The joke, if that's what it is, goes like this: "You'll have to forgive us Jews for being a little nervous. Two thousand years of Christian love have worn down our nerves."

That says it all, doesn't it? The scars of antisemitism and missionary activity, the pathos-drenched sense of humor, the contempt for Christianity - this is certainly how I regarded our local majority religion as I was growing up. When I was a child, Christianity was like the big, stupid bully: at once idiotic, and overwhelmingly powerful. Couldn't they see how ridiculous their religion was? A virgin birth? Santa Claus? An Easter Bunny? A messiah who got killed, but actually died for our sins? And yet, these were the people running our country, telling us which days we get off from school and which we don't, and playing their insidious music every winter.

By Jay Michaelson, The Forward, May 13, 2009

The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Jordan and Palestine is a perfect opportunity to review and stress the role of Christian Arabs in the peace process and their strong support for peace with justice.

To begin with, it is important for all to know that Arabs have been in Palestine and Jordan before the arrival of Islam and Christianity. References to the word "Arab" and its derivatives are mentioned hundreds of times in the Old and New Testaments. The biblical figure of Job is said to be Arab; Arabs were among the many attending the sermon on the Day of Pentecost by St. Peter, and were among the 3,000 who then became Christians. Acts II refers to Arabs having heard the sermon in their own tongue.

Daoud Kuttab, The Jerusalem Post, May 12, 2009

Dr. Salim Munayer is the first recipient of the Christian International Scholarship foundation (CISF) scholar-leader award, for his work as founder and director of Musalaha Ministry of Reconciliation based in Jerusalem, and for his service as Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College from 1989-2008.

The Board of Directors of the CISF voted unanimously for Dr. Munayer to be the first recipient of this award.

Special For Come and See, May 8, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has sought better ties between Christians and Muslims. But in Fuhays, Jordan, devotion to the land comes first.

"In 1950, Christians made up about 30% of the Jordanian population. That's dropped to less than 4% in this overwhelmingly Islamic nation where Jesus was baptized and Moses was buried."

By Jeffrey Fleishman, LA Times, May 10, 2009

David Coffey is president of the Baptist World Alliance. The following is his column as it appeared in the April-June 2009 issue of Baptist World, a quarterly publication of the Baptist World Alliance

"Sixty years ago, Christians constituted more than 25 percent of the overall Palestinian population in the Holy Land and almost 80 percent of the southern triangle of Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala. Today, those numbers have dwindled alarmingly, due largely, though not exclusively, to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a nutshell, Christians have lost hope in a land that once witnessed the birth of Jesus – the Hope of the world".

David Coffey, Baptist World, April 21, 2009

The Pope's trip to the Holy Land is in two weeks now, and the Israeli and Jordanian governments have just set up two Internet sites related to the event. Their respective Ministries of Tourism are honouring their guest from the Vatican by going online.

Comparing each site is revealing. Have a look.


by Giorgio Bernardelli, The Holy Land Review, Milan - April 23, 2009

How live the quadruple identity of being Arab, Palestinian, Christian, Israeli? 120,000 Arab Christians living in Israel must meet this challenge every day. Father Rafiq Khoury from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem traces some lines along which an answer might be possible.

Fr. Rafik Khoury, Custodia Web Site, April 16, 2009

Christians in the bombed-out, Israel-closed Gaza Strip feel abandoned because Pope Benedict XVI of the Vatican will snub their coastal enclave during his upcoming several-day visit to the Holy Lands.

"We are disappointed that he will not visit the Strip and see the scale of destruction with his eyes," Hala Saleeba, 41, a teacher in the Holy Family Christian School in Gaza, told IslamOnline.net.

"The one who sees with eyes is not the same as the one who hears with ears."

Motasem Dalloul, Islam Online, April 21, 2009

Most members of a local congregation have never met 5-year-old Grace Awad.But her vocabulary, they say, has strengthened their faith.

On Sunday, Grace's dad, the Rev. Daniel Awad, shared a story about a family vacation to visit relatives in Michigan. When it was time to go, Grace grew upset.

"I don't want to go home," she said. "I don't want to go back to the siege."

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE, Jerusalem Gateway, April 4, 2009