Linga- Bethlehem

Under the title "Your Kingdom Come" over six hundred followers of Christ representing more than twenty nationalities met at the third biennial "Christ at the Checkpoint" conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Bethlehem from the 10th to the 14th of March 2014. The Conference aimed to change the view of the Western Christians about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the Holy Land, and thus improve the situation of the Palestinian people with all the factions, who live in a big prison within the separation wall.

The opening of the conference was attended by many clerics and politicians in particular, the Deputy Palestinian Prime Minister "Hanna Amireh, Mayor of Bethlehem, Mrs. Vera Baboun, delegate of the Palestinian police and others.

The conference included good time for the participants to pray, worship, learn and discuss together the responsibility and role of the church in helping resolve the conflict and bringing peace, justice and equality to the Holy Land through following the teaching of Jesus on the Kingdom of God.

During the week, participants listened to and engaged with Palestinian theologians and leaders who shared their perspective on the Kingdom of God. In addition, the conference was blessed by amazing contributions from international evangelicals, Messianic leaders, as well as others.

The presences of Christians are a citizen of Israel was very modest! Very few pastors who attended, including intermittent day’s conference. Despite the Conference has drawn the attention of the Western world and Israel, still the attendance of Arab Christian citizens of Israel was a very modest! Is it due to fear of Israeli eyes? Or because they do not believe in theology advocated by the Bethlehem Bible College?! What happens if they came only to listen?

Palestinians in Israel

One participant said the Conference topics and teachings calling for equality and freedom for all the peoples of the Earth, and the teachings of Christ, Christians are a minority of no more than about 2 percent of the population in Palestine and Israel, these teachings remain theory is not more ... May be achieved only if we saw Jews and Muslims follow Christ.

Some might say that the vision of Herzl's political Zionism's founder, in the late eighteenth century that his aim of this movement was just a theory and impossible, but it was achieved through the establishment of the State of Israel. True! But Jews came to the land and forced their way, while Christians according to Christ's teachings will not take up any weapons for the use of reaching their purpose rather by the weapon of prayer and evangelism. Finally say that theological interpretations may vary from one Christian to another, but the essence remains Only in Jesus Christ and that is agreed among all Christians, which this is what was observed during the Conference.

Subjects addressed included the nature of the Kingdom, relating to Islam in the context of the changes in the Middle East, the future of the Palestinian church, nonviolence, replacement theology, Christian Zionism, forgiveness, peacemaking, and how to love our neighbor. Participants also joined in solidarity with Palestinian Christians in Beit Jala who hold a weekly prayer meeting on their land under threat of confiscation because of the route of the Separation Barrier.

For photo album of the conference - Click here " Christ at the Checkpoint 3 "