Why do we care about Christians in the Middle East?
We care for the indigenous Christians in the Middle East because we realize that at its roots Christianity is a Middle Eastern religion and that we are the spiritual descendants of Middle Eastern Christians. We also know that what happens in their region impacts our economy and our security.
Put another way, we care about Christianity in the Middle East not only because the Bible and the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds and Jesus himself came from the Middle East but also because what happens in that part of the world affects us profoundly.
Middle Eastern Christians are Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolics, Coptic Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Evangelicals, Chaldean Catholics, Armenian Catholics, and Greek Catholics, as well as Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, and Roman Catholics.
Christians in many countries in the Middle East live under considerable social and political pressure. Partly as a result of this pressure, many of them have left their homelands. The number of Christians in some places in the Middle East is now only a tenth of what it was a couple of generations ago.
In recent years, the Christian Reformed Church has begun to delve into the complicated issues of the Middle East. Highlights include a 2007 study trip to the area, resulting in numerous recommendations to the denomination, and a strong partnership with the Reformed Church of America, who has a lasting missional presence in the region.
We ask that you join us in a week of prayer and witness with our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East, using the resources below. Let us respond faithfully to the challenges and opportunities that this region - the cradle of our faith - provides.
Online and Print Resources
The Cradle of Our Faith (2009; run time: 27:24) is a DVD that gives a historical and present-day overview of Christianity in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Iraq, and Egypt. To request a free copy, contact mkraley@crcna.org. To preview, watch the introduction online.
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem: A Service of Prayer for the People of the Middle East (.doc)
In 2007, the OSJ led an ad-hoc group of Christian Reformed staff and members on a study trip to the Middle East. Read about their discoveries and subsequent recommendations.
Marlin and Sally Vis, RCA missionaries to Israel, shared a ministry of hospitality and communication at St. George's College in Jerusalem. To read about their experiences in Israel/Palestine, visit their blog.
Who Are the Christians in the Middle East?
by Betty Jane Bailey and J. Martin Bailey (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids: 2003). Martin Bailey served at various times as editor of the United Church Herald, A.D. magazine, and Connections.
The Arab Christian: A History in the Middle East
, by Kenneth Cragg (Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville: 1991). Bishop Cragg spent 45 years in the Middle East as a professor of philosophy and later as a bishop in the Anglican Archdiocese of Jerusalem. He has written more than 30 books, including The Arab Christian and Palestine: The Prize and Price of Zion.
Churches for Middle-East Peace (CMEP) and Sabeel (Palestinian Christian group) have well-organized links to many of the websites related to pace and justice issues in Israel and Palestine. The Christian Reformed Church is a member of Churches for Middle East Peace.
