Conferences related to Christian Zionism.............

Upcoming Conferences

Philadelphia Sabeel Conference, April 25-26, 2008

Begins 12 noon on Friday, April 25
Concludes at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.

IN SEARCH OF A HOMELAND
The Quest for Place and Peace in Israel and Palestine

Contact: The Rev David Yeaworth
(610) 525-2776 d.Yeaworth@worldnet.att.net

Bishop Allen Bartlett
(215) 928-0506 Allen.jerrie@worldnet.att.net

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: The Rev. Naim Ateek, Director of Sabeel in Jerusalem, will deliver the keynote address April 25 and 26 at the Connelly Center at Villanova University.

Sabeel (Arabic for “the way”) is a Palestinian liberation theology center in Jerusalem.  Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) sponsors a number of regional conferences in the United States and Canada to promote education and advocacy about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Villanova conference features a number of international and nationally known speakers: 

Dr. Marc Ellis, Director for Jewish Studies at Baylor University, will speak on “The Jewish Dream and the 1948 Reality.”  

Dr. Elia Zureik, a Palestinian emeritus faculty member of Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, will describe “A Journey of 60 Years; the Story of Palestinian Refugees.”

Dr. Jeff Halper, Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and a nominee for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, will address the topic, “Reframing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:  A View from the Ground.” 

Retired Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Archdiocese of Detroit will address “The Radical Challenge of Non-Violence.” 

The Rev. John Hubers, former Middle East Director for the Reformed Church in America will speak on the topic “Whose Homeland Is It?  Confronting Christian Zionism”.

Dr. Yvonne Haddad, Professor of History of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Georgetown University, on “Understanding Our Muslim Friends”

Several concurrent workshops, most of them offered twice over the two days, offer the opportunity for active participation.  They are:

• “The Environmental Impact of War” led by Dr. Linda Hanna and Leila Barclay
• “The Role of Lebanon in Middle East Peace” led by the Rev. Kail Ellis, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Science at Villanova University
• “The Literature of Palestine” led by Dr. Roger Allen, Professor of Arabic at the University of Pennsylvania
• “Constructive Local Involvement” led by Susan Abulhawa, founder of Playgrounds for Palestine and author of The Scar of David, winner of the Best Book Award, USA Book News
• “Jewish Anti-Occupation Activism” led by the Philadelphia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization opposed to Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Jerusalem
• “Experiencing Two Peoples, Two Narratives, One Reality” led by Fr. John Sullivan and Sr. Maria Rieckelman, Maryknoll Missionaries who have led nine pilgrimages to the Holy Land.  This workshop will be offered on Saturday only.

In addition to workshops and plenary sessions, the conference will include a film screening, cultural event and exhibits by renowned international Palestinian American artist Rajie Cook and award-winning photojournalist Linda Panetta.

A panel discussion featuring several of the principal speakers on the question “Is the Two-State Solution Still Possible?” will conclude the conference. This discussion will be moderated by the Rt. Rev. Allen Bartlett, retired Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania and convener of the Ecumenical Working Group for Middle East Peace, a principal sponsor of the conference.

Additional conference sponsors are the Villanova Center for Peace and Justice Education and the Office of Justice and Peace of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova. 

A partial list of co-sponsors includes the Presbytery of Philadelphia Peacemaking Committee, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church, American Friends Service Committee Middle East Peacebuilding Project, Jewish Voice for Peace (Philadelphia Chapter), and Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

Registration Fees:

$95 ($105 after April 11) and $35 for students.
(Villanova students will be admitted free.)

$65 One-day registration, for either day

Anyone for whom these fees are prohibitive is invited to request a waiver and to contribute whatever he or she can afford. 

Register on-line at www.fosna.org or by calling or emailing David Yeaworth
at 610-525-2776 ----   D.Yeaworth@worldnet.att.net.           

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Prior Conference Information

THE 5^TH INTERNATIONAL SABEEL CONFERENCE (April 2004)

Over 500 people representing 31 different countries attended the first ever high level international conference challenging the political and biblical distortions of Christian Zionism. 

CONFERENCE STATEMENT: "CHALLENGING CHRISTIAN ZIONISM" --

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism, and militarism. In its extreme form, it places an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ’s love and justice today. We also repudiate the more insidious form of Christian Zionism pervasive in the mainline c hurches that remains silent in the face of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Therefore, we categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as a false teaching that undermines the biblical message of love, mercy, and justice.

We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with extremist elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently seeking to impose their unilateral preemptive strategies and militaristic rule over others, including Palestine and Iraq. As a result of the 14 April, 2004 Bush-Sharon memorandum of understanding, the crisis in Israel and Palestine has moved into a new phase of oppression of the Palestinian people. This will inevitably lead to unending cycles of violence and counter violence that are already spreading throughout the Middle East and other parts of the world. We reject the heretical teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these extremist policies as they advance a form of racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ.

Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we call upon everyone to liberate themselves from ideologies of militarism and occupation and instead to pursue the healing of the world. We call upon Christians in churches on every continent to prayerfully remember the suffering of the Palestinian and Israeli people, both of whom are victims of policies of occupation and militarism. These policies are reviving a system of apartheid that is turning Palestinian cities, towns and villages into impoverished ghettos surrounded by exclusively Jewish colonies. The recent construction of the Israeli wall on Palestinian land precludes a viable Palestinian state. Therefore, we commit ourselves to the following principles as an alternative way (Sabeel):

• We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and called to honor the dignity and respect the equal rights of every human being.
• We call upon people of good will everywhere to reject the theology of Christian Zionism and all parallel religious and ideological fundamentalisms that privilege particular people at the expense of others.
• We are committed to the power of non-violent resistance to defeat the occupation and attain a just and lasting peace.
• With renewed urgency we warn that the theology of Christian Zionism is leading to the moral ustification of empire, colonization, apartheid, and oppression.

Moreover, we affirm that a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israelmust be based on the Jerusalem Sabeel Document: Principles for a Just Peace in Palestine-Israel (2004). [1]

Sabeel's vision embraces two sovereign states, Palestine and Israel, which will enter into confederation or even a federation, possibly with other neighboring countries, where Jerusalem becomes the federal capital. Indeed, the ideal and best solution has always been to envisage ultimately bi-national state in Palestine-Israel where people are free and equal, living under a constitutional democracy that protects and guarantees all their rights, responsibilities, and duties without racism or discrimination - one state for two nations and three religions.

This is where Sabeel takes its stand. We will stand for justice. We can do no other. Justice alone guarantees a peace that will lead to reconciliation and a life of security and prosperity for all the peoples of our land. By standing on the side of justice, we open ourselves to the work of peace -- and working for peace makes us children of God.

God demands that justice be done. No enduring peace, security, or reconciliation is possible without the foundation of justice. The demands of justice will not disappear. The struggle for justice must be pursued diligently and persistently but non-violently.

"What does the Lord require of you, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

[1] See www.sabeel.org

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Israel, the Bible, and the Future

Premillennialism and Christian Zionism in American Culture and the Church
North Park University, Chicago, April 2005

Available as four DVDs that cover the entire conference. Send $25 (checks or cash only)to:
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies
att. Kate Cerneglia
North Park University, Box 52
3225 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, IL. 60625.

for further information  email kcerneglia@northpark.edu

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