The Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has spoken out against a bill which would allow state and municipal governments to punish entities that boycott, divest or sanction Israel in support of Palestinian rights. The bill passed the United States Senate 77-23, Tuesday.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Very rarely, though, do we stop and think of who these men and women are, let alone the challenges that they face, as they work to bring peace to the most turbulent places around the world. Presbyterians Today takes a look at today’s peacemakers.
For Christians worldwide, a trip to the Holy Land has often been regarded as “the trip of a lifetime” — and it usually is. All too often, however, visitors and pilgrims end up running in the land where Jesus walked!
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit condemned use of excessive violence by Israeli forces against civilian protestors in Gaza during last week in which many have lost their lives or lost their loved ones, and is particularly worried that some Christians are celebrating the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem as a gift from God, despite the disruptively provocative nature of this move.
The Rev. T. Denise Anderson, Co-Moderator of the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), recently returned from two weeks in Israel and Palestine as part of the Mosaic of Peace conference, a biennial event sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. Anderson raised several concerns in regard to the peace process and in light of yesterday’s move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
A group of Presbyterian clergy and members, including Co-Moderator Denise Anderson, has wrapped up the Mosaic of Peace Conference to Israel/Palestine. The conference, sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, included visits to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Galilee, meeting with Palestinian and Israeli leaders working on justice and peace issues, as well as touring holy and historic sites.
Saying Palestinians have a right to demonstrate peacefully and with dignity in their decades-long conflict with Israel, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined 14 other Christian denominations and organizations in a joint statement, calling for an end to violence in the region.
The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) [IPMN] is pleased to announce the publication of Why Palestine Matters, The Struggle To End Colonialism, a new book contextualizing the liberation struggle of the Palestinian people within other global justice struggles, available from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) bookstore.
Thirty years ago Bassem Giacaman, whose large extended family has lived in this town for generations, immigrated to New Zealand with his parents and siblings in search of a life far away from the turmoil of the Middle East.
An international peacemaker from Palestine recently found her invitation to speak at two Nebraska high schools revoked. Nora Carmi, a Palestinian Christian from Jerusalem, was scheduled to speak at two schools in Omaha, when school district authorities cancelled the appearances. Millard Public School officials say the decision was made after being contacted by some parents.
