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In this week’s SojoMail, Wes Granberg-Michaelson writes that there’s no military solution in Israel and Palestine — the Christian call is more radical: We all are shocked by Hamas’ horrific, inhumane attacks on the people of Israel, which killed more than 1,000 people, according to recent estimates. Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes have killed at least 1,000 more; thousands of people on each side are wounded. In both Israel and Gaza, innocent civilians are bearing the brunt in this latest round of indiscriminate, militarized lethal violence — violence that will solve nothing and only further entrench mutual mistrust, hatred, and the thirst for vengeance. For those within the Jewish community, the unexpected savagery unleashed on Saturday by Hamas does not feel like merely another military challenge; rather, it touches their deepest fears of the specter of pure hatred that has not only opposed the right of the State of Israel to exist since 1948, but the right of the Jewish people to survive in the face of centuries of antisemitic, exterminating evil. For many Jewish people, Hamas’ attacks evoked the terrifying pogroms their grandparents fled Europe to escape. For the Palestinian community, this new war is perceived as a desperate eruption of violence rooted in 56 years of illegal and brutal Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Under this occupation, Palestinians have been subject to the daily humiliations of dozens of Israeli checkpoints, constant lethal raids, 16 years of blockade against the Gaza Strip, and killings that have escalated under the extreme expansionist ambitions of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. Palestinians have witnessed the growing number of Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank, and provocative acts desecrating the Al-Aqsa mosque. What, then, might guide the Christian community in its words, witness, and action in this terrible hour of terror and devastation?
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Our Latest Jill Duggar’s Memoir on Freedom from Spiritual and Familial Trauma (by Allison McClain Merrill) The fourth-born Duggar dedicated Counting the Cost “to those who have been harmed in the name of religion.” My Evangelical Faith Sent Me to the Picket Line (by Rick Nowlin) I wish my fellow Christians would recognize that folks shouldn’t go bankrupt trying to take care of their families. Christian Leaders Condemn Violence, Yet Urge Justice for Palestine (by Betsy Shirley) “Neither tragedy negates the other,” said Rev. Mae Elise Cannon. “If there is ever to be long-lasting and sustainable peace, the core causes of the conflict must be addressed and resolved.” Too Many Christians Are Fighting Homelessness the Wrong Way (by Kevin Nye) We can’t end homelessness by prioritizing “soup, soap, and salvation.” |
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From the Magazine Good News About Money (by José Humphreys III) How the church can embrace an ecosystem of ‘enough for all.’ |
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Earn a DSL (Social Leadership) or PhD (Social Research, Religion/Society) Lead constructive social change by earning your Doctor of Social Leadership or PhD in Social Research (Religion and Society Studies) degree. Omega Graduate School: accredited, affordable, faith-based. Sliding Scale Tuition. Small group British tutorial-style Instruction with opportunities to study at the Library of Congress and University of Oxford. Apply Today! Announcing the Flourishing Futures Campaign In September, SojoAction launched Flourishing Futures: a campaign to equip faith-rooted early-childhood development champions and allies everywhere to protect and promote the health of children and their primary caregivers. Join churches, congregations, and leaders like you to meet this moment with courage and faithfulness so every child can thrive. |
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