LEBANON: The People’s Reaction to the War.
At diaLOGOS (www.dialogos.co.za) and The Third Way, we are grateful to have friends, partners, and co-workers in regions that are impacted by the current conflict in Gaza. One of our partners currently serving as a diaLOGOS field journalist in Lebanon, wrote the following report:
DENYING THE TRUTH BY DEFENDING IT: A lesson from Peter, the man of three swords
So, there I was, Peter, the man of three swords, the only one standing between my Master, his enemies and his imminent crucifixion (John 18). Just me, my sword and my short temper. My loyalty knew no bounds and I knew I would be tested in a level not tested before. And I was resolute not to fail. You might just qualify as a defender of faith as well and just like me you might miss more than the target, you might miss the point. In my loyal zeal, by defending the truth, I actually denied Jesus. Got that? I denied who He was, what He came to do, and why He willingly surrendered His life. By defending the truth, I actually denied it.
A COLLECTIVE CALL TO THE GLOBAL CHURCH – from Middle East Evangelical Leaders
We, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Iraqi evangelical leaders representing various churches and Christian ministries, warmly invite our brothers and sisters in the global Church to engage with us, listen to our stories, and together acknowledge the power of unity and the gospel to transform our broken and divided region.
A Christian Response to Evil in Israel/Palestine
Defining evil in politics is notoriously complex. While politicians often reduce evil to ideologies, extremism, or oppression, the Christian point of view delves deeper. Christian theology views evil as a fundamental flaw in human nature, rooted in a broken relationship with God. This understanding shapes a radically different approach to addressing evil.
BE STILL: A Christian Response to an Olympic Offense
My friend and ministry partner for the past 3 decades wrote me a message responding to my Facebook posts after the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games with the following request: “Mike, you’ve been telling us what NOT to do on Facebook, now tell us what to do”. So, Bennie, brace yourself brother, this is not for the fainthearted … Spiritually there are three guidelines: 1. Add an AND 2. WWJS 3. Mission impossible: show some respect.
I FEEL I HAVE TO SAY THIS: I apologise
I feel I have to say this: I want to issue a public apology to all people who witnessed the knee-jerk reaction of so many Christians after the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games. I want to publicly state that the Christ of the Bible was not the Christ that you witnessed on Social Media. And I will tell you three reasons why I say that.
CHRISTOFASCISM: Bringing Christ into conflict.
There was one meeting that was more disconcerting than the speech Mr. Netanyahu delivered to the US Congress in July. It was at this meeting where Christ was so clearly added to the discussion and where Christian leaders not only gave their approval to the fascist leadership of Israel, but their blessing. Christ, and all those He died for, were sacrificed on the altar of an allegiance. This is called CHRISTOFASCISM.