Baptist Pastor in Bethlehem Recognizes Jewish Rights -Fran Waddams
During a recent visit I met Baptist Pastor Naim Khoury [pictured] in Bethlehem. He insists that Palestinian Christians are obliged to love all their neighbors, Muslim and Jew, and that the Jews' right to live unhindered on the land promised to them by God is clearly set out in the Bible.
As a result of his courage, Pastor Khoury is shunned by fellow Christians, his church has had its right to conduct marriages and baptisms withdrawn by the Palestinian Authority, his church has been bombed 14 times, and he was once shot.
Nevertheless, his Arab congregation numbers in the hundreds, the largest in the territories.
The writer is a leader in Anglican Friends of Israel.
(Jerusalem Post)
2 comments:
If it is one of the largest congregations in the region and its rights to conduct weddings and baptisms has been curtailed by the Palestinian Authority I wonder if it is less true that they are shunned by fellow Christians and more true that their views about Israel are just unacceptable to the Palestinian government?
Both are probably true...Palestinian Arab Christians are an interesting lot. It is in their interest to align with Israel...however, their safety depends on staying in the good graces of their Muslim neighbors. So it usually plays out that [in public] Palestinian Arab Christians talk the anti-Israel talk.
Post a Comment