Cornerstone, Summer, 2013, "Breaking Ground"

8/22/2019 Cornerstone, Summer, 2013, "Breaking Ground"

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A PublicAtion by SAbeel ecumenicAl liberAtion theology center

cornerStoneISSUE 66, SUmmEr 2013

Duing the 9th intenational coneence, we will be doingtwo things. Fist, we will addess the thee, the Bible andthe Palestine-Isael conict. We will also celebate 25 yeas oPalestinian Libeation Teology (PL). It is ipotant to notethat Sabeel as a cente was established seveal yeas ate theeegence o PL.Pactically, howeve, the oveent towads a libeation

theology stated duing the st intiada in 1987, when soePalestinian Chistians wee eecting on the eaning o aithand esistance unde the Isaeli occupation. Ocially, thenae PL was adopted with the publishing o y st book,

Justice, and Only Justice, a Palestinian Teology o Liberation,Obis Books, 1989.Duing the 9th coneence, we will celebate those st shootso this theology that would pove elevant to PalestinianChistians.

BreakingGround

special issue

A Look Back, theWay Forwardin This issue

A Look Back, the WayFowad by Naim Ateek 01

PL: Te Beginnings by Naim Ateek 03

PL: A rewadingWayby Samia Khoury 05

Longtime Friends of Sabeelby Janet Davies and Betsy Barlow 06

Te Tee-Fold Nakbaby Cedar Duaybis 08

PLs Citical Contibutionby Rosemary Radord Ruether 10

Sabeel Nazaeth by Violette Khoury 12

Glipses o Ou Activities 14

Te Pilgi road o Huanityby Jean Zaru 16

Te Fist PL Coneence by Kathy Bergen 18

A relevant Faith by Jonathan Kuttab 20

by Naim Ateek

Elev8


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2 iSSue 66, Summer 2013

In this Conestone issue, we ae

eecting on the beginnings o PL thateventually led to the establishent oSabeel. Ou objective is to help eadescaptue the expessions and nuances othose beginnings. Indeed, PL and itsSabeel Cente gave hope to PalestinianChistians and lited soe o theout o thei political, eligious, andtheological despai. Sabeel epoweedany to wok o justice and peacethough non-violence. Sabeel ipactedany peoples lives and helped change

thei theological outlook. In soe cases,it estoed aith to people who hadgiven up on the chuch o its lack oinvolveent with the eal issues o lie.

We hope that by looking back on thebeginnings o PL, we will inspie oueades going owad to continue

walking the Sabeel(the Way), as all o usace the challenges ahead in the stuggleo libeation o all o Gods childen.

Faith and liberationLooking back at the last 25 yeas, theeveses stand out o e:

Jesus said, I have come in order that youmight have lie lie in all its ullness(John 10:10).

Jesus said, you will know the truthand the truth will make you ree (John8:32).Paul said, For reedom Christ has set us

ree. Stand frm, thereore, and do notsubmit again to a yoke o slavery (Gal

5:1).Te above thee veses constitute agood basis o a Palestinian libeationtheology oveent. I would like tothink o the st vese in a univesalsense and its application ust includeall people. Fo a Chistian pespective,the coing o Jesus Chist was not onlyo a sall segent o huanity but

o all. Teeoe, the lie that Chist

ofes evey peson is one that has thepotential o being lived in all ullness, oabundantly. Tis ullness is pedicatedon a lie o love and sevice love oGod and sevice to othes.

In the second vese, Jesus says that itis the tuth that akes us ee. I liketo undestand the wod tuth in acopehensive way. It is the tuth oGod who is the souce o all tuth. It isthe tuth that was aniested to us in

Jesus Chist who is the incanate wodo God. It is the tuth that is the eal,accuate, and authentic state o thingsthat is in conoity with acts andeality. It is also the tuth that is theopposite o alsehood, abication, anddeceitulness. Te knowledge and thecoitent to this kind o tuth cansustain the ollowes o Jesus Chist inthei lies jouney and can be a souceo eedo and libeation.

Te thid vese eects the Apostle Paulsaith. Fo Paul, ou libeation does notcoe o huan beings but oChist. Chist is ou geat libeato.God in Chist wills that we should beee. Ou libeation has aleady beenachieved by Chist though his deathand esuection. Teeoe, we needto stand and ust not subit to ayoke o slavey. Paul was talking about

what constituted enslaveent in his owntie expeienced by the ealy Chistians

living in Galatia.

Te iplication o us today is clea.No huan being should be enslaved.Enslaveent is not liited to theclassical slavey that ou wold hasknown, although thee ae still peopletoday who sufe o such abhoentconditions. I a not only talking about

the illions o people in ou wol

today who ae enslaved to sin and evand ae in need o ogiveness and newlie, but also the illions enslaved tinjustice and oppession by people ipowe and who ae in need o politiclibeation and a new lie o eedoTe case in point is the Palestiniapeople who ae living unde the illegIsaeli occupation. So long as people aliving unde conditions o doinatioand injustice, they ae enslaved and ain need o libeation.

In othe wods, thee is a logical linkagbetween the above thee veses. utand libeation ae linked with whaChist has coe to ofe us a lie thacan be lived in its ullness.

Consequently, when we see peopliving unde the yoke o slavey, wknow that ou aith ust not toleatthis. Chist has coe to set us ee anto epowe us to wok o the libeatio

o othes so that they too can expeiencthe abundant lie. Pauls waning shoulbe taken seiously, and we ust stan against any o o slavey; noonly o us but equally o evey one oou bothes and sistes who have allevicti to oppession and doination.

By the Gace o God, PalestiniaLibeation Teology eeged. Iadvocates should speak the tuth tpeople in powe and ust pophetical

poclai the good news o libeatioo all those who ae oppessed. Tis the andate that we have eceived oChist ou libeato.For reedom Christ has set us ree. Stan

frm, thereore, and do not submit again a yoke o slavery

Te Rev. Ateek is the Director o Sabeel


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iSSue 66, Summer 2013 3

Tee actos contibuted to thedevelopent o a Palestinian theologyo libeation.

Firt, was the 1987 Palestinian intiada:Tis intiada was the esponse o thePalestinian counity against the illegal

Isaeli occupation o Palestine. It stated20 yeas ate the occupation o the GazaStip and the West Bank, including East

Jeusale. Te objective was to endthe occupation and nd a esolutionto the conict ove Palestine based onintenational law. Duing the pevious20 yeas, any intenational atteptsto aive at a political solution wee ono avail. Isael was ilitaily stong and

was not inteested in peace. Tee waseven an escalation in Isaeli state violence

as well as in Palestinian esistanceagainst the continued occupation, theconscation o Palestinian land, and thebuilding and expansion o the illegalIsaeli settleents.

Te tie cae when the Palestinianpeople wee ed up with waiting othe intenational counity to esolvethe conict. Consequently, Palestiniansose up to shake of the shackles ooppession; hence, the intiada stated.

It was a lagely peaceul upising againstan obstinate and stubbon occupation.Young Palestinians boke the baie oea and shatteed the yth o Isaeliay invincibility.

sod, was the esponse o theChistian counity o aith in

Jeusale. Te sudden euption o

the intiada elicited a spontaneousesponse aong the Palestinian peoplethoughout the Gaza Stip and the

West Bank, including East Jeusale.Indeed, it was in Jeusale 2,000 yeasbeoe when the ollowes o JesusChist poclaied his esuection and

by the powe o the Holy Spiit statedthe Chistian oveent. Now againin Jeusale, a goup o PalestinianChistians eeting egulaly to woshipGod wee westling with the ightesponse vis--vis the intiada. Teesult was the initial spouting o theoveent o a Palestinian theology olibeation.

Evey Sunday ate chuch PalestinianChistians et and discussed thei

aith esponse. Seveal things weeaccoplished as a esult o theseeetings. Tey wee a theapy tie

whee people shaed thei stoies andustations and evaluated the politicaland social situation o the past week.Tey wee a Bible lesson whee the Bible

was invoked and consulted. Tey wee atheological lesson whee people eectedon thei Chistian esponse to the Isaeliay violence. Tey wee epoweingsessions whee peoples aith and esolve

wee stengthened and deepened.Chistians discussed the violence andnonviolence o the intiada, the justiceand injustice o the situation, the needo esistance, and the eaning o loveo eney in situations o conict. It wasthee in the paish hall at St. GeogesCathedal whee Palestinian libeationtheology saw the light o day as theChistian counity o aith eectedon its elationship with Chist and itsesponsibility o othes.

Tird, was the publication oJusticeand Only Justice, a Palestinian Teologyo Liberation in 1989. Te anuscipto y book was aleady at Obis Books

in New Yok when the intiada statedin the occupied Palestinian teitoies. Ieebe vividly that I had to ush in aew added pages to cove the intiada sothat the book would not be dated evenbeoe it was published. Te book waslaunched at St. Geoges Cathedal soon

PLT: The Beginningsby Naim Ateek

Te rev. Ateek, Jean Zau, Ceda Duaybis, Saia Khouy and Noa Cai


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ate it was published; and it becae abasis o the edgling PL oveent.By the Gace o God the oveentslowly spead inside the county as wellas aboad.

some theoogica anchor:One o the ost stiulating ideasthat afected the Palestinian Chistians

was the discovey that Jesus hiselwas a Palestinian who lived and diedunde the roan occupation. Sucha discovey connected 20th centuyPalestinian Chistians with theist centuy ancestos. It ade Jesusaccessible to the in his huanity andhis elationship to the land, people, and

the powes. Jesus was a tangible pesonand his ideas and teachings began tounold to Palestinian Chistians ingeate claity. Such elevance poducedtwo ipotant outcoes. Fist, Jesusbegan to be seen as a paadig o aith.Chistians could look to hi and odelthei lives ate hi. Jesus expeiencedthe hashness o lie unde an oppessiveoccupation siila to the way oupeople wee expeiencing oppession.Second, Jesus Chist becae a citeion

o easuing, judging, testing, andevaluating peoples actions today. JesusChist inspied us to action; and like hi,any o ou people wee eady to usehis nonviolent ethods. Jesus becaepeoples heeneutic o intepetingthe Bible, especially the Old estaentsdicult texts.

A uthe ancho was the pioity ojustice and the ecognition that a lastingpeace can only be built on justice. Justice

was the business o the chuch and chuchleades needed to dae to take a stand otuth and justice. Te tie had to coe

when the govenent o Isael had toadit the wongs and injustices it hadcoitted against the Palestinians andto accept to shae the land o Palestine

with the. Te Palestinians, with theivaiety o eligious backgounds, wee

the tue indigenous people o the land.

Further refection:Looking back at the jouney o the last25 yeas it is tue to say that wheneve

we poclai the gospel we ae in essencepoclaiing libeation. In a sense, I seelibeation as the essence o ou Chistianaith. Libeation is a copehensive

wod. In both oiginal Hebew andGeek, the eaning includes salvation,deliveance, escue, as well as well-beingand healing. In act, the concept o atheology o libeation eeged oa context o oppession and injustice.

Wheeve oppession, doination,and injustice ae ound, it is natual

o huan beings to seek eedo andlibeation. Fo this pespective, JesusChist is ou libeato.

In the context o Palestine and Isael,libeation theology developed oallyoe than 40 yeas ate the Nakba; yetits oots wee pobably unconsciouslyhidden in an ealie tie as it wasipening and atuing in ones souland ind. Futheoe, I a suethat soe clegy as well as laity wee

pacticing soe o o libeationtheology without naing it. Indeed,all along any people wee engaged inthe esistance stuggle. many chose theaed stuggle; othes chose peaceuland nonviolent eans. many wee

ipisoned and depoted, while solost thei lives. It is possible to say thathe ae o tuth and justice was neveextinguished. People wee awae o thilitay ight o Isael as well as th

ability o its secuity oces to appehenany suspect and neutalize those wh

wee peceived as a theat. In spite o ao this, people esisted though vaiounonviolent ethods.

At the sae tie, due to the coniove Palestine, any peoples aith washaken. Fo those who continued tcling to aith, thei theology eected sense o despai and esignation. It waspassive waiting on God. PL, theeo

was the spak that lit the e that statedoing two things. Fist it buned thchains o the oppessive theology thashackled any o us; and second, PL

was the light that lit ou way to athodeepe undestanding o God in Chiand discove the wondeul essago the Bible about a loving God whloves all people equally and wills justicpeace, and libeation o all.

Finally, o the vey beginning, PL

was coitted to nonviolence anephasized thee essential gadationpoints: justice, peace, and econciliation

Justice ust be done st. It is justice thcan poduce peace, and peace is whacan open the doo o econciliation.

Te rev. Ateek leads a sall goup discussion in Nablus(Jacobs Well) at the Ecuenical Sue Cap, July 1993.


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I still ecall that day when rev. NaiAteek called to invite e to join a goupto look into the possibility o stating aPalestinian Libeation Teology (PL)oveent. Te Chistians in theGalilee aced a new eality ovenight

ate the 1948 Nakba, and had anybuning questions. Can this be Gods

will? rev. Ateek tied to nd answes.His bookJustice and Only Justice, which

was based on his dissetation o hisdegee in theology, was the inceptiono Palestinian Libeation Teology 25yeas ago.

I elt so honoed to be one o this sallgoup o clegy and lay people, enand woen, who wee at the doostep

o a new vision o theology. We weethee woen: Ceda Duaybis, JeanZau and I; one layan, advocate

Jonathan Kuttab; and thee clegyen:rev. Ateek, Fathe Elias Chacou (whobecae Achbishop o the melkiteChuch in the Nothen Galilee), andrev. riah Abu el-Assal, who becaethe Anglican Bishop o Jeusale. Ihad known both Fathe Chacou andrev. Abu el-Assal o when they usedto speak to ou YWCA goups duing

thei visits to the Galilee. But it was notlong ate those ealy yeas o PL thatthese two becae too busy in thei newesponsibilities.

In the eantie, ou sall gouphad called on othe lay people to join.Teology always inteested e and I wasalways close to the chuch. Howeve,

this was soething copletelydifeent. It was libeation theology andbeing unde occupation, we neededlibeation theology just as uch aspolitical libeation because as ChistianPalestinians, we all elt that any o the

Biblical texts had been used to justiyou dispossession and oppession.

Ou wok began in the paish oceo rev. Ateek, with Ceda as pat tiestaf. It did not take long o e tobe copletely iesed in this newventue. I was aleady involved withthe YWCA and rawdat El-ZuhuEleentay School but soehow Ianaged this ventue without eveneeling it was a buden. Ou goups

eetings and pogas, which wee

PLT: A RewardingWayby Samia Khoury

ecuenical ight o the beginning,took place in the paish hall o St.Geoges Cathedal. Tey includedBible study and book eadings.

I still eebe how uch I wasafected and inuenced by one o thest books that we ead: Upside-Down

Kingdom by Donald Kaybill, who wasa mennonite. O couse we stated withbasics o libeation theology by theounde o libeation theology in Latin

Aeican, Gustavo Gutieez, who wasa Peuvian. Tee weent enough copieso eithe book, so we used to photocopya chapte at a tie and we took tunsleading the discussion on each chapte.

Anothe book was about the expeienceo South Aica with libeation theologytitled, Te Hope o the People who

Struggleby Calos mestes. It was vey

Sabeel co-oundes Saia Khouy and now Achbishop Elias Chacou speak at the 1996coneence.


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eaningul to see how each libeationtheology oveent had eanatedo the context o its own county.Tese eetings and discussions weevey eeshing; they lited ou spiitsand helped us all ead the sciptues

with Palestinian eyes. We eally eltthee was a evolution in ou thinking,

which ade ou aith vey elevant toou situation.

We also all elt the eligious educationcuiculu in the schools, whetheChistian o musli, was not playinga positive ole in undestanding eachothe. So we attepted to suggest acuiculu o ethics o the loweclasses as a st stage, wheeby thee

would be no need to sepaate Chistianso muslis in the sae class. D.Ibahi Abu-Lughod, the head othe coittee o the new Palestinianschool cuicula, was vey coopeativeand eceptive to ou concen. Butunotunately, he ealized that nothingcould be done at that tie.

Te fst Sabeel intenational cone-

ence, held at antu EcuenicalInstitute in 1990, was eant to test

whethe the concept o a coneencewas viable. Te positive eedback on theconeence was beyond ou expectation.

A Bible study session at St. Geoges Paish Hall in 1991

I had the hono then to welcoe thepaticipants at the beginning o theconeence and that is when I eakedthat in ou toubled land, libeationand theology wee coing togethe othe st tie on the sae plato.

Te oveent stated gowing uchquicke than we had planned o, odeaed o, so thee was need o oeoo and oe staf. Tat is when weall thought that we also needed a naeto link to this oveent othe thanPL. It was also necessay to considestating a banch in Nazaeth, as thepobles in the Galilee difeed quite abit o ou pobles in Jeusale andthe West Bank.

It was on one o ou tips back oa eeting in Nazaeth that we statedthashing out possible naes untilthee was a unanious ageeent. Wechose Sabeel, eaning the way, andalso a souce o wate. Now that I aetied o the Sabeel boad, I can sayit has been a long Way, a uitul andewading Way_ and denitely a souceo quenching the thist o ou aith.

Samia Khoury is a Sabeel co-ounder andormer Sabeel board member. She currentlyvolunteers at Sabeel.

In 1982, I becae the st ChistiaAid Coodinato to visit PalestineIsael. As o so any people, thHoly Land had peviously lagelconjued up o e a vision oBiblical chaactes and places. I halittle awaeness o the wholesadisplaceent o the Palestinian peopand the violence done to the as esult o the declaation o the Stato Isael in 1948, and then Isaeloccupation o the West Bank and thGaza Stip ollowing the 1967 wa.Since that tie, I have etuned anties to Palestine-Isael and witnesseat st hand the teible sufeing othe Palestinian people unde theoccupying powe, whee daily theace the deolition o thei housethei olive goves and thei nationidentity. Wheeve I have been, thehave begged e to tell thei stoaound the wold, and this becae lielong andate o e.

In 1984, I et Canon Nai AteekDiecto o Sabeel, the EcuenicLibeation Teology Cente i

Jeusale whee, in Nais wodJustice is nailed to the coss dailyIn 1996, at Nais invitation, becae o seveal yeas, coodinatoo Fiends o Sabeel UK. Sabebecae a ajo ocus o e an

any othes who elt copelled tspead the Palestinian stoy.

moe ecently, with Sabeel UK NotWest region, we have coittewholesale suppot to the 200Kaios Palestine docuent, whicchallenges the ole o epie in thtagic situation. I think daily o may

Angelous wise wods: Histo

Longtime F


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FOS UK annual coneence, 2013

FOS UK annual coneence, 2013

despite its wenching pain, cannot beunlived but, i aced with couage, neednot be lived again.

Janet Davies (FOS UK)

Fiends o Sabeel Noth Aeica(FOSNA) began ate the 2nd Sabeelconeence in Januay 1996. We joined

with Canada so that we could exchangeideas and speakes. Te Canadians aenow independent, but we still can woktogethe. We stated out boldly aisingunds to help Jeusale and ou wokhee, building soe local chaptes,collaboating with othe goups withsiila ais, and holding coneencesaound the county.

While we ecognized the geneallack o inoation about ou issue

within the U.S. public, I think weseiously undeestiated the seiousisinoation being injected intothe counitys views by those whohad a vested inteest in holding on toPalestinian land and eusing to allowPalestinian eugees to etun.

In y lietie, U.S. views have changedsignicantly on a nube o occasions.Oten it coes about though educationin schools and colleges, o thoughthe edia, o though chuches andothe eligious institutions. I want to

ention ou slowness in changingpeceptions because I hope to help yPalestinian iends undestand why ithas been so slow in happening, but toalso ecognize that things ae at lastchanging. With continued had wok,thee is hope that Aeicans will see thatwoking o justice is cucial o a lastingpeace o both Palestinians and Isaelis.Betsy Barlow (FOSNA)

nds of Sabeel

FOSUK

StephenSizer

StephenSizer


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Te seeds o Palestinian LibeationTeology (PL) go back to the days o

the Nakba, 65 yeas ago. About 750,000Palestinians wee diven out o ed inight o thei county in the aceo the butal onslaught o the Zionistundegound ilitias. Tese ilitias

wee caying out a peeditated planto evacuate the county o its Palestinian

Aab citizens.

When I look back today, I can discena thee-old Nakba. It was a huanNakba o enoous agnitude. It

was an identity Nakba that ade usstanges in ou own land, and it wasa theological Nakba that pulled thegound o unde ou eet and addedto ou eeling o being uttely lost. Oulives wee like a ship whose ancho hadboken loose and was diting ailessly.Fo the next 18 yeas, we wee placedunde vey stict ilitay ule that

The Three-Fold Nakbaby Cedar Duaybis

contolled evey aspect o ou lives.

When eventually the cuews wee easedand we wee able once again to go tochuch, eveything was the sae _ thelitugy, the Bible eadings, the seonand the hyns; wheeas outside, oulives had been tuned upside down.Te rev. Nai Ateek, the athe oPL, who hisel, togethe with hisaily, becae an intenal eugee inNazaeth, descibes what happenedin his book, Justice and Only Justice, aPalestinian Teology o Liberation: Te

establishent o the State o Isael was aseisic teo o enoous agnitudethat has shaken the vey oundationso thei beliesTe undaentalquestion o any Chistians, whetheutteed o not is: How can the Oldestaent be the Wod o God in lighto the Palestinian Chistians expeience

with its use to suppot Zionis?

ruins o a deolished Palestinian village

(pp77-78).It is said that theology is a bidge thaleads huans to God. Fo PalestiniaChistians, this bidge had collapseand we wee caught in the cack, unablto go back to ou oe theologicthinking while goping to nd eaningul way owad. Whethe

was Westen eelings o guilt o ththeology o Chistian litealists, o th

ideology o Jewish Zionis, the Bibwas used to gant appoval to the tagate o the Palestinian people.

Isael was not established without thdestuction o hundeds o Palestiniavillages, the ceation o soe 750,00eugees, and the destuction o thnational and political lie o thPalestinian people. Ou aith seeed tclash with the eality o ou lives.

my geneation gew up unde th

inuence o Westen doinatetheology, especially duing the Bitismandate peiod when any schoo

wee un by Bitish issionaieSciptue was taught though thelenses and, whethe consciously ounconsciously, it was done in a wathat suppoted the policy o the BitisGovenent towads the acilitatioo the establishent o the Jewishoeland in Palestine.

At the beginning o Nai Ateekinisty in the Anglican Chuch, he wadeteined to nd answes to the antheological questions that distancepeople o thei aith at a tie whethey ost needed consolation, hopencouageent and diection in thelives. He took tie of to ead thBible with Palestinian eyes and eec

JohnHalaka


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theologically on the tagic expeience othe Palestinian people though the eyeso aith. Ou aith cises had intensiedate the six-day wa when the est ohistoic Palestine the West Bank,East-Jeusale and the Gaza Stip ell unde Isaeli occupation. religiousZionis ouished and it was evidentthat they would hold onto the landthat God had given the.

Nai Ateek oed a coitteeo concened Chistians o thedifeent chuches, who ate a seies o

wokshops oganized an IntenationalConeence in ode to place thisPalestinian eading o the Bible in thecontext o libeation theologies aoundthe wold.

Ate the coneence, the oundingebes decided to stat a inistyaong Palestinian Chistians to helpthe coe to tes with thei aith inlight o thei expeience, and to daw on

thei aith to wok o justice, peace andeconciliation. I was asked to be pat-tie staf to exploe the possibilities othis ipotant inisty.

Bible study was the ainstay o thisnew ecuenical inisty. We tied todiscen what God was saying to us heeand now, and to develop a spiitualitybased on justice, peace, nonviolence,libeation, and econciliation othe difeent national and aithcounities, (Pupose Stateento Sabeel). Te st youth coneence

was oganized o soe 50 teenageso the villages aound raallah toty and help the deal with lie undeoccupation and ealize the powe onon-violence in esisting injustice.

We held a nube o wokshops,poinent aong which was one that

dealt with Te Just Wa Teoy thatwas used to justiy the wa againstIaq. mac Elliss public lectue ate

Paticipants o the st Speakes aining Couse enjoy

a closing paty, 1992.

Sabeels second youth coneence, 1992

the publishing o his book, BeyondInnocence and Redemption, wasexteely well attended. Fo thebeginning we ealized the ipotanceo speaking to visiting goups, and weoganized a copehensive speakestaining couse o 25 young en and

woen who volunteeed to eet withthose goups and tell the stoy o thePalestinian people.

right o the beginning, PL stessedthat thee can be no libeation o oneside with the enslaveent o the othe,and that the well-being o one side wasbound to the well-being o the otheside. A way has to be ound o shaingthe land in ode to tun the pesentcuse into a blessing o all.

Cedar Duaybis is a Sabeel co-ounder, ormerSabeel board member and a co-author o theKairos Palestine document. She currentlyvolunteers at Sabeel.


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Te jouney o D. Nai Ateek inthe ceation and developent o aPalestinian libeation theology hasbeen vey ipotant in the shaping oy vision o what edeption eans,o e and o any othes who havebeen dawn to the Palestinian stoyo oppession. I have ollowed thedevelopent o D. Ateeks thoughtsince I fst encounteed his wok inPalestine in 1987. I have attendedost o the Sabeel coneences since

its ounding in 1990. I have alsotaught couses on the conict intheological seinaies o ove 21yeas and have taken students andaculty on tips to Isael-Palestine.D. Ateeks Palestinian libeationtheology has been a key guide inthose couses.

I had been involved in citique oChistian anti-Seitis in the 1960sand published a book about it in 1974:Faith and Fratricide: Te TeologicalRoots o Anti-Semitism. But in the late1970s I becae awae o how thecitique o anti-Seitis was beingused to justiy Isaeli doination.In 1980 I paticipated in a tip toIsael-Palestine sponsoed by a Jewish

woens goup inteested in dialoguebetween Chistians, Jews and muslis.

I spent soe tie in Jeusale andraallah encounteing the Palestinianpespective. Tis expeience deepenedy concen to see this issue in itsPalestinian context.

my husband, Hean J. ruethe(a schola o Isla), and I decidedto pusue this question by spending

soe onths in 1987 at the antuEcuenical Institute in JeusaleOne day thee I ovehead soe staat antu discussing the thesis witteby D. Ateek on the Episcopal Chucin Palestine. Tis chuch was oundeby Bitish ipeialists in the id19th centuy, inspied by a vision oChistian Zionis. Hoping that Jew

would convet to Chistianity (thAnglican Chuch), theeby usheing iwold edeption though the Bitis

Epie, they appointed a conveteJew, the rev. michael SolooAlexande, as the st Anglican bishoin Jeusale, to epesent this hop

Ateeks thesis, witten o his doctodegee at Bekeley, Calionia, discussethe iony o these oots o the EpiscopChuch in Palestine o Palestinia

Anglicans such as hisel.

PLTs Critical Contributionby Rosemary Radord Ruether

Palestinian childen look at the Wall and a neighboing illegal Jewish settleen


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the citical

issue o eveylibeationtheology, eveylibeation oveent,is not siply to thowof oppession andepowe the oelyvictiized, but howto do so in a way thatdoes not ake oe

slaves into new slaveastes. Te citicalcontibution o aPalestinian libeationtheology is thestuggle to answe thisquestion.

Fascinated by this stoy, I checked outD. Ateeks thesis at the antu libay,and decided to go ove to St. Geoges

cathedal in Jeusale to eet hi. Iwas able to encounte hi in his ocethee, and we quickly engaged in aconvesation. He shaed his concento develop a Palestinian libeationtheology. I was iediately inspiedby this vision and have been in contact

with D. Ateek and his developingthought eve since.

In the sping o 1987 I taught a couseat antu on Chistian Zionis and

the Isaeli-Palestinian conict, whiley husband taught a couse on Isla.Tough these lectues we developed aplan to wite a book togethe on how

Westen Chistian elations to Jewsand Judais wee being eshaped bythe Isaeli-Palestinian conict. Tis waspublished in 1989, titled Te Wrath o

Jonah: Te Crisis o Religious Nationalismin the Israeli-Palestinian Confict.

meanwhile, D. Ateek was developing

his thought on Palestinian libeationtheology and published his st book onthis thee in the sae yea, 1989:Justiceand Only Justice, a Palestinian Teologyo Liberation. Tis book is oundationalto the oveent o a Palestiniantheology and the developent o Sabeeloveents woldwide. D. Ateek veykindly asked e to wite the oewodo this book.

In this oewod I discussed the challenge

aised by Palestinian libeation theologyto the use o exodus and poised landotis in othe libeation theologies.A Palestinian libeation theologyeveals the dangeous shadow side othese iages o libeation o oeoppession. Palestinians ae victiso a Zionist libeation theology andideology. Te Jewish exodus o

oppession in Euope is the ationaleo thei conquest. Te Jewish clai tothe poised land is thei dispossession

o thei land o Palestine. Jewishpeoplehood excludes the existenceo Palestinians as a people. Jewishedeption is Palestinian oppession. the citical issue o evey libeationtheology, evey libeation oveent,is not siply to thow of oppessionand epowe the oely victiized,but how to do so in a way that doesnot ake oe slaves into new slaveastes.

Te citical contibution o a Palestinianlibeation theology is the stuggle toanswe this question. Only such atheology can save us o epeating thecycle o violence, o epoweing oneoppessed people only by aking theoppessos o anothe people. Only

when we undestand, as Fathe Ateekas, that the eath belongs nally toGod and not to us as pivate popety,can we lean to live togethe in peace, byshaing it with one anothe, as sistes

and bothes, childen o one God whoceated us and chooses us all.

A

l i

f P l i

Rosemary Radord Ruether is a leadingeminist theologian and Visiting Proessor at

Claremont Graduate University. She alsospecializes in liberation theology.


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Al Sabeel, the Aabic wod o theway o the path has been y patho oe than 20 yeas. Living inNazaeth, the headquates o the socalled Aabs o Isael o the Aabs o48, we ae indeed the Aab Palestinian

citizens o Isael with plualisticeligious belonging. As a long tieogotten aithul, we shae the saedestiny: a lost identity, suppession oou existence, and cancellation o oueoy, cultue and histoy.

Ou identity as Aab Palestinian IsaeliChistians (and the denoination)is a conusing one. Ou daily lie isdiectly and deeply afected by politicaleasues whee the chuches ae totally

absent. Te dilea becae citicalate the st intiada, which cut us ofo the Palestinians in the West Bank anothe uptue o ou oots. Oulanguage was being lost. At that stageit becae easy to divide and subdividethe counity, and educe it to goupso eneies: the best way to wipe thecounity out.

I ysel have sufeed o the inducedand intenal anatic iots and violence,

which boke out in Nazaeth o1997-1999, povoked by the idea obuilding a mosque in a public squaein ont o the basilica. Te phaacy

I owned in the aea was obbed andvandalized. Te daage was seious andthe loss was geat o no othe easonthan being a Chistian. I ound yselalone with no suppot o anywhee.many wee concened about buildingo not building a mosque but no onecaed about the living people.

Te essage was clea: As gassoots, wehave to stand up and take esponsibility,develop awaeness, and wok towads

econciliation and unity to avoid sel-destuction. Ou challenge includesintenal and extenal actos. Sabeel hasbeen y way to eact. Tough SabeelI can wok so it will not happen againto othes.

I was involved with the PL since thebeginning. In 1993, Sabeel stated a

banch in Nazaeth as an ecuenicoveent with ebes o athe difeent denoinations witno oo, no table, no chai and ntelephone. moved by ou conviction

ou tust, ou vision, and ou eelingo the needs o the counity, wstated ou ission. I had a dynaiand dedicated coittee, and eacebe was active in his/he chuchSo we bought all the chuches oNazaeth togethe to Sabeel.

Ou st activities and pioities weegula Bible studies, ecuenicpaye eetings, and eections. Wstated with 400 people attending.

was a blessing o all, and we ealizethe ipotance o Sabeel; but it wanot enough. We oganized visito the Biblical sites to discove ouChistian oots in ou land, eetindifeent Chistians in thei chucheTe eactions wee encouaging buthis was still not enough. We ada elationship with the PalestiniaChistians in the West Bank: visitinthe, paying togethe, and shainthei Sunday sevices. Tee was a gea

need o both sides; but yet this was stinot enough.

We oganized study days, guided touand visits to the eligious, histoicand political sites. Fo decades we havbeen kept away o ou histoy anou geogaphy, so we tied to evivthose eoies. It was stiulating; bu

Sabeel Nazarethby Violette Khoury


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ISSUE 66, SUMMER 2013 13

For decades wehave been keptaway rom ourhistory and our

geography, so we tried torevive those memories.It was stimulating; butagain, not enough. Tevision became clear:Sabeels work has nolimits, and the path islong and deep.

Women gather or a meeting in Haia in 2003.

again, not enough. Te vision becameclear: Sabeels work has no limits, andthe path is long and deep.

For Christian Palestinians ecumenismis not an idea, it is a way o lie. Livingtogether as Christians and Muslims isa major issue to maintain our socialharmony and our social structure.

At Sabeel Nazareth we cooperate withother local organizations, and this isempowering and enriching. We alsospeak to the international pilgrimgroups, and this is the only way to letthem discover the truth. In addition,this is very useul to recruit people orjustice and peace. Contacts with Jewishpeace movements are necessary or thejustice we seek. We have to reach all thecommunity all ages, all categories, alleducational levels, all social statuses.

Te expectations are high.

We work with dierent age groupslocally, with regular meetings andvarious activities. We also have regularecumenical prayer services and retreats.Our artistic events, and our spiritual,social and political presentations by ouryouth group are much appreciated.

A Ramadan ale:

WhyI Starve(a slang poem)

I starve because ohow ull I am, ull othese blessings that Imblessed with. I starve

because o how blindwe are, see althoughwe can see very ar itswhats put in ront oour eyes that were blindto. See you and I welive the good lie, wedont have to struggle

to survive and we donthave to do much to eelalivebut whats inside,whats inside is wherethe problem lies, nonot whats inside yourstomach at the momentbut whats inside your

heart and your mind(to read the rest, see Sabeelswebsite: www.sabeel.org )

by Kareem Sawalmeh,8th grade, Friends BoysSchool, Ramallah

Our community programs includeMuslims and Christians seekingunderstanding and unity, and are morein demand. We have more than 140events during the year and also speakto a large number of internationalpilgrims. Our contacts with Jewishpeace movements are fruitful.Extending the work of Sabeel in all theGalilee is needed. After 25 years I can

say: God Bless Sabeel.

Violette Khoury is Coordinator andManager of Sabeel Nazareth


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14 ISSUE 66, SUMMER 2013

GlimpsesofOurActivities

Launching o the lm, Te Stones Cry Out at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem

Volunteer recruitment meeting in Bethlehem or the Global Young Adult Festival


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GlimpsesofOurActivities

Sabeel Study Circle with Rev. George Shand in Jerusalem

Clergy wives meeting in Beit Sahour

Clergy wives meeting in Beit Sahour

Easter program with artwork made by Sabeel Nazareth youth

Launching o the lm, Te Stones Cry Out in Nazareth

An ecumenical prayer or the beginning o Lent andthe Feast o the Annunciation in Nazareth


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Friends, one o the best things thathappened in my lie was attending theNairobi Assembly in 1975 o the WorldCouncil o Churches. Tis led to agreat involvement in the ecumenicalmovement. As I look back, I eel there

is something happening on the pilgrimroad o humanity. Te Spirit o God ismoving many o the Christian churcheswho are together in the World Counciltowards being a Peoples Movement. Inmany o their gatherings, I experienceda cross-section o humanity, o everyrace and culture and Christian spiritualexperience, o every background and

proession. And yet, I elt all o us,willingly or unwillingly, were movingtowards being a vast peoples movemento humanity.

As a member o this movement, I

could eel the internal pressure romthe Christian aith, and the externalpressure rom world history. For me,I nd no duality between one and theother. Both aspects, inner and outer,are opening our eyes to see ecumenismin its true universal light, a matter notonly or Christians, but also or theentire inhabited world. I eel in spite o

the pressures, there is no way back intescapism or disengagement rom thwhole human amily or o setting udogmatic and religious walls in order tenjoy a separate Christian existence.

I have struggled most o my adult liwith issues o theology and liberationAnd it has been a lie experience, notlibrary, which has served as my sourco inspiration. My lie experienchas taken me to all ve continenwhere, over the years, I have beeenormously enriched by contact witactivists and theologians engaged i

The Pilgrim Road o Humanityby Jean Zaru

A Palestinian child plays at a kindergarten in ulkarm


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various struggles o liberation. Mylie experience is equally rooted inmy identity as a Palestinian Christianwoman; Tereore, beore I oer mycontribution towards a theology oliberation, I will share some about mycontext.

My entire lie has been aected andencompassed by Biblical teachingsand interpretations. As a Christian,a Palestinian, a woman, an Arab and

a Quaker, the teachings o WesternChurches have aected me personallyand, collectively, have aected mypeople in very specic ways.

Te use and abuse o the Bible inreecting on the legitimacy, policiesand conduct o the State o Israel iscommon, especially (but by no meansexclusively) among conservative NorthAmerican Christians. Tey see a rmlink between Biblical and modern

Israel. Te history o condoning evilin the name o Biblical justication is,o course, a long one. Discrimination,oppression and war have all beenjustied by reerences to Biblical texts,in most cases out o context. DavidBen-Gurion, in act, called the Biblethe sacrosanct title-deed to Palestineor the Jewish people.

Te International Christian Embassy inJerusalem is the most overtly political

supporter o Israel. In its publicationsit proclaims that God gave the landto the Jewish people. God will blessor curse nations in accordance withthe treatment o the chosen people oIsrael.

Accepting the invitation to be one othe ounding members o Sabeel was a

great experience, to deal with many othese issues. I have been enriched andinspired to learn, share and contributein dierent ways. I enjoyed everyminute o my work with the board andits members, the sta, and our directorDr. Canon Naim Ateek. We were united

in the spirit and we made a dierencein our country and abroad. I worked onissues o land, the Exodus, the election,women (Patriarchy), and nonviolentresistance to transorm structures odomination and oppression.

We had a commitment to a theologyo struggle to the community osuering and oppressed. It has becomea transorming community o Sabeel.We have to transorm structures o

racist dominations to saeguarding thehuman rights o all and the humanityo all. We have to move rom sexistdominations to saeguarding thehuman rights o all and the humanityo all. From exploitation o nature togentle cooperation with nature, romselshness and victimization to sel-respect and resistance, rom God above

and power-over to God within andpower with, rom death and destructionto resurrection and lie. We all belongtogether.

Te great divide is not betweenGod, human beings, and the wholecommunity o lie. Te great rit isbetween care and carelessness, justiceand injustice, mercy and mercilessness.

May the local and international

community o Sabeel be blessed; it haschallenged, changed and deepened myown aith.

Jean Zaru is a Sabeel co-founder andthe author of the books, A ChristianPalestinian Life: Faith and Struggle;Structural Violence: Truth and Peace-Keeping in the Palestinian Experience;and, Occupied with Nonviolence: APalestinian Woman Speaks.

I eel inspite o thepressures,there

is no way backinto escapism ordisengagement rom

the whole humanamily or o settingup dogmatic andreligious walls inorder to enjoy aseparate Christianexistence.


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I rst came to Jerusalem in September,1982. I had just graduated with a Mastero Divinity rom AMBS (AssociatedMennonite Biblical Seminary) in

Elkhart, Indiana. Four years o seminarystudies had taken me into Biblical andtheological studies, including eministtheology and liberation theology. Icame to Jerusalem with a small group oAMBS students and our Old estamentproessor, Dr. Millard Lind and his wieMiriam to study Biblical Archeology,Biblical Geology, Biblical Geography,Modern Palestine, and Modern Israel.Having studied liberation theology, Iwas ready and anxious to see how the

dierent liberation theologies comparedto Palestinian Liberation Teology.

Ater a semester o studies inJerusalem, I was accepted as a staperson o MCC (Mennonite CentralCommittee), which had been based inEast Jerusalem since 1949 and workedin the Palestinian community sincethen. Now I was really anxious to lookat what liberation theology meant inthe Palestinian context. As the Peace

Education and Advocacy sta person oMCC, I had the opportunity to meetRev. Dr. Naim Ateek, who had beenthinking and writing about theologyin a Palestinian context. In act,Palestinian theology was the thesis ohis doctoral dissertation. On one o histrips to Jerusalem, I met Dr. Marc Ellis,a Jewish liberation theologian and the

Director o the Maryknoll Peace andJustice Institute in Maryknoll, NewYork. I had the honor o introducingthe two men to each other. Marc

made it possible or Naim to spendthree months at Maryknoll and turnhis doctoral dissertation into a book_ Justice and Only Justice_which wasthen published by Orbis Books atMaryknoll.

In 1989, Naim brought together a smallgroup o seven Palestinian Christiansrom the various church communionsand called it the Palestinian TeologyGroup (PG). Later others were asked

to join the PG. I was seconded byMCC to work with Naim hal-time ora year and we went about organizing therst Palestinian Liberation Teologyconerence, which took place in March,1990 at antur Ecumenical Institutenear Bethlehem.

As an international living in Palestine, Idid not eel it was appropriate or me todo the theological thinking, but rather,I saw my role as the person who could

put legs on the ideas o the PG thatNaim and the others initiated. I sawmy role as doing the logistics or theconerence _ undraising, organizingthe schedule o the conerence as thePG suggested it, organizing or themeetings o the PG, contacting theguests rom outside and organizing theirtravel, and sending out the invitations

to Palestinians, etc. We all have somvery unny stories to share as we atraveled to the Galilee or meetings ithe MCC van driven by me _ at tireooding o the roads, etc. Organizinthis conerence happened beore thdays o e-mail, so I appreciated sommuch needed help rom ZoughbZoughbi and Elaine Lindower.

Te PG decided to invite teliberation theologians rom dierencountries (Philippines, Costa RicSouth Arica, Zimabwe, India, USas guests and speakers. Locally, onlPalestinian Christians were invited tattend the conerence because this rconerence was seen to be a dialogubetween Palestinian Christians an

The FirstPLT Conerenceby Kathy Bergen

In addition tothe conerence,all the guests

were takenon tours in order toexpose them to thecurrent realities oPalestinians livingunder Israeli military

occupation. Tethree-day conerencewas lmed and laterall presentations atthe conerence werepublished in a book,Faith and the Intifada.


19/24


international liberation theologians.

In addition to the conerence, all theguests were taken on tours in order toexpose them to the current realities oPalestinians living under Israeli military

occupation. Te three-day conerencewas lmed and later all presentationsat the conerence were published in abook, Faith and the Intifada.

Tere was going to be a ollow-upconerence, but ater Iraq invadedKuwait and the US started the Gul War,this was difcult. In the meantime, the

Participants hold liberation and justice banners at the third International Sabeel Conerence, 1998.

PG acquired an ofce and it becameknown as Sabeel. Te next Sabeelconerence was held in 1996 and sevenhave been organized since them.

Ater this second conerence took

place, a ew o us met at the home oNaim Ateek and, enthusiastic aboutBetsy Barlows idea, ormed FOSNA(Friends o Sabeel North America).We saw this as a way o educatingchurch members in North Americaabout the situation o Palestiniansliving under Israeli military occupationand about Palestinian Christians in

particular. oday, many countries haveestablished FOS groups and have madeinroads into many churches aroundthe world that would not have heardo Palestinians, Palestinian Christians,and the situation o Palestinians living

under Israeli military occupation, ando those living in Israel, not as equals,but as second class citizens, with Israelipassports, but discriminated against.

Kathy Bergen is the former ProgramCoordinator of the Friends InternationalCenter in Ramallah.


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Te practice at St. Georges Cathedralin Jerusalem was or Rev. Naim Ateekto hold a discussion every Sunday aterthe Arabic speaking service. We wouldstart with the subject o the sermon(which in proper Anglican ashionnever exceeded 11 minutes), and then

proceed to issues that concerned all ous. Tese included: the occupation,relations with the Israelis, (and ourMuslim neighbors), violence, andnonviolence, morality, ethics, the stateo the church, daily struggles, angels,and the aterlie, etc. Tese discussionswere ascinating, and attractedChristians rom other denominations,as well as visiting oreigners.

Members o the Christian Peacemakingeams (CP) rom Hebron wouldjoin us and inorm us o the latestsettler outrages, and visiting pilgrimswould also oten drop in to join in thediscussion. Te discussions were anattempt to do living theology andrelate our aith to our current situation.I coness there were some Sundayswhen I would sleep in and miss the

church service, but I would NO missthe discussion i I was in town.

Ater Canon Naim retired romSt. Georges, many elt the needto continue such discussions, andormalize them into an organization

that ullled this unction. In thismanner, Sabeel slowly came into beingas a center or Palestinian LiberationTeology. Palestinian Christians romall denominations ound that we sharedsimilar concerns, worries, aith issues,and outlooks. We were surprised to ndthat as we read the Bible and prayedand discussed together, we aced similartheological issues, whether we wereCatholic, Greek Orthodox, evangelical,Armenian, or something else.

We all elt the need to make our aithmore relevant to our daily lives. We wereall concerned about the situation in ourrespective churches: the gap betweenclerical hierarchies and the laity, thelack o unity between churches, and theailure all too oten o our respectivechurches to address our daily concerns. We noticed how the young particular

ound church and their aith to birrelevant to their lives.

Living under occupation, we weracutely concerned with issues o peacand justice; o violence and nonviolenco resistance; and o reconciliation. Wbelieved the message o the gospel, asometimes preached abroad, was hardlgood news or us Palestinians, nor wait good or our Jewish oppressors othat matter. We were all too aware o

A Relevant Faithby Jonathan Kuttab

Jonathan Kuttab speaks at a Sabeel event

Living under occupation, we were

acutely concerned with issues o peaceand justice; o violence and nonviolence;o resistance; and o reconciliation. We

believed the message o the gospel, as sometimespreached abroad, was hardly good news or usPalestinians, nor was it good or our Jewishoppressors or that matter.


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how many televangelists interpretedscriptures to justiy Zionism and thecontinued oppression o our people; yetwe knew that the program o politicalZionism was hardly Gods will or the

people o the Middle East today.

We elt the need to both relate our aithto our current situation, and to explainour reality to our brothers and sisters,particularly those in the West who weresubjected to these alse interpretations.As Christians, we elt the need torepudiate these views not only becausethey were hurting our cause, but alsobecause they were alse and portrayeda wrong view to Christians in the West

and Muslims as well. As Naim Ateekonce put it, we elt we needed to deendGod himsel and the Bible rom thosewho insisted on portraying him as aracist, violent, unjust God.

But our task was two-old. First, weneeded to challenge Christian Zionismtheologically and reconcile our aithand our reading o scripture with ourpolitical reality. Second, and perhapsmore importantly, we needed to relate

our aith to our daily lives and concerns.

In a way,the work oSabeel is really

the work oall Christians. Inevery age and place,Christians are calledupon to understandand live their aithin a manner that isresponsive and relevantto their particular

reality.

Both tasks were undamentallyspiritual, though they had clear politicalimplications.Foreign visitors and groups were oten

aware o the political message andimplication o the work o Sabeel. Lessobvious to them was the work we weredoing in the Palestinian communityitsel, among women, youth, and clergy.Our eorts were to bring PalestinianChristians together and make ouraith a living reality, rather than a seto dogmas and rituals practiced everySunday. As more and more groupsbecame aware o Sabeel, Rev. Ateek,Cedar Duaybis, Nora Carmi, and

mysel were inundated with requests tospeak to groups locally and abroad. Inthe end we decided to train others toassist in this task o interpretation. Atraining course or young Christians,who were already procient in English,was started to help with this task.

In a way, the work o Sabeel is reallythe work o all Christians. In every ageand place, Christians are called uponto understand and live their aith in a

manner that is responsive and relevant

to their particular reality. It was aprivilege and a joy or me personally towork with others in this eort.

Jonathan Kuttab is a Sabeel co-founderand leading Palestinian human rightsattorney in Palestine and Israel. He is alsoa co-founder of Al Haq and PalestinianCenter for the Study of Nonviolence.

For more inormation about this new documentary, contact us at Sabeel: [email protected]

The StonesCry OutThe story of the

Palestinian Christians

a flm by Yasmine Perni


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Cost: 1000 USD per person for double room | 1450 USD for single roomAdditional 100 USD for registration after 1st May 2013

Additional 200 USD for registration after 15th August 2013Cost includes room and meals for 6 nights (Nov. 19 to 25), registration, on-site visits and all related material

Registration Deadline October 1st 2013

Together we will look at the emergingTheological Landscape

where local and International Theologians refect on

Notre Dame Center, Jerusalem 19 25 November 2013

www.sabeel.org

Join Sabeelin celebrating the 25th

Anniversary of PalestinianLiberation Teology

The Bible and the

Palestine-Israel Confict


23/24


www.sabeel.orgVisit our newly revised website at:

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)Rev. Dr. Don Wagner, Program DirectorPO Box 9186,

Portland, OR 97207 | USAel: (1)-503-653-6625E-mail: [email protected]

Canadian Friends of Sabeel (CFOS)3 Sandstone CourtNepean, Ontario | Canada, K2G 6N5E-mail: [email protected]: www.sabeel.ca

Friends of Sabeel United Kingdom (FOS-UK)Anne Clayton, Coordinator

C/O CMS - Watlingon Rd.Oxord OX4 6BZ | UKelephone (+44) 1865 787419 or 787420E-mail: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Ireland (FOS-IR)Mrs. May Byrne9 Sycamore RoadDublin 16 | Irelandel: 00-353-1-295-2643E-mail: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Netherlands (FOSNL)

Vrienden van Sabeel NederlandRev. Willemien KeuningRobijn Reijntjesstraat 411785 EL Den HelderTe Netherlandsel. (+31) (0)6 43637575Email: ino@vriendenvansabeelnederland.nlwww.vriendenvansabeelnederland.nl

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology CenterP.O.B. 49084 Jerusalem 91491el: 972.2.532.7136 Fax: 972.2.532.7137

General E-mail: [email protected]

Clergy Program: [email protected]

International Programs: [email protected]

Youth Program: [email protected]

Media: [email protected]

Visiting: [email protected]

International Friends o SabeelFriends of Sabeel Scandinavia and FOS SwedenRev. Emanuel Furbacken (Chair)Rnnvgen 50

SE -443 45 Sjvik | SwedenPhone: +46 737 738909E-mail: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Scandinavia in DenmarkRev. Peter Skov FriisLange Eng 21DK-2620 Albertslund | Denmarkphone: +45 3151 0406E-mail: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Scandinavia in NorwayHans Morten HaugenHarsveien 2e0283 Oslo | NorwayPhone: +47 47340649E-mail: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel Oceana Inc. (FOS-AU)Ms. Clare James-JenksP.O.Box 4474Forest Lake, Queensland 4078 | AustraliaE-mail: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel FranceMr. Gilbert Charbonnier

16 C1, Chemin de St. HenryPhone: +33 (0)4 9084 0134F-84000 Avignon| FranceE-mail: [email protected]

Friends of Sabeel GermanyCanon Ulrich KadelbachHappoldstrasse 50D-70469 Stuttgart | Germany+49 (0) 711 857841E-mail: [email protected]

Sabeel-Nazareth

PO Box 50278 Nazareth 16120 Israel

el: 972(4)6020790

E-mail: [email protected]


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PURPOSe StAteMeNt SABeeLofSabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology

movement among Palestinian Christians. Inspired by the

lie and teaching o Jesus Christ, this liberation theology

seeks to deepen the aith o Palestinian Christians, promote

unity among them, and lead them to act or justice and love.Sabeel strives to develop a spirituality based on justice, peace,

non-violence, liberation, and reconciliation or the diferent

national and aith communities. Te word Sabeel is Arabic

or the way and also a channel or spring o lie-giving

water.

Sabeel also works to promote a more accurate internation

awareness regarding the identity, presence, and witness o

Palestinian Christians as well as their contemporary concern

It encourages individuals and groups rom around the worl

to work or a just, comprehensive, and enduring peacinormed by truth and empowered by prayer and action.

For more inormation on Friends o Sabeel groups in you

area please contact our international representatives or th

Sabeel Center in Jerusalem.

Friends of Sabeel North America

PO Box 9186

Portland, OR 97207

(503) 653-6625

www.fosna.org

Documents

Cornerstone, Summer, 2013, "Breaking Ground"