WEEPING WITH THE WOUNDED: The Orthopathos of Compassion in Gaza
What the world needs now is not another revival but a baptism of compassion. Not the orthodoxy of compassion nor the orthopraxy of compassion but the orthopathos of compassion. Not only weeping FOR the wounded but weeping WITH the wounded.
600 DAYS IN GAZA: the one known known in the many unknown unknowns:
On Wednesday, May 28, Israel marked a grim milestone—600 days of war, the longest conflict in the nation’s history. Understanding the uncertainties surrounding the future will be determined by the known knowns, the known unknowns and especially the unknown unknowns.
PROJECT HOPE: GAZA
In our search for partners doing relief work in Gaza, we connected with Jerusalem Evangelistic Outreach, a ministry dedicated to supporting Gaza’s remnant Christian community, meeting both spiritual and physical needs. We, at Dia-logos and the Third Way, have jointly endeavoured to partner with Jerusalem Evangelistic Outreach and have committed ourselves to be an answer to the prayers of those living in Gaza—but we cannot do it alone. We need you!
A GENOCIDAL FAMINE IN GAZA: the sin of spiritual bypassing
Western Christianity has failed the people of Gaza. Let’s admit it. We have fallen short of our Christian mandate — something must change. Instead of a unified outcry from the global Christian community, a SPIRITUAL BYPASSING set in. Rather than sorrow, some defended the massacre. Rather than mourning, some rationalised the killings. Rather than standing for peace, some justified the destruction.
CHRISTIANITY IN GAZA: For God’s sake, Church, stand out and speak up!
The covenant community of God, NOT Israel but the bride of Christ, should always be our first concern when we address the conflict in Gaza. Not the only concern, but the first concern. Not Israel but the Church. And yet, one of the less-discussed effects of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is the threat to, and possible elimination of, Christian communities in Gaza and throughout the Holy Land.
THE WAR IN GAZA: Reading the Bible upside down!
The Bible is dangerous. It contains the most wonderful passages of universal love, and it contains instructions for genocide. We always have a choice about which parts of the Bible we pay attention to. So, how do we navigate Biblical truths that seem to contradict one another and leave enough room for devout followers of the “God of love” to weaponize their hatred for the enemy and lack of love for those who are different? We just need to read it standing on our heads
EASTER IN GAZA: A terrible beauty is born
The pain and hardship endured by the people of Gaza will remain senseless and meaningless unless we can view it from the shadow of the cross, and find the terrible beauty that is born in the suffering and hardship of the Palestinian people.
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MAR-A-GAZA: conceived in cultural ignorance
It appears that President Donald Trump views every situation through the real-estate lenses of Mar-a-Lago, his luxurious 126-room, 5,810-square-meter mansion in Florida. According to Mr. Trump, the solution to the Gaza conflict, which has now claimed nearly 50,000 lives, isn’t based on mercy, as Bishop Budde urged, but rather on transforming Gaza into a Middle Eastern Riviera—a “Mar-a-Gaza,” if you will. This notion not only oversimplifies the complexities of a region entrenched in conflict, but it also highlights the profound ignorance of Western leaders who approach the Middle East with NO understanding of its cultural worldviews. Here are 6 to consider.
EMOTIONAL GENOCIDE: the hidden statistics of the children of GAZA
While political warlords, Presidents, and Prime Ministers vie for power, and theologians discuss the legitimacy of Israel, millions of children, the weak, and the vulnerable are fighting for survival in a war that will leave scars few can foresee and nobody wants to predict.
THE BACONIAN FALLACY OF GAZA: and the death of human compassion
Satan loves to destroy a heart of compassion by “inoculating” us with just enough of the truth that we become immune to the Father of ALL compassion (2 Corinthians 1:3). We get so caught up in the KNOWN KNOWNS, the facts and figures that we research so diligently and hold on to so tightly, that we lose sight of the way that the KNOWN KNOWN Redeemer has shown us.