‘A genocide has already happened’
Christ at the Checkpoint conference calls for justice and mercy for Gaza.
From May 22 to 24, 2024, Christians from around the world gathered at the seventh annual Christ at the Checkpoint (CATC) conference in Jesus’ hometown to learn about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During his opening talk, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor, called for Christian unity and action.
“Thank you for responding to our call,” said Isaac. “We needed this. We needed this to somehow restore our faith in the true Church, and many of you helped us during these difficult, difficult times . . . I am convinced that this is a watershed moment for the Church. This is why we’re here, right? So what is the witness of the Church during this genocide? And it’s not just about the witness of the Church; it’s about Gaza and the credibility of our Christian witness these days.”
Isaac is the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College and the author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope. His sermon “Christ in the Rubble: A Liturgy of Lament” has been viewed millions of times online and has been covered in Christian Courier (Dec. 4, 2023) and in publications such as Al Jazeera, TIME and Democracy Now!.
A fractured Christian witness
“Gaza is a cemetery . . . a genocide has already happened,” lamented Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories who made a special guest appearance at the conference via video call. She expressed outrage at how the West has largely ignored the violence in Palestine while an estimated 35,000 people have been killed over seven months. She had especially sharp words for Christians, saying, “This is a test for humanity; if you are people of faith, you need to take a stand more than anyone else because you lead by example.”
Several North American Christian leaders spoke, including Shane Claiborne, Lisa Sharon Harper, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon and Rev. Dr. Willie James Jennings. Other international voices included Bishop Dr. Zac Niringiye from Uganda, Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst from Costa Rica and Rene August and Buyisiwe “Pokie” Putu from South Africa.
In a talk titled “A Christ-Centered Response in Times of War,” Dr. Lamma Mansour shared an image she learned from Timothy Keller. She stated that society is like a cloth that brokenness has caused to tear and, as followers of Christ, it is our job to mend this fabric, though we can only do so by weaving ourselves into it.
Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College, spoke about the history of Palestinian Christianity. He explained the incredible impact and importance of the historical region of Palestine (sometimes referred to as the “fifth gospel”), Palestinian theologies and Palestinian missionaries. He laments that while Palestinian Evangelicals are doing their best to present the gospel to their nation, many other evangelicals around the world are discouraging and distorting this message.
“How can we be true Evangelicals if our motivation is more toward the manipulation of international politics rather than the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and his centrality?” asked Sara.
at Christ at the Checkpoint conference.
Finding our humanity
But where does this struggle to love our neighbour stem from? Author and activist Lisa Sharon Harper traces this hostility back to the very beginning, in Genesis, when humans first failed to see the image of God in each other. To those perpetrating violence in Gaza, Harper extended an invitation: “You do not have to be at war with God,” she insisted, reminding her audience that even Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is made in the image of God. “The good news is that you can lay down your arms. You can join the circle of the rest of creation.”
The conference offered a range of sessions that emphasized truth-telling, peace-building, accountability and solidarity. It also hosted panel discussions, worship, Bible study and a tour of Bethlehem. Many of the talks discussed what ought to be the Christian response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the context of God’s perfect love, and guests were encouraged to consider how they could be advocates for change in their local contexts.
