Lebanon’s crippling political stalemate in government. The 1,200-page report warns that the country […]
October 3, 2019

Witness and Justice in Evangelical Relations with Rulers

by Wissam al-Saliby A Swiss journalist recently asked me, during an interview, “Should Christian organizations be neutral towards governments?” when the killing of the Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was brought up. The implications of neutrality were that business can continue as usual as a form of Christian witness. The alternative […]
August 15, 2019

Is It for the Poor to Seek Justice and Liberation?

by Rupen Das I have been intrigued that nowhere in Scripture does God encourage or exhort the poor to seek justice.[1] Throughout the Bible, the responsibility for social justice and care for the poor and those on the margins of life is on society as a whole, on every individual. […]