Overview

The Middle East is in a period of profound change. In the midst of turbulence, trauma, tragedy and the hopelessness felt by many, an increasing number of indigenous churches are finding ever more imaginative ways to be active in the societies of which they are a long-standing and integral part. This book describes some of these developments. It seeks to inspire Christians worldwide to stand alongside such people and to provoke everyone, in the Middle East and elsewhere, to ask what they should be doing to encourage transformation of societies to the glory of God. How can we be the salt, light and yeast that Scripture exhorts us to be when faced with despair? How can we live as active heroes when others expect us to be passive victims? The expert contributors of this book delve into these issues to give churches direction in these disorienting times. The Institute of Middle East Studies Series provides academic theological books that are contextually appropriate to the MENA region and prophetically, sensitively and in a non-partisan manner inspire people and society. These resources represent the output of the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES), founded by the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Beirut, Lebanon, which seeks to bring about positive transformation in thinking and practice between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East and beyond. The purpose of IMES is to increase general awareness about Middle East realities and to resource evangelicals to serve specific needs in the Arab World and among Arab communities.

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9781783684342

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In this volume are found some of the most profound reflections you will ever read on the situation of Christians in the disorienting times of the Middle East today. The diversity of prophetic voices, mainly from the region itself, reflects the rich experience of those who attended the 2017 annual Middle East Consultation in Beirut. Here is brought together the very best in biblically and theologically informed reflection on the challenges and opportunities of Christian witness in this troubled region. As key themes are explored - persecution, emigration and minoritization - we are confronted with the raw reality of suffering and despair; and there are also some necessary correctives to prevailing perceptions of the situation. But overall there are grounds for hope and even joy in the continuing calling to followers of Christ to be his agents of transformation in the Middle East. Anthony Peck General Secretary, European Baptist Federation The Church in Disorienting Times offers unique regional dialogue on the problems of suffering, emigration, hopelessness and being a religious minority. Personal stories are combined with contextual conversations to offer the global church rare insights into discipleship, faith and mission in difficult contexts of the Middle East. Highly recommended not only for Christians in persecuted countries, but also for those living in contexts of religious freedom such as in the West. Kang-San Tan General Director, BMS World Mission One reason the gospel seems strange to so many people in the west - including Christians - is that its original hearers were mostly sore afflicted: politically oppressed, economically marginalized, physically spent. The gospel was - and is - good news to people who need more than merely good advice: investment advice, marriage advice, advice on how to vote or choose consumer products or decide which exotic locale to vacation in. To get a sense of how the gospel actually rocks peoples' worlds - their conflicted, shattered, dangerous, hungry worlds - take a read here. Jonathan Andrews has beautifully captured in these pages the shape and texture and many voices of a remarkable conference that took place in Lebanon in the summer of 2017. Here men and women speak candidly and wisely about the cost, sometimes fatal, of discipleship, and about the risks, often brutal, of speaking good news. They wrestle with questions of faithfulness in the face of torture and imprisonment. They talk about a joy and peace in Christ that defies earthly explanation. They speak of a hope worth suffering and even dying for. Buy a copy, and listen in. But be warned: it will mess with you. It will shatter all versions of the gospel that reduce it to merely good advice. Prepare yourself to meet the real thing. Mark Buchanan Associate Professor, Pastoral Theology, Ambrose University, Calgary, Canada Author of Your Church Is Too Safe

"In this volume are found some of the most profound reflections you will ever read on the situation of Christians in the ""disorienting times"" of the Middle East today. The diversity of prophetic voices, mainly from the region itself, reflects the rich experience of those who attended the 2017 annual Middle East Consultation in Beirut. Here is brought together the very best in biblically and theologically informed reflection on the challenges and opportunities of Christian witness in this troubled region. As key themes are explored - persecution, emigration and minoritization - we are confronted with the raw reality of suffering and despair; and there are also some necessary correctives to prevailing perceptions of the situation. But overall there are grounds for hope and even joy in the continuing calling to followers of Christ to be his agents of transformation in the Middle East. Anthony Peck General Secretary, European Baptist Federation The Church in Disorienting Times offers unique regional dialogue on the problems of suffering, emigration, hopelessness and being a religious minority. Personal stories are combined with contextual conversations to offer the global church rare insights into discipleship, faith and mission in difficult contexts of the Middle East. Highly recommended not only for Christians in persecuted countries, but also for those living in contexts of religious freedom such as in the West. Kang-San Tan General Director, BMS World Mission One reason the gospel seems strange to so many people in the west - including Christians - is that its original hearers were mostly sore afflicted: politically oppressed, economically marginalized, physically spent. The gospel was - and is - good news to people who need more than merely good advice: investment advice, marriage advice, advice on how to vote or choose consumer products or decide which exotic locale to vacation in. To get a sense of how the gospel actually rocks peoples' worlds - their conflicted, shattered, dangerous, hungry worlds - take a read here. Jonathan Andrews has beautifully captured in these pages the shape and texture and many voices of a remarkable conference that took place in Lebanon in the summer of 2017. Here men and women speak candidly and wisely about the cost, sometimes fatal, of discipleship, and about the risks, often brutal, of speaking good news. They wrestle with questions of faithfulness in the face of torture and imprisonment. They talk about a joy and peace in Christ that defies earthly explanation. They speak of a hope worth suffering and even dying for. Buy a copy, and listen in. But be warned: it will mess with you. It will shatter all versions of the gospel that reduce it to merely good advice. Prepare yourself to meet the real thing. Mark Buchanan Associate Professor, Pastoral Theology, Ambrose University, Calgary, Canada Author of Your Church Is Too Safe"

Author Information

JONATHAN ANDREWS has been researching and writing about issues that underlie the day-to-day lives of Middle Eastern Christian communities since 2003. Dr Martin Accad is the Chief Academic Officer of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) in Mansourieh, Lebanon, and Director of the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES) located at ABTS. He is also Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary and Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, USA. In addition, he is Director of Programs, Middle East, for the Centre on Religion and Global Affairs (www.crga.org.uk). Ramez Atallah is the General Secretary of the Bible Society of Egypt, a post he has held since 1990. He was born and raised in Egypt. He moved with his parents to Canada in the early 1960s after the Egyptian government nationalized his parents' properties. He returned to Egypt in 1980, together with his wife, Rebecca, who is Canadian although born in Haiti where her parents were missionaries. He was Regional Secretary for the Middle East of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) from 1980 to 1990. He has participated in the Lausanne Movement since its inception in 1974, twice serving as its Vice-Chairman, and was Program Chairman for the Cape Town 2010 Congress.

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