March 23, 2013
by Martin Accad Two weeks ago, on 13 March 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to the papacy. The media highlighted right away the newness that the 266th pope ushers in for the Catholic Church, even simply by virtue of who he is: the first Jesuit pope, the first pope […]
March 22, 2013
IMES welcomes guest contributor Matthew Lumpkin. This painting is about the deep unrest I feel about my government’s increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s or drones) to assassinate people we assert are a threat to us and our interests. We assert that we have intelligence linking them to the […]
March 15, 2013
Eschatology, literally the study of the last things, anywhere is a difficult topic. Nevertheless, the topic is of such magnitude and, whether we realize it or not, such real-world relevance that we must attempt to unravel the complexities [or dare I say absurdities] we too often find associated with ‘The End’. […]
March 5, 2013
IMES welcomes guest contributor Derek Rishmawy. Arabs are not the result of Abraham’s mistake: Derek Rishmawy explains how popular evangelical theology about Arabs contradicts the Gospel. 9/11 was a weird day for me. I was a sophomore in high school at the time [in America] and I distinctly remember thinking to […]
February 27, 2013
By Wissam al-Saliby* In the spate of 12 days in October 2009, I read in the newspapers of the death – presumed suicide – of four migrant domestic workers. The workers were either Nepalese or Ethiopian. Ethiopian Suicides Upon the fourth death, I went online and opened a blog that […]
February 21, 2013
This week, we take a break from the norm once again to remind you of the Institute of Middle East Studies’ annual Middle East Conference (MEC 2013) entitled “Your Rights & My Responsibilities: Biblical & Islamic Perspectives on Human Rights” taking place at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Beirut, from June 17 […]
February 18, 2013
In October 2012, the Institute of Middle East Studies at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Lebanon, launched a new Master of Religion in Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MRel). How is this new “MRel” program distinctive? Specifically, how does it differ from ABTS’ core programs of Bachelor of Theology and Master of […]
February 14, 2013
By Martin Accad How lightheartedly we break the ninth commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). This is a constant problem in my area of work: Christian-Muslim relations. I am not thinking of the way that Muslims portray Christianity, which can be the subject of […]