The Media Center has added four new books on Israel and Palestine and the conflict between the two countries, the experiences of those living there, and biblical understanding. These books complement several other books and DVDs in our collection on this same topic. All of these resources are listed in our new Israel-Palestine Pathfinder. The four new books are listed below.
Chosen?: Reading the Bible Amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Walter Brueggemann. Old Testament scholar Brueggemann answers many of the questions that people have today when considering the modern-day situation in Israel from a biblical perspective. A study guide is included.
Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes by Mitri Raheb. Raheb is a university president and a Palestinian Christian living under Israeli occupation. Raheb explores the meaning of empire to those living in this contested land and how Jesus understood the Roman empire, the occupiers of his day.
The Cross in Contexts: Suffering and Redemption in Palestine by Mitri Raheb and Suzanne Watts Henderson. Raheb co-wrote this book with an American New Testament scholar to explore the meaning of the cross to both first and twenty-first century Palestinians.
We Belong to the Land: The Story of a Palestinian Israeli Who Lives for Peace and Reconciliation by Elias Chacour with Mary E. Jensen. Chacour, a Palestinian priest, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times for his reconciling work among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In this book, he shares his life story.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has long been of interest to the United Methodist Church. There are several resolutions in the Book of Resolutions that address the issue. We hope that these resources support continued education and interest in this important topic.