We believe that the Christian community in the Middle East, the same community that has existed for 2,000 years under Romans, Turks, Crusaders, Ottomans and others rulers, having survived every conceivable kind of oppression, is now, under Israeli occupation, in danger of dying. 

Since a major goal of our visit was to live with and learn about the Palestinian reality, and in particular the real situation of the Christian community, we spent the majority of our time interacting with Palestinian Christians. Many of us lived for five days with families in the Bethlehem area. We traveled on Palestinian buses with Palestinian guides. We worshiped in a Palestinian Reformed/Presbyterian church. 

We witnessed many everyday realities to which Palestinians are subjected in their own territories. The destruction of Palestinian homes and dehumanizing subjugation of Palestinians at checkpoints were shocking. Personal stories of everyday events moved us to tears – and anger. 

And we were educated: The gripping historical and theological presentation from Salim Munyar, Academic Dean of the Bethlehem Bible College and Director of Musalaha, the testimony of faith from Cedar, co-founder of SABEEL, and stories from evangelical pastors and their spouses of repudiation and humiliation at the hands of North American Christians drove home the burdens borne by our brothers and sisters in Christ and their Muslim neighbors. 

We have badly underestimated the negative effects of North American Dispensationalist theology on achieving a just peace in the Middle East. 

The group was surprised and appalled by the apparent power of Christian movements that seem to be militating against peace in the Middle East. How could the goals of Christian Zionism and Zionist end-times theology be squared with the plight of Palestinian Christians? How could Western Christians ignore or disown fellow Christians who so need their help? How could the world watch the lingering death of Christianity in the land where Christ walked and God's Spirit gave it birth? Where was Christ’s message of peace and love for all people?

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