January 7, 2021
by Caleb Hutcherson Imagine with me for a moment the following scene from a Sunday morning church service… ——- As you enter the worship center, you see the whole room draped in the colors of the flag. A dazzling feast of patriotic sayings fill the hall as the faithful worshippers […]
December 9, 2020
By Tim Brys A few years ago, I was left rather shaken when confronted with the fact that Christians are not the only ones to enjoy deeply meaningful religious experiences. Consider for example the following account that I read in William James’s classic work, The Varieties of Religious Experience. James […]
November 25, 2020
By Walid Zailaa Last Sunday, Lebanon commemorated Independence Day. A year has passed without much hope. The one-year-old revolution that did unite for the first time the dreams of the Lebanese people against the corrupted ruling elite is fading away and with it the hope of a true independent Lebanon […]
November 19, 2020
By Martin Accad and Tim Brys We previously wrote that Lebanese society is defined by sectarianism. This marriage of religion and Middle Eastern tribalism leads most Lebanese to think and live according to the dictates of their sectarian (tribal) leaders, whether they be Sunni, Maronite, Druze, etc. The 15 years […]
November 11, 2020
The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary’s 60th Anniversary is an opportunity to remember God’s faithfulness through many decades of fruitful ministry. A vision “to see God glorified, people reconciled, and communities restored through the Church in the Arab world” daily motivates this dynamic community of students, staff, and partners to minister […]
November 4, 2020
by Wissam al-Saliby There are theological issues that are up for debate. And there are Biblical passages that are difficult to understand. But what I did not expect to hear in separate sermons in two different Evangelical churches in the Canton of Geneva, is Christian Zionist preachers reinterpreting the Parable […]
October 21, 2020
by Brent Hamoud 2020 has been a most perplexing year, and even passports are feeling it. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 nations have implemented unprecedented measures restricting the entry of select passports. This has added intrigue to an already dynamic historic moment, and no doubt some were slightly amused […]
September 14, 2020
By Tim Brys, Martin Accad and Brent Hamoud When COVID-19 hit Lebanon in February 2020 bringing the country to a near standstill, the team at the Institute of Middle East Studies was challenged to rethink its peacebuilding initiatives in light of new social-distancing realities. This was quite difficult for programs […]