December 1, 2016

The Changing Seasons of Politics: Coming to Terms with the Aoun-Trump Axis

By Martin Accad When the global community began to realize that the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ was growing bloody and violent with the turn of events in Syria, many journalists and political analysts – as well as the common pun-lover – began to refer to it as the ‘Arab Winter’ or […]
September 8, 2016

When Will It All End?

by Elias Ghazal After a year of fruitless negotiations, empty promises, and shady contracts, the garbage crisis is back in Lebanon! Piles of toxic waste have lined streets of towns and villages, emitting harmful gases, contaminating underground water streams, and causing an environmental disaster at a national level. The solution […]
July 8, 2016

Mission in a World Gone Wild and Violent: Challenging the Monochromatic View of Islam from a Silent Majority Position

By Martin Accad [Note: This post was first published on Fuller Theological Seminary’s ‘Global Reflections Blog,’ in preparation for Fuller’s 2016 Missiology Lectures on 3-4 November. To learn more, click here] On May 16, 2016, the day that I am writing this blog, we are commemorating the secret deal between […]
November 19, 2015

The Middle East Will Never Be the Same Again: The Rise of the Millennial

by Arthur Brown My society is full of contradictions: a society that dissolves the identity of the individual into the identity of the group, a society that is afraid of change, a society that praises freedom of expression but ultimately suppresses it. One learns to remain silent, to become a […]
November 6, 2015

ISIS and the Future of Islam – داعش وتأثيره على مستقبل الإسلام

By Martin Accad Would you believe it? It turns out that more than two dozen conferences and consultations have already been organized by international Islamic bodies in order to condemn the behavior of ISIS! And that was in the mere 12 months immediately following the emergence of the group in […]
October 8, 2015

Has Lebanon finally figured out its own version of the ‘Arab Spring’? هل توصّل لبنان أخيرًا إلى إصداره الخاص لـ’الربيع العربي‘؟

By Martin Accad I was travelling when the recent popular uprising began in Lebanon. At first it emerged as an outcry to the trash crisis that has been engulfing Lebanon with its stench for several months now. Lebanon hasn’t had its ‘Arab Spring.’ Some people think that’s because – God […]
November 14, 2013

Christ-Centered Witness and the Proper Use of Power

By Jesse S. Wheeler In a world busy with the misuse of power, I am continually drawn to the example of Christ who, by consistently rejecting the dual temptations of imperial compromise and armed rebellion, models for us the narrow path of self-sacrificial, enemy-embracing love. This dual temptation is very […]
June 1, 2013

The Day Hamas Walked Away from Damascus: What Future for the MENA Church? (Part 2)

By Martin Accad In my blog post last week, I suggested that Hamas’ shift from its allegiance to the Syrian regime back to its ideological roots in the Muslim Brotherhood was setting new priorities in the regional politics of the Middle East and North Africa region. It is redefining Sunni-Shi‘i […]