Theological Education Program

One of the deep concerns of those who support Palestinian rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is the widespread support for Israeli confiscation of Palestinian land among Christians in the U.S. Especially distressing is use of the Bible among Christian Zionists to justify and encourage the settlement policy that is rapidly destroying the viability of a potential Palestinian state.

North American supporters of SABEEL recognize that one of the places a clear understanding of the message and threat of Christian Zionism is badly needed is in the seminaries and the religious studies programs of American colleges and universities. As a first step in addressing this issue Sabeel is seeking to find out what, if anything, is currently done in these various programs to address the issue of Christian Zionism.

To that end we have initiated the Sabeel Theological Education Program to reach key persons on the faculties of seminaries, colleges, and universities (both public and private) who might be sympathetic to our concerns and who might be able to help us put together a picture of efforts to counter Christian Zionism that currently exist. We are especially anxious to get acquainted with persons from as many denominations as possible in order to gain as complete a picture as we can. Our hope is that we can assist those willing to address the issue in college and seminary classes. We are also seeking funds that would allow seminarians to travel to Palestine to study the issue for themselves.

Our other efforts include a very active church outreach project offering informed speakers for church committees and congregations and an international conference on Christian Zionism in Jerusalem scheduled for April 2004.

Resources on Christian Zionism

There are many excellent books, films, and Web sites to help you educate yourself on the subjects of Christian Zionism, liberation theology, and other topics. Please check our Resources pages.

Justifying Apartheid in God's Name

Historical Roots, Theological Emphases and Political Consequences

Stephen Sizer has spent the last seven years researching the Christian origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. His conclusions will shock. This is a unique and definitive examination of Christian Zionism in Britain and the United States since 1800. While essentially his PhD thesis, it is nevertheless very readable and clear. It is now available in pre-publication MS Word format on CD together with other unpublished resources and all his published articles to date. Copies available for £5 including postage from the author stephen@sizers.org (07970 789549)

LSN: Living Stones Network

An informal network of friends and supporters of the indigenous Palestinian Christian community drawn from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, Friends of Sabeel, the Living Stones of the Holy Land Trust, and the Scottish Palestinian Forum mortoncc@gn.apc.org. For more information on these organisations and others promoting justice and peace in the Middle East check out www.sabeel.org/links/index.htm. If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to the LSN please reply to stephen@sizers.org.