A packed virtual Zoom room of nearly 500 participants logged on Thursday to listen to the first webinar in a series of three which addresses the topic of “Confronting Christian Zionism.” Presented by the PC(USA)’s Christian Zionism working group, which includes PC(USA) national staff from World Mission’s Middle East and Europe office, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, the Office of Public Witness, and members of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network, the 90-minute session discussed how the Zionism ideology contributes to the violence Palestinians have experienced and the consequences of the settler colonial experience.
The PC(USA)’s Christian Zionism working group, which includes PC(USA) national staff and members from its congregations, will present the first in a series of webinars centered on the topic of confronting and challenging Christian Zionism. The Zoom-based webinar is scheduled for noon Eastern Time on Thursday, April 18.
Several hundred people online joined a few dozen worshiping in person Saturday at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, for “Christ in the Rubble,” a service of lament for the people of Gaza. Several partners of Christmas Lutheran Church, including the PC(USA)’s Israel/Palestine Mission Network, carried the 90-minute service, which can be seen here, here or here.
In the seasons of Advent and Christmas, when the minds of Christians are centered on biblical Bethlehem, there’s a chance to visit the Bethlehem of today virtually.
