Bethlehem Bible College will host the upcoming international Christ at the Checkpoint conference, “Hope in the Midst of Conflict,” to be held from March 5-9, 2012 in Bethlehem.

This conference will build on the success of the first Christ at the Checkpoint conference which was held in March 2010.

Last year, the first global evangelical conference to take place in Palestine, “Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Peace and Justice,” completed its work in Bethlehem, organized by the Bethlehem Bible College in partnership with the Holy Land Trust.

More than 250 participants representing twenty nations came together between March 12 - 17, 2010 and listened to challenging and powerful presentations spoken by some of the leading voices of the evangelical movement (Palestinian, Messianic and international), and were a direct witness to the current realities on the ground.

The conference addressed different understandings of how the Evangelical Church, both in the past and currently, deals with scriptural understandings of theology regarding those who live in the Holy Land and how that either promotes war and violence, or promotes peace and justice.

Some of the themes of the conference included a biblical critique of dispensational theology and repudiation of an exclusive theology of the land that marginalizes and disenfranchises the indigenous people. The conference affirmed the strategic role of the Palestinian Evangelical Church in justice, peacemaking and reconciliation. The conference speakers repudiated both Christian Zionism and Anti-Semitism.

So far, more than 120 attendees have registered for the 2012 Conference.

Organizers say there is still time to register and, as an incentive, they are offering a registration reduction: if you register before January 10, 2012, the fee will be $400; after that date, it will increase to $450.

An exciting new component of next year’s Conference is the addition of a young adult/student experience which will take place March 2-12. Student delegation members will have a chance to experience the Holy Land and develop relationships with their peers who understand the unique challenges of being a voice for their faith in their own community.

Organizers say they are especially excited to announce that Shane Claiborne, who will be giving a keynote address at the conference, will also join the student delegation on a day-trip to the troubled city of Hebron in the West Bank. Check the “Student” tab under “Register” on the Conference website for more information.

Shane graduated from Eastern University, and did graduate work at Princeton Seminary. His ministry experience is varied, from a 10-week stint working alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta, to a year spent serving a wealthy mega-congregation at Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago. During the recent war in Iraq, Shane spent three weeks in Baghdad with the Iraq Peace Team.

According to the Conference website, the aim of ‘Christ at the Checkpoint’ is to provide an opportunity for evangelical Christians who take the Bible seriously to prayerfully seek a proper awareness of issues of peace, justice, and reconciliation.

The conference will also empower and encourage the Palestinian church; expose the realities of the injustices in the Palestinian Territories and create awareness of the obstacles to reconciliation and peace; create a platform for serious engagement with Christian Zionism and an open forum for ongoing dialogue between all positions within the Evangelical theological spectrum; and motivate participants to become advocates for the reconciliation work of the church in Palestine/Israel and its ramifications for the Middle East and the world.

The website also says the Conference sessions and activities will have varied formats. They will include lectures, interviews, open discussions, field visits, workshops and small group discussions. There will be also praise and worship, gospel choirs, and a series of short videos created specifically for the conference.

The conference will cover the following themes and topics, plus many more:

•Bible Study -- Each day will start with a Bible study from John Ortberg on the theme of Hope in the Bible.

•Palestinian Christian Perspectives -- Palestinian Evangelical leaders will speak about the history and contemporary situation of the Palestinian Church. International leaders will reflect on this situation in keeping with the theme of Hope in the Midst of Conflict.

•Engagement with Biblical Zionism -- Palestinian Christians, Christian Zionists, Messianic Christians, and international leaders will engage each other on the topic of Christian Zionism bringing different perspectives into conversation.

•Biblical Justice -- The conference will explore the notion of Biblical justice in the context of the Middle East and its recent revolutions.

•Nonviolence and Peacemaking -- Organizers will focus on Christian perspectives on nonviolence and peacemaking in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a particular view towards the contributions of Palestinian Christians.

•Reconciliation -- A focus on reconciliation and how is it manifest among Christians in the Palestinian-Israeli context.

•Action -- Learn and explore how to become agents of change towards peace and reconciliation

All registration is being done through the Conference website, www.christatthecheckpoint.com. Note that this site also has information about post-conference options. While visiting the website, also check out the video testimonies from Lynne Hybels of Willow Creek Church, and Shane Claiborne, which promote the conference.

By Michael Ireland

Assist News Service