Two years ago, I was working at Bethlehem Bible College during the first ever Christ at the Checkpoint Conference. This year, as an attendant of the conference, I was able to see how this conference has spawned a quickly spreading movement. Some of world's premier Evangelical leaders spoke, such as Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne, Steven Sizer, and Gary Burge spoke along with Palestinian Evangelical leaders: Alex Awad, Yohanna Katanacho, Sami Awad, and Munther Isaac. Throughout the week, it was possible to see these speakers, doing theology in a new way, pointing to the need for justice and peace in Israel/Palestine and a recognition of the Palestinian Christian community by international Christian communities. The growth in this year's conference, with Evangelical Christians attending from all corners of the world, is a testament to the growing realization of the situation on the ground in Israel/Palestine and that it is possible to believe in Jesus, the Bible, and justice and peace for both sides in this conflict. As the opposition from the Israeli government toward speakers and coordinators of the conference and the suspicion from Jewish and Israeli groups around the world shows, these conferences have started a new movement that has the potential to turn the tables towards a lasting peace in Israel/Palestine.
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| Sami Awad speaking at the Christ at the Checkpoint. Photo c/o Antwan Saca. |
I will not say much, but lead you to two excellent articles written on the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference.
'Christ at the Checkpoint' Challenges Christian Zionism
Evangelical Church meets 'at the checkpoint'
Also, visit the
Christ at the Checkpoint Website for videos and more news from Christ at the Checkpoint 2012.
