Christians And a Land Called Holy: How We Can Foster ...

Book Description:
Fair-minded and sympathetic to Jewish, Muslim, and Christian concerns, Lutz and Smith provide a clear account of the Israeli-Palestinian situation and a compelling plea for Christian involvement in the area. Carefully sorting out the tangled historical and religious roots of the problems, they reveal the strong forces at work in the conflict and lay out the driving biblical notions of election and covenant, the historical causes of the bitter and divisive clashes of the last 50 years, the complex demographic and political issues today, how Palestinians (particularly Christians) have been affected by the turmoil, and how, finally, Christians must engage the future of justice and peace. Includes maps and twelve black and white photos.

Excellent Resource:
The authors of "Christians and a Land Called Holy" have created an excellent new resource to help readers understand the dynamics affecting the Christian community in Palestine and Israel, to see clearly the implications of Christian Zionism for the people of the Holy Land, and to discern the truth behind the headlines concerning this crux of the Middle East. I commend it for study groups as well as individual readers, and especially for pastors and teachers in US churches. Ann Hafften

A Vision of Justice and Peace for Israel/Palestine:
Charles P. Lutz, Minnesota coordinator of Churches for Middle East Peace, and Robert O. Smith, Lutheran Campus Pastor at the University of Chicago, have written an excellent primer on the situation in Israel/Palestine, primarily for Christian readers. As its subtitle indicates, this is a how-to manual. Four chapters deal with 1) what is so special about this spot in the world sacred to three monotheistic faiths; 2) the intersection of politics, faith, and fundamentalisms; 3) divisions within Christianity (especially with regard to the State of Israel); and 4) an invitation to the reader to put what has been learned into action for justice and peace. In a short appendix entitled "Whose Land Is It?" Ronald D. Witherup addresses the religious, social, and political implications biblical passages where God promises the Land to the descendents of Abraham. Although basically sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and highly critical of the Israeli occupation, the expanding settlements, and the barrier wall, the authors are clearly neither pro Arab nor pro Jew, but solidly in favor of peace through a just, equitable, and non-violent solution to the sixty-year-old conflict. Lutz and Smith outline the role that Christian Zionism has played in supporting the State of Israel as a prelude to the second coming of Christ. These Christians have been an important influence on the U. S. government's unwavering support for policies of the Israeli government that have elicited almost unanimous condemnation by the rest of the world. In the final chapter Lutz presents a program for action based on four points. The first is learning how to get accurate, balanced information on the Israeli/Palestinian situation. Lutz provides helpful historical background, including the stated policies of all the U.S. presidents since Lyndon Johnson. Praying is next, especially praying with those Muslims, Jews, and Christians of the Holy Land who are caught up in the conflict and are seeking non-violent solutions. Third is advocacy for sound public policy, particularly in the United States. Finally, Lutz recommends traveling to Israel/Palestine to learn from first-hand observation and possibly to help out. Lutz and Smith include a fourteen-page list of helpful resources - books, videos, and websites. It would have been helpful to mention magazines such as Sojourners or The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Also, the list of U.S. Jewish Voices in chapter 4 should have included Jewish Voice for Peace. In the appendix, "Who's Land Is It?" Witherup makes an important point: "Human rights take precedence over ancient claims to the land." However, he doesn't fully recognize the depth and power of Christian dispensationalism and its literalist interpretation of biblical land passages. Dispensationalists claim that the Bible shows that God's grant of land to Abraham and his descendents amounts to a deed of that land to modern Jews. Witherup fails to compare these readings to other literalist readings that obviously don't apply to the present day, such as the death penalty for working on the Sabbath. Also, he fails to make the crucial distinction between the modern understanding of "The Land of Israel" as "a place on a map" and the ancient understanding of the same as "the place where Israelites lived," no matter what the exact geographical boundaries were. The early Zionists understood this distinction and seriously considered places other than Palestine for the Jewish state. Finally, he fails to debunk the myth of an ethnically homogeneous Jewish nation. Not only can the Arabs claim a share of the land as descendents of Abraham through Ishmael, but also there never was a time in the last 3,000 years when the Jews did not share what is now Israel/Palestine with other ethnic groups who had their own legitimate claims to at least part of the same territory. These criticisms aside, it is hard to imagine a better introduction to the issues of justice surrounding the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. If you have time for only one short book on the subject, this could well be the one.