Evangelical Churches and the Palestinian Authority: A New Opening in Jesus' Backyard

By amazon Saturday, December 28, 2019 Comment Edit

A glimpse of Christianity in the Holy Land.

I find it ironic that where Jesus was raised—in the backyard of his earthly life—Evangelical churches were disallowed status to marry, own buildings, and even have a bank account.

The good story is that which once was, no longer is.

The good news came in November by way of Pastor Munir Kakish at the WEA’s General Assembly in Indonesia. He told me the story and then opened a leather-bound folder. There, he proudly showed me, was the signature of President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

What I saw was what many Christians for 12 years had prayed for. This declaration gives legal status and governmental recognition to a national alliance called Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land.

And this is a very big deal.

For these churches, their pastors and members, this was such a sweet moment. For 12 years, Pastor Kakish—president of this newly formed alliance of Evangelical churches—knocked with regularity at the doors of government, gently but with determination and with a good dose of religious stubbornness.

His point to the government was that as Palestinians, we can better serve our community when you allow our churches to join together as an Evangelical Alliance. He also argued to the PA that not only does it allow Evangelical churches to speak with a single voice to government and the broader society, but it also gives government access to this community of Christians with just one call.

Forty years ago, among 50,000 self-identified Christians in a land of 4.5 million (mostly Muslims) Evangelical churches were planted. They started in small tents, moving eventually into homes and, in time, to small rented buildings. Living in the wide swings of Israeli/Palestinian attempts to craft national ...