Oscar winning Argo

Americans making the best out of rewriting the facts Argo’s win of an Oscar as best film borrows from the American deeply held views of exceptionalism and manifest destiny. In 1979 as the Shaw of Iran fell, protesters took to the streets in Tehran, storming the US embassy, retaliating for the CIA activities. Of the … Continue reading

With election of new pope is it time for Protestants to rejoin Rome?

I stepped up into the Pope’s train from the Vatican train station, en route to Assisi. It was a crisp October (2011) morning in Rome. Joining some 300 others, I had been invited to join Pope Benedict XVI on a pilgrimage to Assisi, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the one first led by John Paul … Continue reading

It matters who shows Up

Dispatch from Lebanon Cedars are valuable for their lasting quality. Building material, dock lumber all attest to their ability to resist wood rot. Biblical references to the “cedars of Lebanon” filled building materials required by Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls. Solomon eyed the magnificent and resilient cedars for the Temple in Jerusalem. Today be it … Continue reading

What can a church do in the midst of revolution?

Dispatch from Egypt What can a church do in the midst of revolution? I looked through a revealing window unto the remarkable leadership and ministry of the Al-Dubara Evangelical Church in downtown Cairo. It opened its doors to the revolution as the Arab spring blew across Tahrir Square right into the palace of President Mubarak. … Continue reading

Wall graffiti on Israeli wall separating the West Bank

Dispatch from the West Bank I’ve been to Israel a number of times, most often leading tour groups. Each time, leaving Bethlehem I would insist our Israeli driver stop by Bethlehem Bible College so I could visit its president, Bishara Awad. I tried to keep myself abreast of the goings on within Israel and the … Continue reading