December 14, 2017
By Martin Accad These were Jesus’ words of lament, as he entered the city of Jerusalem, where shortly after he would meet his death on a Roman cross. The apostle Luke tells us in his account that Jesus wept over the city. But why did he weep?
December 7, 2017
Lebanon The complexity of the Lebanese crisis teaches us not to rush to hasty conclusions regarding the Middle East and its numerous religious groups Once again last month, the Arab World was caught in the crossfire of the Sunni-Shiite regional struggle that keeps threatening the future of this region’s people. […]
November 30, 2017
By Brent Hamoud Landscapes throughout the MENA region have been transformed by unfolding crises of forced migration. This is especially the case in Lebanon. An estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees reside within its borders adding layers of dimension to long-existing populations of displacement.[i] Many Syrian refugees reside in informal tented settlements. […]
November 23, 2017
By Wissam al-Saliby I am grateful for several recent conversations with American pastor friends, during which we spoke about writing from and on the Middle East, trans-Atlantic (mis)perceptions and political fault lines. One of these friends, who leans toward political conservativism, told me that when reading my posts on the […]
November 16, 2017
In the 21st century, religious diversity is a fact of life. Be it the result of historical precedent or technological advancement, immigration or proselytization, religious diversity can be as disorienting for some as it is enriching for others. For the committed follower of Christ, how are we to make sense of […]
November 9, 2017
By Mike Kuhn While traveling recently through North America, it struck me frequently that normal Christian folk are increasingly face-to-face with people of other faiths, especially Muslims but also with Hindus, Buddhists and others. I watched Somali women line up for childcare outside a center in Seattle, WA. Syrians were […]
November 2, 2017
IMES is launching its bilingual “Regional Brief,” which picks up on key news of a political, religious, economic, and social nature, happening in the MENA region. After shedding some biblical and theological insights on them, they will be presented in a way that serves churches and Christian organizations both in […]
October 12, 2017
The Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES) is pleased to announce that new content for our blog will be arriving this November 2017. We have been under construction these last few weeks, and as such ask your forgiveness in the delay of our relaunch. But, our team of respected scholars, […]