News & Blogs
Last updated: 11/17/09
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In recent years, RCA Global Mission has worked to strengthen its partnership with Middle East Christians and is working to provide RCA members and others with resources that will help each of us understand and 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 RCA Global Mission staff person Karen Bogerd, kbogerd@rca.org. Take a peek at the introduction.
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem: A Service of Prayer for the People of the Middle East (PDF)
The online collection of Middle East and Islamic Studies of the Columbia University Libraries presents detailed information about Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic Christianity in the Middle East.
Marlin and Sally Vis 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 .
MiddleEastWindow.com is a website written by a group of young North American Christians who have spent a number of years in the Middle East. Their goal is to connect North American Christians with Middle Eastern Christians.
Al-Bushra is the website of the Arab-American Roman Catholic Church.
Mount of Olives Housing Project provides homes and hope for Palestinian Christians in Jerusalem.
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Welcome!
A Christian is, by default, a witness for Jesus Christ. The defining characteristic of this witness is love -- love for God, love for neighbor. Neighborly love grows out of understanding which is the purpose of this site -- to provide resources to help engender a more empathetic understanding of our Muslim neighbors. It is designed, in particular, to help cut through the stereotypes and distortions which mark too much discourse on Islam in America today.
Our aim is to help all who visit this site to get to know our Muslim neighbors as neighbors and friends. We welcome all who share this purpose.
We always welcome your comments.
 Long time Middle East resident, the Rev. Lewis Scudder, Jr., shares his at times provocative, yet always informative insights on Christian-Muslim relations and Middle Eastern political affairs in a monthly column.
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Featured Book
A History of Christian-Muslim Relations
by Hugh Goddard
"This book investigates the history of the relationships between Christians and Muslims over the centuries, from their initial encounters in the Medieval period when the Muslims were the dominant group, through to the modern period when the balance of power seems to have been reversed.This much-needed overview of the Christian-Muslim encounter places the emphasis on the context within which perceptions and attitudes were worked out and provides a depth of historical insight to the complexities of current Christian-Muslim interactions on different continents."
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Muslim Voices
Six Degrees of Terrorism: The Internet, Islam and Islamophobia
- by Dr. Ingrid Mattson
Dr. Mattson, Islamics professor at Hartford Theological Seminary, reflects on the various ways anti-Muslim writers use the internet to debase and distort Islam.
Muslims in the West
Former Pakistani ambassador to Britain, current professor of Islamic Studies at the American University in DC, Dr. Akbar Ahmad, offers his unique perpective on what it means to be a western Muslim today.
Muslim Voices: Voices and Visions of Islam and Muslims from a Global Perspective (Podcasts)
A new site with a wealth of podcasts highlighting different aspects of Islamic belief and cultures impacted by that belief. A valuable resource for those interested in allowing Muslims to define their own faith.
A Husband-Wife Dialogue on the Hijab (head covering)
- by Robin and Rana Yassin-Kassab
A British Muslim couple discuss a controversial practice in Islam. The wife in this case insists against her husbands wishes that she should cover her head!
The Vatican's Encounter with Islam
- by Ibrahim Kalin
Muslim professor at Georgetown University reflects on recent discussions between Muslims and Catholics on the nature of Christian-Muslim relations.
What Islam Really Says about Violence, Human Rights and Other Religions
by Abdullah al-Askar
Saudi professor gives clear teaching on subjects that are often misunderstood by Christians (and Muslims!).
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