What does the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians look like when Christians view it in light of the crucifixion and resurrection? These are the critical questions United Methodist District Superintendent Alex Joyner explores in a new book published by The Englewood Review of Books. A Space for Peace in the Holy Land: Listening to Modern Israel and Palestine presents a brief history of the conflict interwoven with stories of peacemakers working in unusual and creative ways. The book also offers a theological reflection on the empty tomb of Jesus Christ as an “open space” where Christians can pray and work for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
Offering solid facts along with personal narratives of suffering and courage, A Space for Peace invites the Christian reader to bring all of the region’s modern history to the empty tomb. Here the reader meets people like a Palestinian Christian family who established an unlikely brewery in the West Bank and the Israeli Jewish and Palestinian residents of Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom, a village where they have been living together in a 30-year experiment.
Retired United Methodist Bishop Timothy Whitaker provides a foreword in which he notes, “The vision that [Rev. Joyner] presents does not allow us to succumb to frustration or ideological posturing, but challenges us to serve the work of reconciliation that God has entrusted to us through Jesus Christ.”
A Space for Peace in the Holy Land is a resource for Christian churches seeking to make a just and faithful response to the suffering experienced by the people of the Holy Land — Christians, Jews, and Muslims. It is suitable for use by small groups, large groups, and individuals studying the region.
C. Christopher Smith, co-author of Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus says, ”A Space for Peace in the Holy Land is a particularly helpful resource that sheds light on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. This little book is essential reading for any Christian who desires to understand and to be engaged in this conflict.”
The book is currently available in e-book format on Amazon at the link:
http://j.mp/ASpaceForPeace. Alex Joyner has five previous publications through Abingdon Press including What’s in the Bible About Us? and Hard Times Come Again No More: Suffering and Hope. He has been a regular contributor to FaithLink, a United Methodist curriculum connecting current events and faith.
