June 8, 2017

Getting the Trinity out of the Ivory Tower

By Mike Kuhn Are there any “ivory tower theologians” out there? I’ve never seen an ivory tower…and I suppose that’s the point. Ivory tower theologians are presumably dealing with things nobody cares about, things that make no practical difference in day to day life. I remember chuckling at “Owl” as […]
June 1, 2017

Can You Trust Muslim Kindness this Ramadan?

By Martin Accad In post 9/11 anti-Muslim discourse, taqiyya has been redefined as a religious obligation for Muslims to lie to non-Muslims not simply for survival, but in order to serve the expansionist agenda of their religious community. According to the taqiyya-focused strand of the anti-Muslim moral panic, Muslims stand condemned for their […]
May 25, 2017

What’s happening at IMES this June?

Without question, June is consistently our busiest month of the year at the Institute of Middle East Studies. As such, we wish to highlight a number of the projects that we have been working on as we seek to fulfill our institutional mandate: To bring about positive transformation in thinking and practice […]
May 18, 2017

From our Vantage Point: The Signs of the Times Unfolding in the Middle East Today

By Wissam al-Saliby Earlier this year, I was flipping through the radio channels as I was driving from Houston to Dallas. I fell upon a talk show where, to my surprise, I heard the interviewee mentioning “Hezbollah and Iran.” I focused my attention on the conversation to better understand how […]
May 11, 2017

It Is the Centenary, but No One Is Celebrating!

By Elias Ghazal One hundred years ago, on November 2nd, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, Lord Balfour, issued a letter on behalf of his government that favors the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. Perceived as a fair resolution to Jewish persecution in […]
May 4, 2017

Biblical Peace begins at Home: Challenging Common Notions of Peace in the Global Church

By Martin Accad In his significant visit to Cairo, Egypt, last week, Pope Francis delicately tackled a whole series of sensitive issues in the gracious way that has become his trademark. Many conservatives, both Christian and Muslim, were nervous about his visit. Christian conservatives feared that he would lean over […]
April 27, 2017

Middle East Consulation 2017 – The Church in Disorienting Times: Leading Prophetically through Adversity

CLICK HERE TO APPLY Places at MEC 2017 are filling up fast. If you are planning to attend MEC this year, and have yet to apply [or have had your application approved but have not gone on to register] please do so as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. IMES’ […]
April 20, 2017

Social Capital: Seeds of Friendship Growing into a National Symbol for Reconciliation

By Manal el-Tayar Her voice quivered as she started speaking. One could sense how intimidating it must have felt for a twenty-year-old to address a crowd of religious leaders, politicians, ambassadors, civil society leaders, academicians and other notable delegates about her vision for a united Lebanon. As Alaa spoke, she […]