Wisconsin State Journal
Pastor warns of church's struggle in 'Holy Land'
Date: 8/20/04
William R. Wineke Wisconsin State Journal
The "Holy Land" of Palestine is in danger of becoming a "Christian theme park," where tourists visit ancient churches but find no living Christian community, the pastor of one of Bethlehem's leading churches warns.
The Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, was in Madison this week to meet with members of Memorial United Church of Christ in Fitchburg. The congregation's pastor, the Rev. Bonnie Van Overbeke, spent seven weeks in Palestine earlier this year, much of her time in Bethlehem.
"People are often astonished to learn there are Palestinian Christians here in the first place," he said in an interview. "They forget that Christianity started in Palestine."
Raheb's church is 150 years old, but it grew from the work of Greek Orthodox Palestinians, Raheb said. Raheb is a native of Bethlehem and holds a doctorate in theology from Philipps University in Marburg, Germany.
His church includes a school and an international center, and Raheb is a frequent lecturer in the United States.
But, if Palestine is the home of Christianity, it is also a battleground between Israel and Muslim insurgents who resent Israel's rule of their land. Raheb said only an estimated 2 percent of Palestinians are now Christians.
"People in other lands sing about 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' but they don't really know how life in Bethlehem is today," he said.
By the end of next year, the entire city will be surrounded by a "concrete wall 25 feet high and 30 miles long," he said, asserting that "Israel is constructing an apartheid system, building walls around each town."
The walls being built by Israel to protect itself from terrorists are going to turn Palestine into a "Swiss cheese, with the Palestinians living in the holes surrounded by the walls and having to pass through check points to enter and leave," he said.
All this creates huge obstacles for peacemakers, Raheb continued.
"And the Bible says that the blessings will go to the peace-makers, not to the peace-talkers," he said.
Part of the task of the church in a situation like that is to find ways to sustain hope even as war and destruction dash that hope, he said.
"Martin Luther said that even if he knew the world would end tomorrow, he would go out today and plant an apple tree. That's the way we feel. Our job is to go out and plant an olive tree so that, when God sends peace, there will be leaves for shade and oil to heal the wounds and branches for our children to climb."
Even in despair, people have to prepare for joy, he said.
"The future doesn't come riding in on a white horse, bringing peace and justice. The future is something we plant today. ... Really what we want to do is to provide a forum for hope. It is the biggest challenge we face and it is the most important."
Contact Bill Wineke at bwineke@madison.com or 252-6146.
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