August 3, 2023
By Walid Zailaa Contemporary societies seem to have abandoned the idea of a single overarching narrative—one story— that defines their existence. Instead, we rely more today on the concept of “tolerance” to promote peaceful coexistence among diverse individuals and communities. Though tolerance is a positive value, it has become the […]
November 24, 2022
Written by Wes Watkins “Just get them to come to church and leave the rest up to me,” explained my pastor. This was the beginning of my ministry into disciple making many years ago during my college years. Each Sunday, I tried to bring a few new people to church. […]
February 24, 2022
by Nabil Habibi In my Lebanese Evangelical tradition we treat the Bible as a sacred text. Here is the thing though: growing up in my local church and Evangelical community I was rarely taught any sacred reading practices! I have been consistently told to read my Bible daily – which […]
August 19, 2021
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 […]
December 23, 2020
The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary wishes you a wonderful Christmas! May the following reflections by members of our community bless you this season. Teresa Sfeir Communication and Editing Officer “On earth peace,” the angels told the shepherds. Were they heralding world peace with the advent of Christ? The past […]
December 16, 2020
We live at a time when religious diversity has become a fact of life in our globalized societies. Yet Christian engagement with Muslims remains complex, complicated by fear, misunderstanding and a history fraught with political and cultural tensions. With acts of religiously motivated violence filling our headlines and religious discourse […]
October 28, 2020
The 17 October 2019 outburst of popular protests was a watershed moment for Lebanon. It effectively launched a tumultuous 12-month period dominated by three prevailing national crises: a street protest movement fueled by rapidly deteriorating socioeconomic and political conditions, a public health emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and […]
September 24, 2020
Contemporary models of Christian missions have been tested by the unprecedented conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months the realities of social distancing, travel restrictions, increased government tracking, and economic decline have challenged the way missionaries, sending agencies, and receiving ministries conduct “business.” While a sense of frustration is […]