'Cradle of Faith' DVD Available

The Christian Reformed Church's Office of Social Justice is offering for free "The Cradle of Our Faith," a half-hour DVD that looks at the plight of Christians in modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Iraq, and Egypt.

Produced by the CRC in conjunction with the Reformed Church in America, the video also provides a history of the growth of Christianity in the Middle East.

"Christians in many countries in the Middle East live under considerable social and political pressure," says the website of the OSJ. "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 2007, the OSJ led an ad-hoc group of Christian Reformed staff and members on a study trip to the Middle East. The study trip, which was part of an effort on the part of the CRC to to delve into the complicated issues of the Middle East the area, resulted in numerous recommendations to the denomination on how it can provide ministry to the Middle East. It also helped forge a strong partnership with the RCA, who has had a lasting missional presence in the region.

Besides the DVD, the OSJ has made available a range of resources to help churches find ways to learn more and find ways to pray about the problems facing 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," says the OSJ website.

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.

To request a free copy of "The Cradle of Our Faith," contact [email protected]. To obtain other resources and websites that focus on issues facing Christians in the Middle East, visit: http://www.crcna.org/pages/cradle.cfm.