Podcasts about middle eastern christians

Coptic Orthodox Christians comprise the largest Christian community in the Middle East and are among the oldest Christian communities in the world. While once the objects of American missionary efforts, in recent years Copts have been in the spotlight for their Christianity. A spate of ISIS-related bombings and attacks have garnered worldwide attention, leading to a series of efforts from US politicians, think tanks, and NGOs to re-channel their efforts into “saving” these Middle Eastern Christians from Muslims. The increased targeting of Copts has also contributed to the moral imaginary of the “Persecuted Church,” particularly among American evangelicals, which embraces the idea that Christians around the globe are currently being persecuted more than any other time in history.  Drawing on years of extensive fieldwork among Coptic migrants between Egypt and the United States, Martyrs and Migrants: Coptic Christians and the Persecution Politics of US Empire (NYU Press, 2025) examines how American religious imaginaries of global Christian persecution have remapped Coptic collective memory of martyrdom. Transnational Copts have navigated the sociopolitical conditions in Egypt and the global consequences of the US “war on terror” by translating their suffering into the ambiguous forms of religious and political visibility. Candace Lukasik argues that the commingling of American conservatives and Copts has shaped a new kind of Christian kinship in blood, operating through a double movement between glorification and racialization. Occupying a position between threat and victim, Copts from the Middle East have been subject to anti-terror surveillance in the US even as they have leveraged their roles as “persecuted Christians.” Through Lukasik's careful examination of the everyday processes shaping Coptic communal formation, Martyrs and Migrants broadly reveals how ideologies of spiritual kinship are forged through theological histories of martyrdom and of blood, demonstrating the global dynamics and imperial politics of contemporary Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Coptic Orthodox Christians comprise the largest Christian community in the Middle East and are among the oldest Christian communities in the world. While once the objects of American missionary efforts, in recent years Copts have been in the spotlight for their Christianity. A spate of ISIS-related bombings and attacks have garnered worldwide attention, leading to a series of efforts from US politicians, think tanks, and NGOs to re-channel their efforts into “saving” these Middle Eastern Christians from Muslims. The increased targeting of Copts has also contributed to the moral imaginary of the “Persecuted Church,” particularly among American evangelicals, which embraces the idea that Christians around the globe are currently being persecuted more than any other time in history.  Drawing on years of extensive fieldwork among Coptic migrants between Egypt and the United States, Martyrs and Migrants: Coptic Christians and the Persecution Politics of US Empire (NYU Press, 2025) examines how American religious imaginaries of global Christian persecution have remapped Coptic collective memory of martyrdom. Transnational Copts have navigated the sociopolitical conditions in Egypt and the global consequences of the US “war on terror” by translating their suffering into the ambiguous forms of religious and political visibility. Candace Lukasik argues that the commingling of American conservatives and Copts has shaped a new kind of Christian kinship in blood, operating through a double movement between glorification and racialization. Occupying a position between threat and victim, Copts from the Middle East have been subject to anti-terror surveillance in the US even as they have leveraged their roles as “persecuted Christians.” Through Lukasik's careful examination of the everyday processes shaping Coptic communal formation, Martyrs and Migrants broadly reveals how ideologies of spiritual kinship are forged through theological histories of martyrdom and of blood, demonstrating the global dynamics and imperial politics of contemporary Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

Coptic Orthodox Christians comprise the largest Christian community in the Middle East and are among the oldest Christian communities in the world. While once the objects of American missionary efforts, in recent years Copts have been in the spotlight for their Christianity. A spate of ISIS-related bombings and attacks have garnered worldwide attention, leading to a series of efforts from US politicians, think tanks, and NGOs to re-channel their efforts into “saving” these Middle Eastern Christians from Muslims. The increased targeting of Copts has also contributed to the moral imaginary of the “Persecuted Church,” particularly among American evangelicals, which embraces the idea that Christians around the globe are currently being persecuted more than any other time in history.  Drawing on years of extensive fieldwork among Coptic migrants between Egypt and the United States, Martyrs and Migrants: Coptic Christians and the Persecution Politics of US Empire (NYU Press, 2025) examines how American religious imaginaries of global Christian persecution have remapped Coptic collective memory of martyrdom. Transnational Copts have navigated the sociopolitical conditions in Egypt and the global consequences of the US “war on terror” by translating their suffering into the ambiguous forms of religious and political visibility. Candace Lukasik argues that the commingling of American conservatives and Copts has shaped a new kind of Christian kinship in blood, operating through a double movement between glorification and racialization. Occupying a position between threat and victim, Copts from the Middle East have been subject to anti-terror surveillance in the US even as they have leveraged their roles as “persecuted Christians.” Through Lukasik's careful examination of the everyday processes shaping Coptic communal formation, Martyrs and Migrants broadly reveals how ideologies of spiritual kinship are forged through theological histories of martyrdom and of blood, demonstrating the global dynamics and imperial politics of contemporary Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

Dr. Accad shares insights from his own experience as a Lebanese Christian, offering a historical overview of the Lebanon-Israel conflict and the ongoing tensions shaping the region. We also explore the implications of Christian Zionism in Lebanon, its effect on Christian-Muslim relations, and how Middle Eastern Christians navigate the challenges of their existence in the face of apocalyptic prophecies. With his global perspective, Dr. Accad reflects on the global Christian response to the crisis and provides thoughtful reflections on justice, peacemaking, and the hope for reconciliation in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon.Thanks for listening!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.To learn more about our summer programs visit:https://www.regent-college.edu/summerSubscribe to our newsletter to hear all about Regent College:https://www.regent-college.edu/about-us/subscribe

Fleeing two different wars in Iraq and religious persecution, Jalil and Sundus separately found their way to America and each other! Their two American born daughters now share their faith as Middle Eastern Christians while their parents aid other refugees from around the world with the hope of Christ. For shows and more subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribe or download the Parent Compass App. To donate go to parentcompass.tv/donate. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

Fleeing two different wars in Iraq and religious persecution, Jalil and Sundus separately found their way to America and each other! Their two American born daughters now share their faith as Middle Eastern Christians while their parents aid other refugees from around the world with the hope of Christ. For shows and more subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribe or download the Parent Compass App. To donate go to parentcompass.tv/donate. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

Austin Knuppe is an assistant professor of political science at Utah State University specializing in Foreign Policy, International Politics, Middle East Politics, and War. He's the author of a recent book on how Iraqis survived the Islamic State.He joins me to discuss Christians in the Middle East. Once sizable Christian populations there have declined noticeably in the past 100 years. He argues that America's Global War on Terror, however, has accelerated the decline of Christian communities in Middle Eastern countries.Austin Knuppe: There Are Always Consequences: https://americanreformer.org/2024/08/there-are-always-consequences/Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

This episode focuses on SAT-7, the leading Christian media brand in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Learn from Rami Al Halaseh, Executive Director of Arabic Channels and Digital Media, how SAT-7 has become a crucial spiritual lifeline for Christians in the region, many of whom are unable to attend physical churches. SAT-7 is a media-based ministry that provides faith-based programming to foster and sustain its viewers' spiritual lives. Rami elaborates on SAT-7's strategic role in bolstering the Christian presence in a region where many are seeking to emigrate to the West or Europe. Learn how the ministry is strengthening the very Christian existence of the Church in the Middle East. The SAT-7 ministry goes beyond television programs and social media content, working to meet needs holistically. It is one thing to tell people about the love of God; it's a whole different experience when SAT-7 goes out and builds bridges with the people on the ground. Learn how to make an estate plan that stewards vital resources that strengthen the Middle East ministry.   A Previous Episode You Will Find Interesting: Episode #147 Charting New Ministry Paths: MENA's Five Transformative Challenges  In this episode, we delve into the dynamic landscape of the Middle East and North Africa with Dr. Terence Ascott, the visionary Founder and President of SAT-7. In this enlightening discussion, Dr. Ascott navigates through five pressing challenges confronting the region today and their profound impact on the Church and ministry. From escalated conflicts to restricted press freedom and limited education access to the deprivation of women's and religious rights, each issue presents a unique hurdle. However, Dr. Ascott unveils how SAT-7, as a pioneering broadcast media ministry, is ingeniously addressing these challenges and fostering transformative change through innovative approaches. In his gripping memoir Dare to Believe! Stories of Faith from the Middle East, Dr. Terrence Ascott unveils his personal odyssey amidst civil unrest, detentions, and the birth pains of SAT-7. Seamlessly interwoven with his narrative are the compelling stories of Middle Eastern Christians and the exponential growth of SAT-7 into a beacon of hope, broadcasting across Arabic, Turkish, and Persian regions. With each chapter, Dr. Ascott paints a vivid picture of resilience, faith, and the unwavering commitment to illuminate the darkest corners with the light of the Gospel. SAT-7 emerges as a powerful force for change, shedding light in the darkest recesses of the region. Dr. Ascott passionately articulates how your partnership and support fuel SAT-7's mission to make God's love visible and confront the prevailing challenges in the region head-on. As listeners, you're invited to join hands in this transformative journey, discovering actionable ways to contribute towards a brighter future for the marginalized, the questioning, and the Isolated Believers. Together, we can ignite a movement of compassion, understanding, and profound change in the Middle East and beyond. Join us in making a difference today. Visit https://www.sat7usa.org/get-involved to learn more. You can download a sample chapter of the book or receive a downloadable PDF and ePub version of the complete abridged book as a thank-you for a gift of any amount. Visit http://sat7usa.org/daretobelievebook.  

Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series, where we delve into the dynamic landscape of the Middle East and North Africa with Dr. Terence Ascott, the visionary Founder and President of SAT-7. In this enlightening discussion, Dr. Ascott navigates through five pressing challenges confronting the region today and their profound impact on the Church and ministry. From escalated conflicts to restricted press freedom and from limited education access to the deprivation of women's and religious rights, each issue presents a unique hurdle. However, Dr. Ascott unveils how SAT-7, the pioneering broadcast media ministry, is ingeniously addressing these challenges and fostering transformative change through innovative approaches. In his gripping memoir, Dare to Believe! Stories of Faith from the Middle East, Dr. Terrence Ascott unveils his personal odyssey amidst civil unrest, detentions, and the birth pains of SAT-7. Seamlessly interwoven with his narrative are the compelling stories of Middle Eastern Christians and the exponential growth of SAT-7 into a beacon of hope, broadcasting across Arabic, Turkish, and Persian regions. With each chapter, Dr. Ascott paints a vivid picture of resilience, faith, and the unwavering commitment to illuminate the darkest corners with the light of the Gospel. SAT-7 emerges as a powerful force for change, shedding light in the darkest recesses of the region. Dr. Ascott passionately articulates how your partnership and support fuel SAT-7's mission to make God's love visible and confront the prevailing challenges in the region head-on. As listeners, you're invited to join hands in this transformative journey, discovering actionable ways to contribute towards a brighter future for the marginalized, the questioning, and the Isolated Believers. Together, we can ignite a movement of compassion, understanding, and profound change in the Middle East and beyond. Join us in making a difference today. Visit https://www.sat7usa.org/get-involved to learn more. You can download a sample chapter of the book or receive a downloadable PDF and ePub version of the complete abridged book as a thank-you for a gift of any amount. Visit http://sat7usa.org/daretobelievebook.

Fleeing two different wars in Iraq and religious persecution, Jalil and Sundus separately found their way to America and each other! Their two American born daughters now share their faith as Middle Eastern Christians while their parents aid other refugees from around the world with the hope of Christ.For shows and more, subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribeStop killing of Christians. Stop discriminating against Christians. - JalilSadam didn't let anyone leave. - SundusIf you get caught, they can hang you. - JalilSecret Service slapped them around. We are going to kill you all. - JalilWe were crying the whole time. - SundusI was in turmoil. You created me in a place that has turmoil. Why didn't you create me somewhere else? Why do we have to go through this? I was really scared. Struggled to be alive... - JalilTo support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/1494/29 To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

Fleeing two different wars in Iraq and religious persecution, Jalil and Sundus separately found their way to America and each other! Their two American born daughters now share their faith as Middle Eastern Christians while their parents aid other refugees from around the world with the hope of Christ. For shows and more, subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribe We made it here as refugees. - Jalil A lot of persecution, displacement. - Farrah Persecution and killing. - Jalil Always sirens, there's bombing. - Sundus They used to shout, Cursed be the Christ!' - Jalil We were considered infidels. Unclean. I am going to put the cross on. I believe in Jesus. - Jalil I was scared. I was very afraid. - Sundus My father was crying. - Jalil To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/1494/29 To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years, especially during the Trump era. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy.  The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire (Baylor UP, 2021) revisits this narrative with a critical eye. Mitri Raheb charts the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring. The book analyzes the diverse socioeconomic and political factors that led to the diminishing role and numbers of Christians in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan during the eras of Ottoman, French, and British Empires, through the eras of independence, Pan-Arabism, and Pan-Islamism, and into the current era of American empire. With an incisive exposé of the politics that lie behind alleged concerns for these persecuted Christians--and how the concept of persecution has been a tool of public diplomacy and international politics--Raheb reveals that Middle Eastern Christians have been repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of Western national interests. The West has been part of the problem for Middle Eastern Christianity and not part of the solution, from the massacre on Mount Lebanon to the rise of ISIS.  The Politics of Persecution, written by a well-known Palestinian Christian theologian, provides an insider perspective on this contested region. Middle Eastern Christians survived successive empires by developing great elasticity in adjusting to changing contexts; they learned how to survive atrocities and how to resist creatively while maintaining a dynamic identity. In this light, Raheb casts the history of Middle Eastern Christians not so much as one of persecution but as one of resilience. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Ecumenics program at Princeton Theological Seminary, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions. His research focuses on the indigenous expressions of Christianities found in Southeast Asia, particularly Christianity that is practiced in the Muslim-dominant archipelagic nation of Indonesia. More broadly, he is interested in history and the anthropology of Christianity, complexities of religious conversion and social identity, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, and World Christianity. Tala Raheb is a doctoral candidate in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Religions (AAMER) at Emory University. Her dissertation examines how Palestinian American Christians interact with Christian Zionism at the intersection of American religion and politics. In addition to her work in AAMER, Tala is pursuing a concentration in World Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years, especially during the Trump era. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy.  The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire (Baylor UP, 2021) revisits this narrative with a critical eye. Mitri Raheb charts the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring. The book analyzes the diverse socioeconomic and political factors that led to the diminishing role and numbers of Christians in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan during the eras of Ottoman, French, and British Empires, through the eras of independence, Pan-Arabism, and Pan-Islamism, and into the current era of American empire. With an incisive exposé of the politics that lie behind alleged concerns for these persecuted Christians--and how the concept of persecution has been a tool of public diplomacy and international politics--Raheb reveals that Middle Eastern Christians have been repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of Western national interests. The West has been part of the problem for Middle Eastern Christianity and not part of the solution, from the massacre on Mount Lebanon to the rise of ISIS.  The Politics of Persecution, written by a well-known Palestinian Christian theologian, provides an insider perspective on this contested region. Middle Eastern Christians survived successive empires by developing great elasticity in adjusting to changing contexts; they learned how to survive atrocities and how to resist creatively while maintaining a dynamic identity. In this light, Raheb casts the history of Middle Eastern Christians not so much as one of persecution but as one of resilience. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Ecumenics program at Princeton Theological Seminary, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions. His research focuses on the indigenous expressions of Christianities found in Southeast Asia, particularly Christianity that is practiced in the Muslim-dominant archipelagic nation of Indonesia. More broadly, he is interested in history and the anthropology of Christianity, complexities of religious conversion and social identity, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, and World Christianity. Tala Raheb is a doctoral candidate in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Religions (AAMER) at Emory University. Her dissertation examines how Palestinian American Christians interact with Christian Zionism at the intersection of American religion and politics. In addition to her work in AAMER, Tala is pursuing a concentration in World Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years, especially during the Trump era. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy.  The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire (Baylor UP, 2021) revisits this narrative with a critical eye. Mitri Raheb charts the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring. The book analyzes the diverse socioeconomic and political factors that led to the diminishing role and numbers of Christians in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan during the eras of Ottoman, French, and British Empires, through the eras of independence, Pan-Arabism, and Pan-Islamism, and into the current era of American empire. With an incisive exposé of the politics that lie behind alleged concerns for these persecuted Christians--and how the concept of persecution has been a tool of public diplomacy and international politics--Raheb reveals that Middle Eastern Christians have been repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of Western national interests. The West has been part of the problem for Middle Eastern Christianity and not part of the solution, from the massacre on Mount Lebanon to the rise of ISIS.  The Politics of Persecution, written by a well-known Palestinian Christian theologian, provides an insider perspective on this contested region. Middle Eastern Christians survived successive empires by developing great elasticity in adjusting to changing contexts; they learned how to survive atrocities and how to resist creatively while maintaining a dynamic identity. In this light, Raheb casts the history of Middle Eastern Christians not so much as one of persecution but as one of resilience. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Ecumenics program at Princeton Theological Seminary, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions. His research focuses on the indigenous expressions of Christianities found in Southeast Asia, particularly Christianity that is practiced in the Muslim-dominant archipelagic nation of Indonesia. More broadly, he is interested in history and the anthropology of Christianity, complexities of religious conversion and social identity, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, and World Christianity. Tala Raheb is a doctoral candidate in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Religions (AAMER) at Emory University. Her dissertation examines how Palestinian American Christians interact with Christian Zionism at the intersection of American religion and politics. In addition to her work in AAMER, Tala is pursuing a concentration in World Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years, especially during the Trump era. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy.  The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire (Baylor UP, 2021) revisits this narrative with a critical eye. Mitri Raheb charts the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring. The book analyzes the diverse socioeconomic and political factors that led to the diminishing role and numbers of Christians in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan during the eras of Ottoman, French, and British Empires, through the eras of independence, Pan-Arabism, and Pan-Islamism, and into the current era of American empire. With an incisive exposé of the politics that lie behind alleged concerns for these persecuted Christians--and how the concept of persecution has been a tool of public diplomacy and international politics--Raheb reveals that Middle Eastern Christians have been repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of Western national interests. The West has been part of the problem for Middle Eastern Christianity and not part of the solution, from the massacre on Mount Lebanon to the rise of ISIS.  The Politics of Persecution, written by a well-known Palestinian Christian theologian, provides an insider perspective on this contested region. Middle Eastern Christians survived successive empires by developing great elasticity in adjusting to changing contexts; they learned how to survive atrocities and how to resist creatively while maintaining a dynamic identity. In this light, Raheb casts the history of Middle Eastern Christians not so much as one of persecution but as one of resilience. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Ecumenics program at Princeton Theological Seminary, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions. His research focuses on the indigenous expressions of Christianities found in Southeast Asia, particularly Christianity that is practiced in the Muslim-dominant archipelagic nation of Indonesia. More broadly, he is interested in history and the anthropology of Christianity, complexities of religious conversion and social identity, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, and World Christianity. Tala Raheb is a doctoral candidate in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Religions (AAMER) at Emory University. Her dissertation examines how Palestinian American Christians interact with Christian Zionism at the intersection of American religion and politics. In addition to her work in AAMER, Tala is pursuing a concentration in World Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years, especially during the Trump era. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy.  The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire (Baylor UP, 2021) revisits this narrative with a critical eye. Mitri Raheb charts the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring. The book analyzes the diverse socioeconomic and political factors that led to the diminishing role and numbers of Christians in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan during the eras of Ottoman, French, and British Empires, through the eras of independence, Pan-Arabism, and Pan-Islamism, and into the current era of American empire. With an incisive exposé of the politics that lie behind alleged concerns for these persecuted Christians--and how the concept of persecution has been a tool of public diplomacy and international politics--Raheb reveals that Middle Eastern Christians have been repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of Western national interests. The West has been part of the problem for Middle Eastern Christianity and not part of the solution, from the massacre on Mount Lebanon to the rise of ISIS.  The Politics of Persecution, written by a well-known Palestinian Christian theologian, provides an insider perspective on this contested region. Middle Eastern Christians survived successive empires by developing great elasticity in adjusting to changing contexts; they learned how to survive atrocities and how to resist creatively while maintaining a dynamic identity. In this light, Raheb casts the history of Middle Eastern Christians not so much as one of persecution but as one of resilience. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Ecumenics program at Princeton Theological Seminary, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions. His research focuses on the indigenous expressions of Christianities found in Southeast Asia, particularly Christianity that is practiced in the Muslim-dominant archipelagic nation of Indonesia. More broadly, he is interested in history and the anthropology of Christianity, complexities of religious conversion and social identity, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, and World Christianity. Tala Raheb is a doctoral candidate in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Religions (AAMER) at Emory University. Her dissertation examines how Palestinian American Christians interact with Christian Zionism at the intersection of American religion and politics. In addition to her work in AAMER, Tala is pursuing a concentration in World Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years, especially during the Trump era. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy.  The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire (Baylor UP, 2021) revisits this narrative with a critical eye. Mitri Raheb charts the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring. The book analyzes the diverse socioeconomic and political factors that led to the diminishing role and numbers of Christians in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan during the eras of Ottoman, French, and British Empires, through the eras of independence, Pan-Arabism, and Pan-Islamism, and into the current era of American empire. With an incisive exposé of the politics that lie behind alleged concerns for these persecuted Christians--and how the concept of persecution has been a tool of public diplomacy and international politics--Raheb reveals that Middle Eastern Christians have been repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of Western national interests. The West has been part of the problem for Middle Eastern Christianity and not part of the solution, from the massacre on Mount Lebanon to the rise of ISIS.  The Politics of Persecution, written by a well-known Palestinian Christian theologian, provides an insider perspective on this contested region. Middle Eastern Christians survived successive empires by developing great elasticity in adjusting to changing contexts; they learned how to survive atrocities and how to resist creatively while maintaining a dynamic identity. In this light, Raheb casts the history of Middle Eastern Christians not so much as one of persecution but as one of resilience. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Ecumenics program at Princeton Theological Seminary, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions. His research focuses on the indigenous expressions of Christianities found in Southeast Asia, particularly Christianity that is practiced in the Muslim-dominant archipelagic nation of Indonesia. More broadly, he is interested in history and the anthropology of Christianity, complexities of religious conversion and social identity, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, and World Christianity. Tala Raheb is a doctoral candidate in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Religions (AAMER) at Emory University. Her dissertation examines how Palestinian American Christians interact with Christian Zionism at the intersection of American religion and politics. In addition to her work in AAMER, Tala is pursuing a concentration in World Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years, especially during the Trump era. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy.  The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire (Baylor UP, 2021) revisits this narrative with a critical eye. Mitri Raheb charts the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring. The book analyzes the diverse socioeconomic and political factors that led to the diminishing role and numbers of Christians in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan during the eras of Ottoman, French, and British Empires, through the eras of independence, Pan-Arabism, and Pan-Islamism, and into the current era of American empire. With an incisive exposé of the politics that lie behind alleged concerns for these persecuted Christians--and how the concept of persecution has been a tool of public diplomacy and international politics--Raheb reveals that Middle Eastern Christians have been repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of Western national interests. The West has been part of the problem for Middle Eastern Christianity and not part of the solution, from the massacre on Mount Lebanon to the rise of ISIS.  The Politics of Persecution, written by a well-known Palestinian Christian theologian, provides an insider perspective on this contested region. Middle Eastern Christians survived successive empires by developing great elasticity in adjusting to changing contexts; they learned how to survive atrocities and how to resist creatively while maintaining a dynamic identity. In this light, Raheb casts the history of Middle Eastern Christians not so much as one of persecution but as one of resilience. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Ecumenics program at Princeton Theological Seminary, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions. His research focuses on the indigenous expressions of Christianities found in Southeast Asia, particularly Christianity that is practiced in the Muslim-dominant archipelagic nation of Indonesia. More broadly, he is interested in history and the anthropology of Christianity, complexities of religious conversion and social identity, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, and World Christianity. Tala Raheb is a doctoral candidate in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Religions (AAMER) at Emory University. Her dissertation examines how Palestinian American Christians interact with Christian Zionism at the intersection of American religion and politics. In addition to her work in AAMER, Tala is pursuing a concentration in World Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Ritafine Reality where we trade raw stories that activate your soul to courageously lead you to a healthier, happier, more authentic and magnetic YOU. I'm your host, Rita Pira, a Middle Eastern Christian woman that broke free and created a new reality defying the societal and cultural expectations that I was programmed to obey… I chose to trust my intuition and let my soul lead the way despite the fear of judgement, failure, and even being seen I'll show you how your heart will lead you to your wildest dreams my soul purpose is to inspire you to be free and do whatever you're lit up by and guided to my ultimate goal is for each episode to light up your soul to activate and trust your intuition and know that you are whole to get you to stop doubting and start believing in yourself, and to find your way to abundance and optimal health to elevate your environment and embody enlightenment to release the guilt and shame and rewire your subconscious brain to light a fire under your ass to get you out of your own way at last moving you straight into action and mastering the law of attraction so you can live your purpose and make an impact and start shedding the layers of what's holding you back and dimming your light because it's time that you rewrite your life story Follow @rawveganrita and @ritafinereality www.ritapira.com

Today's episode was recorded Live at the Middle Eastern Christian Festival in Kernersville NC. Listen as guest host Jerry Mathis speaks with some great guests at the festival.

Today's episode was recorded Live at the Middle Eastern Christian Festival in Kernersville NC. Listen as guest host Jerry Mathis speaks with some great guests at the festival.

Today, Robby is so please to speak once again with good brother in Christ; Saleem as the discuss the Middle Eastern Christian Festival in Kernersville NC on September 10th.

Thanks for tuning in! This week... * Why do Middle Eastern Christians use the term Allah when referencing God? * What is the Biblical stance on those living in a sinful lifestyle serving in the local church? * Does the Five-Fold ministry still exist today, and is it in operation in our church? * Casey's Randoms The Crew: Casey Coffman, DeWight Smith and Sr. Pastor Duane Harney The Fan Club President & Founder: Dillon Keller The Voice: Julie Miller The Executive Producer: Allen Miller

Hour 3 of The Drew Mariani Show on 12-6-21 Father Richard Simon joins Drew to talk about the History of Saint Nick, and how to have conversations with your kids about Santa Claus Casey Chalk tells us about his new book “The Persecuted” – which outlines the plight of Middle Eastern Christians, who are being […]

'Black Adam' and 'Ramy' Co-Star Mo Amer Talks his latest Standup Special 'Mo Amer: Mohammed in Texas' streaming now on Netflix. Palestinian-Muslim-American comedian Mohammed "Mo" Amer sat down with us to chat about his latest standup special 'Mo Amer: Mohammed in Texas' streaming now on Netflix. Amer, who has been performing as a teenage since the mid-1990s talks about how he got sick twice, once given to him by comedy GOAT Dave Chappelle, honoring his father when returning to Palestine for the first time as an American citizen and hints at his upcoming series that he is currently filming in Houston, TX. Mohammed has figured out the one way to united Middle Eastern Christians and Muslims with our mutual hatred of the bastardization of hummus in the Western World. Leave your bell peppers and carrots out of our dish! Also, stop making it have the consistency of paste instead of the creamy dip that it is you cretins! Amer and I discuss that rise of Muslim comics in the West, who paved the way for him and the others that follow as well as our Texas vs. California rivalry...with a humorous slant of course. The most difficult part of this conversation was trying to not give away any spoilers for his latest special, but this must watch comedy special is absolutely incredible, especially in the ability to curse between English and Arabic languages. He also demonstrates the lack of creativity there is in the naughty phrases used in the English speaking world. Amer will be staring with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. long anticipated super villain film, 'Black Adam' and can currently be seen in the film 'Americanish'. Follow Mo Amer on Twitter @realmoamer and on Instagram @realmoamer. Visit his official website at www.moamer.com. 'Mo Amer: Mohammed in Texas' streaming now on Netflix. #Comedy #Comedian #MoAmer #Netflix #Arab #Palestinian #Standup #Interview #BlackAdam #DCComics #DCEntertainment #ArabComedian #ArabComedy #FanboyNation #MohammedInTexas

Can Christianity survive in the Middle East? Ancient communities of Christian faithful are currently being decimated not just by religious violence, persecution, and war—but the economic factors that motivate emigration and refuge. Janine Di Giovanni is an award-winning journalist and war correspondent, and is Senior Fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. She joins Evan Rosa to discuss her journalistic style and approach to human rights reporting, the alarming decimation of the Christian population in the Middle East, the difference between survival and flourishing, and what it means to adapt to being an outsider. Her latest book is The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, & the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets.This episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Tyndale House Foundation. For more information, visit tyndale.foundation.From the Introduction (Evan Rosa):There are many ways to be a journalist in our noisy digital commons. And likely, there's a place for them all, but everyone—whether writer or reader—needs to ask: What is a journalist for? Presenting the truth, spreading knowledge, yes. But reporting for mere awareness pushes the question all the more for us news junkies, hooked on headlines replete with bad news.My guest today sees journalism as an endeavor of human empathy—recording the truth not from embassies or palaces or political centers, but from the leaky tents of refugee camps; telling stories not of the powerful politicians and generals executing a war, but the widows and orphans caught up in the chaos; publishing news and correspondence not to feed the insatiable news gluttony of American media, but to give voice to the voiceless.Show NotesThe Vanishing: Faith, Loss, & the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the ProphetsHow Janine Di Giovanni became a "human rights reporter"Palestinian occupation and intifadaBosnian WarWar is not about religion or tribe, but powerEmbedded within a communityGiving voiceExpressing agencyThe Vanishing: Documenting Christian communities before they disappearDi Giovanni's personal faith and commitment to neighbor loveCoats on the BoweryJournalistic style: bringing the reader close"If you have the ability to go to these places and bring the story to other people, then you have the obligation."Confusion, frustration, fearWar makes life change in an instantPerspective-taking, empathy, and compassion"Celebrating the fact that we still exist."Christian persecution around the worldThe purpose of The Vanishing: to honor the people who have decided to stay, even amidst persecutionPope Francis's trip to Iraq during covid, for solidarity"Emigration is our enemy."Good refugees vs bad refugeesChaldean Christian Iraqis chanting in AramaicFaith rooted in the landAdapting to being an outsider vs adapting to being an insiderEgyptian Coptic ChristiansCourage to be a stranger in a strange landWhat is a life worth living?Production NotesThis podcast featured journalist and war correspondent Janine Di GiovanniEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Martin Chan, Nathan Jowers, Natalie Lam, and Logan LedmanA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

In this podcast we will give a general introduction about Twins Tours, we will talk about twins Tours Mission statement, the Vision of Twins Tours , and at the end we will be   talking about Twins Tours Team.    Twins Tours & Travel LTD is a local Christian Travel agency specializing in building customized tour packages to the Holy Land. You will Experience the Bible's living history first-hand as you retrace the path of the Patriarchs and walk in the footsteps of Jesus. It is our aim that you and your fellow travelers will gain greater insight into the Scriptures as you connect with the land and the local Body of Christ. It has been both humbling and a privilege to see numerous lives transformed as our groups experience the God of the Scripture on a personal level through the intentional interaction with the Land of the Bible. Our Mission Statement To provide a journey of identity through learning the culture, the customs, and the context of Scripture through Jesus' Middle Eastern eyes, mind, and heart.   Our Experience In our experience of more than 20 years, most people leave this land changed forever. For those who have never been to Israel, it is hard to describe how much of a difference it makes to come and stand in the land of the Bible and see it for yourself. We have often heard it described as suddenly seeing in color after living in a world of black and white. There is no doubt that coming to the Holy Land will inject new life into   the faith walk of each tour participants with Jesus of Nazareth, and unveil a new appreciation for His Word. In addition to offering Biblical study tours, we also offer a variety of tours, each with a different focus: Biblical Study Tours Faith Pilgrimages Service/Volunteer/Ministry Projects Intercessory Prayer Journeys Personally Customized/Specialized/Themed or Concept Tours Conferences/Concerts   Twins Tours  Vision Statement We  pursue  unity  between the Western and Eastern Churches by building bridges in personal interaction between the living stones to foster relationships of mutual blessing and understanding between them. Through personal experience, God gives revelation of  His heart for every tongue, tribe, and nation which matures the Body of Christ in bringing reconciliation, unity, and a testimony that Jesus is Lord. To achieve these goals, we invite groups to experience the Holy Land and its people in depth from an indigenous Evangelical Christian perspective. Come join us in bringing your prayers to life!   Detailed Vision Statement We pursue a real unity which does not imply becoming homogenous or agreeing on everything. Real unity recognizes that no man (or culture) is an island. We each have strengths and weaknesses and we benefit from diversity when we achieve unity that produces mutual blessing. Achieving unity requires a revelation from God on three levels:   Awareness – God reveals to us that there are Christians from a completely different culture and with a completely different history – Middle Eastern Christians. Awareness begins with realizing that there are Palestinians Christians which are not Muslim background believers (MBBs) but rather Christians from birth and often for many Awareness continues with the revelation that Jesus didn't give His disciples the King James Bible with His words in red. Jesus spoke Hebrew and Aramaic. Middle Eastern Christians today speak the same Semitic languages of Aramaic, Hebrew and Awareness, ultimately, includes revelation that Jerusalem is the birthplace of all Christianity and not the Western Nations which receive the most media attention. There is something holy and rooted about Eastern Christianity that Western Christianity only vaguely knows exists! Understanding – God reveals the culture and history of these Middle Eastern Christians and gives us the ability to see how they Their perspective of the scripture becomes one in which we understand and can also access. Appreciation – God reveals his heart for these Middle Eastern Christians and the beauty He sees in that culture and perspective. Co-founder Tony likes to say, “We still carry the smell of Christ.” It may be different and because it is foreign, that smell may not appeal at But with understanding and connection, a level of unity can be achieved which produces appreciation for the Middle Eastern Christians and the “smell of Christ” still present in this culture. Appreciation begins with humility of seeing weaknesses in one's own culture/perspective that could be strengths in the other cultures/perspectives. Appreciation also realizes that Eastern Christianity may look very different and have weaknesses, but the strengths Western Christianity has to offer must come from a place of service and not superiority. Appreciation also includes a decision not to vilify any of the groups in the Middle East: Jews, or Palestinians. The saying is, “If you choose, you ” The Western and Eastern Churches which Twins Tours is trying to unify has  many  distinct  differences. As mentioned previously, it is to be aware of these differences, understand these differences, and ultimately, appreciate these differences. Here are some of the noteworthy differences:   Western Christianity Romance Languages (English, Spanish, latin etc.) Organizational Individualistic Rigid/Boxy Formal without many customs Values Mind and Thought Theoretical Timely   Eastern Christianity Semitic Languages (Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic) Relational Communal Fluid Informal with many customs Values Heart and Emotions Action-oriented Improvisational   These Christian communities also differ tremendously in their history. These historical differences impact the perspective of Christians from these communities even today. Western Christianity was integrated with national governments even ruling over large sections of Europe at times. This produced a more hierarchal oriented  Christianity and one which naturally thinks institutionally. Eastern Christianity began with almost 400 years of persecution and attempted to survive under various ruling nations and people. This produced a community oriented relationally. Both Western and Eastern churches have valuable natural strengths and Twins Tours would like to help each side to be aware, understand and ultimately appreciate those strengths. We recognize that our rich indigenous Christian heritage and culture utilizing the Aramaic and Hebrew sources of scripture can be an asset to Western Christians. Twins Tours serves as a natural bridge because of its connection to Messianic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Arab Christians, Arab Muslims, and Western Christians. We want to help others build bridges in personal interaction in three main ways: Bridging to Arab Christians Bridging to Arab Muslims Bridging to Jews   A bridge, by definition, is a two-way connection. A weak bridge cannot handle a heavy load. Similarly, a weak relational bridge cannot handle heavy topics and in order to bring true unity, we must be able to talk about the heavy concepts plaguing the Middle East. But we start building and recognize not all relational bridges are ready for the weight of some issues.   We appreciate any and all bridges as they   do represent an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the “other” to an extent.   In  the  end, every relational bridge  comes  down  to  a  personal connection. To this end, Twins Tours fosters personal connections between tourists and local communities. The type and depth of connection is dictated by the size of the group.   Ministry: For groups of 10-25 people, these groups get hands on with locals often in their personal Interaction: For groups of 26-50 people, these groups visit locals in their ministry Exposure: For groups of 51+ people, these groups are visited by locals who share about their life, ministry, and   Three quick examples of these opportunities: A Ministry Group can have one- or two-nights home stay with a Palestinian family in Bethlehem or West Bank. They will enjoy the food prepared by the host and learn the village culture in a way that brings the bible to life. They will hear the family stories and have fun learning from each other. In this way they will understand the daily challenges of the family, build trust, and begin a lifelong friendship. Though many people want to do “ministry” in Israel and Palestine, we have found that pastors first need to build a relationship with the people before “doing ministry” in order to be effective. An Interaction Group can have a Shabbat dinner with a Jewish family. They will learn about Shabbat and Jewish family values and the daily life in Israel. They will learn a Jewish perspective that will help the Bible come to life. The experience will probably stay with the group longer than the guide teachings at a given site.   An  Exposure  Group  can have a Jewish Rabbi meet the group for a lecture about Jewish-Christian relations. Then that same group can meet a Palestinian Christian farmer and hear his story as well. Another option is to bring a Muslim-background believer (MBB) to share his testimony. These experiences expose the group to a world they may not have even been aware of previously. For those who want to minister to locals, they must have a relationship with local pastors and appreciation for the good in the culture. It is important not to give solutions until a relationship is established. In the beginning of a relationship, it is important not to judge but just hear the hearts of the people who are hurt and need someone to listen to them. In this way, a tourist can relate to the history and ancient lessons rooted in the Bible and also to the living stones. We read in 1 Peter 2:5, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We are all the living stones which are being built up together. Sometimes tourists forget the local believers who are living stones far more precious than the ancient stones of the Western Wall or Caesarea. They are a holy priesthood with spiritual sacrifices and gifts to give. They are the continuation of 2,000 years of what Jesus started here in the Land. There is a continuation of biblical events with events going on TODAY in the land. To bring the living stones into unity, the wounds of the past will need to be healed through reconciliation. Some of these wounds include the wealth of the Western church, neglect and even complete ignorance of the Eastern Church, a Western superiority complex, and indigeneity pride of the Eastern church.   Clearly, the vision for unity has not yet been achieved. It has grown but the vast majority of the Body of Christ is still far from unified. What will real unity look like when achieved? The mutual appreciation we've discussed, will result also in mutual blessing. There will be a cooperation between the different parts of the Body just like the eyes, hands, feet, and ears of our physical bodies work in harmony (1 Corinthians 12:15-25). “15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the  hand,  “I  don't  need  you!” And the head cannot  say  to  the  feet,  “I  don't  need  you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the  parts that are unpresentable  are  treated  with  special  modesty,  24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” The strengths of one part of the Body of Christ assist in the weakness of another part. The Body functioning properly is a healthy whole and each part is blessed by being part of the whole.   In addition to mutual blessing, unity brings a testimony to unbelievers (John 17:20-23) and the power of the holy spirit (Acts 2:1-4). 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” In a land divided by politics, language, and tribal loyalties, unity of believers which transcends politics, language and tribal loyalties is remarkable to the unbeliever. The love of Jesus is given a stage which all can appreciate. The heart of God is not just that as many to be saved as possible in a general sense. It's not a generic love to mankind, it's a personal love and appreciation for the beauty of diversity. In the age to come every tongue, tribe, and nation will come up to Jerusalem to worship (Revelation 5:9). “ 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God   persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” We serve Jesus as Lord.  He cares for us and He is our friend, but He  is also our Lord. We serve Him fully with all our heart, mind and soul. Our business is a ministry to build His Kingdom. He is the King of that Kingdom… Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our vision for unity is such that we bend knees together in unity to Jesus as Lord. Twins Tours chooses to be a sustainable business rather than a donor supported ministry in order to be a source of stability and blessing to others. God provides miraculously for hundreds of ministries in Israel, but our desire is to be a source of stable economic provision for the ministry done by our staff as well as helping subsidize groups who cannot afford to come otherwise. In addition to subsidizing some Ministry Groups, Twins Tours will do once a year a Ministry Group completely free. The group only has to get to Israel and Twins Tours will cover the rest of the costs. Lastly, Twins Tours does familiarization tours for pastors which are also free to them. On familiarization tours, we invest in pastors for a week teaching them how to lead groups on the ground. These activities are only possible from the modest profits from the unsubsidized tours and the books we publish. Another important part of the vision for Twins Tours is to send out ministers to bring the message of unity to others overseas. Currently Andre travels twice a year for 3-4 months and in the future, we envision, others will also be sent out. Our Local Vision Part of the vision of Twins Tours has always been to build up the local believing community by building bridges between Messianic Jews, Palestinian Christians, and the worldwide Church. A service tour is an excellent opportunity for your group to take part in the day-to-day   ministries of the ‘living stones' of this land, and to experience firsthand what God is doing today both in Israel and among the Palestinian Territories. The Holy Land is larger than you think: Israel, Jordan & Egypt, Lebanon, Syria (Expansion to Turkey, Greece, Rome). The heart of our vision is to be able to reach the forgotten Christian people especially in the heart of the west bank. Your presence is a big encouragement for the Christians in the west bank who are left and just to connect with them is a big deal. One example is with some of the ministry groups that partner with us, they help in running summer camps through the churches of the land for even simply visiting Christian homes for a dinner eating together at their homes and talking as well as also literally cleaning and painting their homes and villages as well working through the different municipalities. Though these are little things, but it means a lot for the Christian people living in villages in the heart of the west bank and in the outskirts of Ramallah or one example the Zababdeh village near the city of Jenin. This is where almost no tourists get to and is away from the normal touristic sites. This will unite the west with the east and they will find simple people who want just to live a normal life, Twins Tours will prepare and help the people from the west how to be sensitive to their culture, as Palestinians have tight family relations. For example hugging is not encouraged, as well as when staying at their homes to have marine showers that is a very quick few minutes shower as water is scarce in the west bank and they don't get water every day, they will find out even the Palestinian Christians don't have much but they are very hospitable and serve fresh healthy food, coffee and tea. As they will be greeted with something to drink, and it is not nice at all to refuse the first drink, that will break the ice and not to ask immediately for the internet password when you first meet! Only listening to these people and to their daily struggles is something quite big for them as sometimes they are more open to foreigners. Twins Tours will help the west learn more about the Palestinian culture even help them in Olive harvesting for example as Palestinians are very good farmers, some folklore dance, etc. This way our pilgrims will experience more deeply not only the sites but as well the living stones of the land. It is not necessary to agree with all but try to understand each other. The Twins Tours Team Twins Tours office staff looks forward to meeting you and doing our best for your group to have the best experience in the Holy Land. We pray that while you are touring the land of the Bible, you will have a special encounter with the Holy Spirit. We are so excited that you were able to make this trip of a lifetime! Andre & Marie Moubarak:   Andre is the Co-founder and manager    of Twins Tours and one of the main tour guides. Marie is the Director of Program & Partnership Development, and she has a heart to see visitors and pilgrims encounter the land and the people of Israel in a meaningful, integrity-filled way. Tony & Sawsan Moubarak: Tony is the Co-Founder of Twins Tours and the main Tour Guide. He also helps manage the office when Andre is outside the country. Sawsan assists in accounting and manages supplier payments. Tony and Sawsan have 2 Children – 12 years old girl and 14 years old boy. Tony loves studying, reading, and writing so that he can teach the Word of God. Setrag & Sylvia Shemmessian: Setrag is the Reservation Manager  at Twins Tours, he deals with all the hotel bookings, site reservations, and daily emails and communications with all the suppliers. Sylvia, Setrag's wife, is the Accounting Manager and oversees all financial   transactions. They have a newborn child almost 6 months old. Sylvia is Andre, Tony and Albert's cousin. Albert Moubarak: Albert is the logistics manager in the office - he communicates with drivers and guides and supports the whole office. Albert and his wife, Rasha, have 3 children, two boys (6.5 yrs. old, 5.5 yrs. old), and one girl (4.5 yrs old). Celesty Dabbagh: Celesty is the Media Projects Manager and a licensed Tour Guide with a deep love for the land of the Bible. When she is not on tours, she is at the Twins Tours office, creating physical and digital content to enhance and promote the business. Celesty is also Sawsan's niece. Our Website to book Tours: www.twinstours.org Blessings Andre

Mindy Belz has been with World Magazine since its founding in 1986. It’s a publication aimed at evangelical Christians, started by her brother in law, Joel Belz. Emily Belz, Mindy’s daughter, is also at World now, and has worked at the New York Daily News and The Indianapolis Star.Mindy has spent 20 years covering the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria. This is a story that truly did get overlooked: before the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, there were about 1 million Christians in Iraq, living out a version of the faith with incredibly ancient roots. Many Christians in that region still speak Aramaic, the tongue that Christ himself spoke. But 17 years later, the Christian community in Iraq has been decimated by violence and intimidation. Only about 100,000 Christians remain there. The faith there has almost become extinct in terms of sheer population size. Mindy and I discuss a little bit how much decisions made, or not made, by the Bush administration, are responsible for that. Mindy’s book on this topic, “They Say We are Infidels: On the Run from from ISIS With Persecuted Christians in the Middle East,” came out in 2015. I recommend it. The suffering of this community there, and in Syria, is tough to comprehend. I first thought of interviewing Mindy when I saw her tweet something last May. It was in response to protests against COVID restrictions. "For 6 yrs I've reported on Christians chased from their homes & churches by ISIS, seen their testimony, steadiness, care for one another. How utterly disheartening to watch the American church come apart in a 10-wk shutdown. They shall be known by their demand for their rights,” she wrote. So, I read her book, we talked about that issue, and then we discussed why her experience in the Middle East led her to make the comment. And we get into the contrasts she sees between Christians who have truly endured suffering and persecution, and those in America who claim to be persecuted because of restrictions on church gatherings, and in the article I wrote for Yahoo News, I get more into that, and there’s some very relevant commentary from David French, who says that religious liberty is up for debate in this. But he has some interesting criticisms of people who have charged out and disregarded public health guidance, like the gatherings organized by Sean Feucht, and contrasts it with churches who have gone out of their way to comply with public health guidance and have sued, and won, only when that was their last option, like Capitol Hill Baptist in DC. Mindy’s bigger critique of American Christians is two fold: they have no idea what real religious persecution looks like is one part of it. But she also notes the narrowness of demanding rights to do whatever one wants while disregarding the impact of not wearing masks and distancing on those who are most vulnerable — which is not just the older but also people who are poor and on the margins, those without health insurance who are going to avoid going to the doctor or ER if they get sick until it’s too late. And she contrasts this with a vision of the common good that characterizes Middle East Christians. Now, part of the reason people dismiss masks and distancing is because they are following Trump’s lead, but also because they are listening to those who dismiss scientific consensus. And this gets to the matter of critical thinking, and that’s where Emily comes in. Emily wrote

Now more than ever, Christianity is at risk of disappearing from the Middle East. This week on CNA Newsroom, we bring you the stories of Middle Eastern Christians who are peacefully standing their ground to protect their homeland, their people, and their faith. This is the second in a three-episode series on Christian persecution. Shownotes: https://nasarean.org/ https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Disappearing-People/Stephen-M-Rasche/9781642932034 https://www.churchinneed.org/ https://indefenseofchristians.org/ http://hungaryhelps.gov.hu/en/ https://www.churchinneed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Report-on-Christianity-in-northern-Iraq.pdf https://www.wsj.com/articles/iraqi-christians-are-still-waiting-mr-pence-1528413035

We are doing a series called Ameri-CAN. Talking about the CAN-DO spirit that is part of our American DNA. So much about our lives has been turned upside down by this Corona Virus / Covid-19, and we have been hearing a lot about what we CAN’T do and where we CAN’T go, but our guests during this series are going to talk to us about their area of expertise and all of the ways we still CAN learn and grow, train, connect, and expand our freedoms in ways we maybe haven’t thought about before. Our guest today is Mona K Oshana. Mona is the Co-Chairwoman of American Assyrian Republican Coalition of Arizona (AARCA). Her family escaped from the cruel totalitarian rule of Saddam Hussein and she speaks from personal experience the anguish and the suffering of her people then and now in Iraq today-- a view that is rarely seen or covered by the media. Mona offers a true glimpse inside Iraq - beyond the controversy, beyond the politics to the heart of the country and the people. 1) Mona, you are a proud American and a proud Republican. I’ve listened to so much “news” that tries to tell me that Republicans are racists and anti-immigration. Knowing you makes what the “news” tells me seem highly untrue. Talk to us about how you came to embrace Conservatism. 2) Another thing “the news” wants us to believe is that Conservatives are somehow “anti-immigration”. From your personal experience, talk to us about why you think it is so difficult for people to distinguish between Illegal and Legal Immigration. 3) Many of our young adults in the United States seem to be actively pushing away the freedoms that our Founding Fathers fought to secure for us. And they seem to get starry-eyed about Socialism. Meanwhile, millions of people every day are risking life and limb to flee Socialist countries and come to the US. What do you say to those – perhaps well-meaning – people who think that Socialism allows for a better life? 4) You are currently working to raise awareness to the plight of the persecuted Middle Eastern Christians. We do not hear enough about the eminent threat they face of total annihilation. You and your family not only escaped from that kind of persecution, but you are trying to help protect Christians in the Middle East. Talk to us about that work. 5) You feel very strongly that our nation is at a vital fork in the road. A step to the left or right on that road will set the path for all generations to come. What can or should each person do in order to give our children and our children’s children the opportunity to know the freedoms that brought your family and millions of others to the United States?

In Episode 8 of QR Code, James McKenzie speaks with four queer people who have experienced conversion practices or ideology.Thank you to Nathan, Roe, Katecia, and Abba for sharing their insights and experiences.For more information about queer conversion practices and ideologies from survivors' perspectives in Australia, visit the Brave Network.To contact or access QMEACA (Queer African and Middle Eastern Christians in Australia), visit facebook.com/QMEACA.Content warning: This episode contains descriptions or discussions of homophobia, transphobia, violence, mental health, and suicide, that may be distressing to some listeners. If you need assistance, please contact Qlife (1800 184 527), Lifeline (13 11 14), or your state-based service. 

Transcribed highlights of the show can be found in our episode summaries. Last week President Trump abruptly announced that American soldiers would be leaving Kurdish-controlled territory in Syria. The news shocked the US military. It was also an unwelcome surprise to Kurdish fighters, whom the US had backed in the fight against ISIS. The announcement was good news for Syria's neighbor Turkey who have long fought the Kurdish guerrilla group known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey and both Turkey and the US consider it a terrorist organization. Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Turkish troops began a military assault on the Kurdish-controlled parts of Syria. Many of the Christians that live in that area have fled to Armenia, says Charlie Costa, who pastors a congregation in Beirut and actively plants churches in the Middle East. “But of course, that empties the area of any Christian witness, at least theoretically or on a human level,” said Costa. “It leaves the place without a witness for Christ. Even those who support the President were disappointed with that because the view in the Middle East is always that America protects Christians.” Costa joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to learn why Kurds are coming to Christ, the community’s long history of persecution, and how Middle Eastern Christians view American Christians.  This episode of Quick to Listen is brought to you in part by Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God's Image, a newly updated and combined book by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, from InterVarsity Press. For 40% off and free US shipping on this book and any other IVP title, visit ivpress.com and use promo code POD19. This episode of Quick to Listen is also brought to you by Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, which offers a practical, student-centered approach to seminary. Wesley Seminary’s model connects applicable coursework with active ministry. For more information, visit http://seminary.indwes.edu.

Robby is live from the Middle Eastern Christian Festival in Kernersville, NC. All guests are from the festival, and they discuss the different elements and attractions that they have for the people to see and enjoy. As always we also have Robby's Dad Jokes, Robby's Riddles, and a message that everyone should hear. So be blessed and enjoy all of this and more right here on the Kingdom Pursuits Radio Show.

Our Christian brother and sisters are undergoing great tribulation in the Middle East. The question arises: How can they survive in a region dominated by ISIS and radical Muslims committed to wiping them out of existence? Across the Middle East Christians in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and Syria are fighting to survive. Joining us today to update us on the plight of Middle Eastern Christians is Peter Burns, the Government Relations Director of In Defense of Christians. For Further Insight: Website:  In Defense of Christians Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indefenseofchristians/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/indefchristians

This won’t be a happy time for Superted. His missus will die, there’s no cash in the piggy bank and there’s trouble brewing in Scotland. All our Ted wants to do is go on crusade. But. Acre will fall and that’s it for our Middle Eastern Christian types.  

Madawi al-Rasheed (LSE) and Courtney Freer (LSE), give a talk for the Middle East Centre Seminar Series at St Anthony's College Oxford, chaired by Toby Matthiesen (St Anthony's College). Dr Courtney Freer is a Research Officer at the Kuwait Programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her work focuses on the domestic politics of the Arab Gulf states, with a particular focus on Islamism and tribalism. Her DPhil thesis at the University of Oxford revised rentier state theory by examining the socio-political role played by Muslim Brotherhood groups in Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE; a book version of these findings will be published by Oxford University Press in Spring 2018 under the title Rentier Islamism: The Influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gulf Monarchies. She previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Brookings Doha Center and as a researcher at the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council. Professor Madawi Al-Rasheed is Visiting Professor at the Middle East Centre, London School of Economics. Previously she was Professor of Social Anthropology at King’s College, London and Visiting Research professor at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on history, society, religion and politics in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, Middle Eastern Christian minorities in Britain, Arab migration, Islamist movements, state and gender relations, and Islamic modernism. Her latest book Muted Modernists: the Struggle over Divine Politics in Saudi Arabia was published by Hurst in 2015. Her presentation draws on her forthcoming edited volume: Salman’s Legacy: the dilemmas of a new era published by Hurst and OUP in March 2018.

Last week, President Trump announced that the United States would be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While many Middle Eastern Christians have been critical of this decision, some American evangelical leaders have praised the move. “I think a lot of evangelicals support Israel for a sense of justice,” said Gerald McDermott, the author of Israel Matters: Why Christians Must Think Differently about the People and the Land. “They see Israel as a light of freedom and democracy in a Middle East that is filled with the darkness of tyranny.” McDermott, who has traveled to Israel more than a dozen times, acknowledged that the move can make things complicated for Palestinian Christians. “They’re rightly afraid that anything the United States does will be used again them by their Muslim cousins,” said McDermott. “They’re often considered subversives because they’re Christians, the United States is considered a Christian country, and anything the United States does that the Palestinian leadership doesn’t like must be supported by Palestinian Christians.” McDermott joined associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss whether Christians should care about the location of the American embassy, the divide between Middle Eastern and American Christians over Jerusalem’s recognition as Israel’s capital, and where biblical prophecy fits into this discussion.

Christian Car Guy

What is life like for Christian refugees from Syria and Iraq? We ask Dalal Saied, who left Iraq when she was seven, lived for years as a refugee in Syria, and finally settled in the United States as part of the Middle Eastern Christian diaspora. …

-Was Super Bowl LI the greatest super bowl of all-time? It certainly featured some truly amazing moments as the New England Patriots erased a 25-point second half deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in the first Super Bowl to go to overtime in NFL history.-Pat and Jeff share their thoughts on the game and everything that surrounded it, including Lady Gaga's halftime performance and the 'Hamilton' cast's performance of "America the Beautiful."-Should former President George H.W. Bush have been wheeled out to midfield in his frail condition? The guys have their thoughts on that as well.-Donald Trump sat down with Bill O'Reilly prior to Sunday's big game. The President discussed three topics: his executive order on immigration, sanctuary cities in California, and America's relationship with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. Pat and Jeff agree with his points on the first two topics. The third...not so much.-A Mississippi town was forced to remove a “Christian” flag from a public place after a “freedom from religion” group threatened a lawsuit against the town. How could they get away with this? What does this have to do with the separation of church and state?-The Boy Scouts have continued to cave on their core values as they will now admit transgender boys (after also choosing to admit homosexual leaders and pupils). It's probably time to just change their name to "the Scouts."-Saturday Night Live has been on fire lately, and the NBC program dropped another bombshell by debuting Melissa McCarthy as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. In short, hilarity ensues.-Glenn Beck joins the program with an excerpt from his live Q&A session in which he was asked about the Nazarene Fund, which seeks to protect Middle Eastern Christian minorities by bringing them to the United States. Glenn tells us that, perhaps surprisingly, many of the people they help want to go back to their homelands once hostilities cease. In short, according to Glenn, this program would be huge news if he and his people were liberals.NEWSFLASH: The scientific community duped world leaders with false data on global warming. The deception runs so deep that even the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) violated its own scientific integrity.-The guys tell you exactly what happens to the losing team's championship apparel. And they determine just what Emily Elizabeth, the owner of Clifford the Big Red Dog, must have done in order to pick up his poop.-The guys eat a football made out of summer sausage in the latest edition of SPOONS! Plus, Jeffy tells us a funny personal story from one of his children's day care centers.Listen to Pat & Stu for FREE on TheBlaze Radio Network from 5p-7p ET, Mon. through Fri. www.theblaze.com/radioTwitter: @PatandStuFacebook: PatandStu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

-Just how much did Stu pay to attend this year's Super Bowl? Pat and Jeff conclude that we will probably never know.Glenn Beck joins the program with an excerpt from his live Q&A session in which he was asked about the Nazarene Fund, which seeks to protect Middle Eastern Christian minorities by bringing them to the United States. Glenn tells us that, perhaps surprisingly, many of the people they help want to go back to their homelands once hostilities cease. In short, according to Glenn, this program would be huge news if he and his people were liberals.NEWSFLASH: The scientific community duped world leaders with false data on global warming. The deception runs so deep that even the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) violated its own scientific integrity.-Why do so many people hate the level of success that the Patriots have attained? Is it primarily a leftist thing? Regardless, the irrational hatred of New England's success has become a part of American life.-The guys tell you exactly what happens to the losing team's championship apparel. And they determine just what Emily Elizabeth, the owner of Clifford the Big Red Dog, must have done in order to pick up his poop.-The guys eat a football made out of summer sausage in the latest edition of SPOONS! Plus, Jeffy tells us a funny personal story from one of his children's day care centers.Listen to Pat & Stu for FREE on TheBlaze Radio Network from 5p-7p ET, Mon. through Fri. www.theblaze.com/radioTwitter: @PatandStuFacebook: PatandStu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aimmee Kodachian is the founder of the “Aimmee Kodachian and the Experts” Show, Academy, Webinars and Events where some of the Top Experts in the world help you to “Transform your Business and Personal life.” She is also the author of her biography, “Tears of Hope,” her true life story of a Middle Eastern Christian girl, growing up in the 1975 Lebanese Civil War. Aimmee  lived 13 years through the Lebanese Civil War. She was only 12 years old when a bomb killed her older brother right in front of her. In the blink of an eye, her family would soon lose everything and become homeless. Aimmee was faced with enormous obstacles and many challenges. Due to her severe dyslexia and the war, she was forced to leave school at the 4th grade, lost her dream of becoming a teacher and was left with no opportunities or hope. Aimmee was persuaded into marriage. The ceremony took place only three days after her 14th birthday. At 15, she became a mother. When she was still a teenager, she became a single mom and was left with no education, skills or money. It was up to her to figure out how to feed her daughter while dealing with the War and the culture’s belief system. Her daughter became her “WHY” and that kept her going day after day, despite the tragic loss of many family members.

Christian Car Guy

A conversation on why Christians are leaving the middle east and if the exodus can be reversed.

Christian Car Guy

This series of teachings from the Gospel accounts incorporates the perspective, insight, and cultural worldview of Middle Eastern Christians. These studies are meant to provide insight into the Gospel accounts, which has shaped the understanding of faith, since the time in which the scripture was first written. Thus developing many of the things which have been lost, because of cultural misunderstanding, meaning the things which go unsaid in a culture, are here revealed in these studies.

Middle Eastern Christians have been caught in a web of complicated regional politics. An eye-opening conversation with Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay. The post The Plight of Middle Eastern Christians appeared first on Cradio.

Insights from the Gospels (Series) This series of teachings from the Gospel accounts incorporates the perspective, insight, and cultural worldview of Middle Eastern Christians. These studies are meant to provide insight into the Gospel accounts, which has shaped the understanding of faith, since the time in which the scripture was first written. Thus developing many of the things which have been lost, because of cultural misunderstanding, meaning the things which go unsaid in a culture, are here revealed in these studies.

Insights from the Gospels (Series) This series of teachings from the Gospel accounts incorporates the perspective, insight, and cultural worldview of Middle Eastern Christians. These studies are meant to provide insight into the Gospel accounts, which has shaped the understanding of faith, since the time in which the scripture was first written. Thus developing many of the things which have been lost, because of cultural misunderstanding, meaning the things which go unsaid in a culture, are here revealed in these studies.

Insights from the Gospels (Series) This series of teachings from the Gospel accounts incorporates the perspective, insight, and cultural worldview of Middle Eastern Christians. These studies are meant to provide insight into the Gospel accounts, which has shaped the understanding of faith, since the time in which the scripture was first written. Thus developing many of the things which have been lost, because of cultural misunderstanding, meaning the things which go unsaid in a culture, are here revealed in these studies.

Insights from the Gospels (Series) This series of teachings from the Gospel accounts incorporates the perspective, insight, and cultural worldview of Middle Eastern Christians. These studies are meant to provide insight into the Gospel accounts, which has shaped the understanding of faith, since the time in which the scripture was first written. Thus developing many of the things which have been lost, because of cultural misunderstanding, meaning the things which go unsaid in a culture, are here revealed in these studies.

Insights from the Gospels (Series) This series of teachings from the Gospel accounts incorporates the perspective, insight, and cultural worldview of Middle Eastern Christians. These studies are meant to provide insight into the Gospel accounts, which has shaped the understanding of faith, since the time in which the scripture was first written. Thus developing many of the things which have been lost, because of cultural misunderstanding, meaning the things which go unsaid in a culture, are here revealed in these studies.

There's plenty of talk on radio, but with 20twenty you'll find Life, Culture & Current events from a Biblical perspective. Interviews, stories and insight you definately won't hear in the mainstream media. This feed contains selected content from 20twenty, heard every weekday morning. See www.vision.org.au for more details Help Vision to keep 'Connecting Faith to Life': https://vision.org.au/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anne is a resource development specialist for global and multi-cultural resources at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship living with her husband and four sons in Cairo, Egypt. Anne received her Bachelor's degree from Calvin College in Psychology and Sociology in 1999, her Master's degree from the American University in Cairo in the field of Social Psychology in 2002, and her Masters of Divinity from Calvin Theological Seminary in 2009. Anne, who was born in Egypt, and her husband, Naji Umran, pastored two churches in Michigan and British Columbia but always planned to return one day to Egypt to live and serve. In September 2011, nine months after the events of the Arab Spring, they felt called to make the move. Anne will share with us what life is like in Egypt for Middle Eastern Christians and share with us were she finds her hope.

We take a closer look at the local Middle Eastern Christian religions in the Crusader States.

Our last Beatitude in this series is somewhat theoretical for North American Christians. We have not really experienced persecution as so many have in different contexts. Worldwide, many followers of Jesus suffer greatly for their faith perhaps more today than at any time in history. In some ways, North American Christianity is somewhat of an anomaly in that it exists in a rather peaceful and friendly environment. Chinese and Middle Eastern Christians would see this Beatitude from a far different perspective. In our text, verse 10 is the Beatitude, and verses 11 & 12 are the application of the Beatitude to the Disciples' specific context. They would indeed experience insults and false accusations as even a casual reading of the Book of Acts would attest. The New Testament is full of examples of followers of Jesus who suffer. In particular, Mark's Gospel and the books of 1st and 2nd Peter deal the challenge of suffering in the life of a Believer. Persecution, if we can call it that in our North American context, is less overt and more subtle than the suffering of the earliest believers. Followers of Jesus do experience some forms of prejudice for their faith. There are times when believers are ostracized because of their faith. In certain contexts believers may have to make serious sacrifices in the marketplace because of their convictions. Jesus has three basic things to say about persecution. First, it is part of belonging to His Kingdom. As the Poor in Spirit know, so the Persecuted know that "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The blessing of being Kingdom people comes with a price: poverty of spirit and persecutions. Secondly, these persecutions must be "because of Christ" not because of one's own folly, ignorance or arrogance. Some of the opposition to the people of faith is not because of Christ but perhaps because of misplaced zeal or a lack of wisdom in how we live out our faith. Thirdly, persecution because of Christ stands Christians in good stead. It is a longstanding outcome of faithful service. The OT prophets proved this time and time again. Faithfulness is sometimes "rewarded" with negative consequences. Questions for Discussion: 1. Slide 2-4. Can you think of examples of when what you first thought might be persecution, was in fact simply due to your own folly? 2. Slide 7. Can you think of other New Testament examples of the Church under persecution? 3. Slide 8. What examples can you think of from your own life of persecution "because of me?" What do you know about persecution of Believers in other parts of the world? 4. Slide 9. Why do you think that most persecution comes from Religious groups? Why at times is the church one of the worst persecutors of those who disagree with its dogma? I am thinking of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and even the persecution of Anabaptists and to some extent the Methodist movement. 5. Slide 10-12. What words of comfort does Jesus give to those who are persecuted? List at least 3 reasons for hope in the midst of persecution. 6. Slide 13. Discuss why North American Christianity is relatively free from persecution.

Our last Beatitude in this series is somewhat theoretical for North American Christians. We have not really experienced persecution as so many have in different contexts. Worldwide, many followers of Jesus suffer greatly for their faith perhaps more today than at any time in history. In some ways, North American Christianity is somewhat of an anomaly in that it exists in a rather peaceful and friendly environment. Chinese and Middle Eastern Christians would see this Beatitude from a far different perspective. In our text, verse 10 is the Beatitude, and verses 11 & 12 are the application of the Beatitude to the Disciples' specific context. They would indeed experience insults and false accusations as even a casual reading of the Book of Acts would attest. The New Testament is full of examples of followers of Jesus who suffer. In particular, Mark's Gospel and the books of 1st and 2nd Peter deal the challenge of suffering in the life of a Believer. Persecution, if we can call it that in our North American context, is less overt and more subtle than the suffering of the earliest believers. Followers of Jesus do experience some forms of prejudice for their faith. There are times when believers are ostracized because of their faith. In certain contexts believers may have to make serious sacrifices in the marketplace because of their convictions. Jesus has three basic things to say about persecution. First, it is part of belonging to His Kingdom. As the Poor in Spirit know, so the Persecuted know that "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The blessing of being Kingdom people comes with a price: poverty of spirit and persecutions. Secondly, these persecutions must be "because of Christ" not because of one's own folly, ignorance or arrogance. Some of the opposition to the people of faith is not because of Christ but perhaps because of misplaced zeal or a lack of wisdom in how we live out our faith. Thirdly, persecution because of Christ stands Christians in good stead. It is a longstanding outcome of faithful service. The OT prophets proved this time and time again. Faithfulness is sometimes "rewarded" with negative consequences. Questions for Discussion: 1. Slide 2-4. Can you think of examples of when what you first thought might be persecution, was in fact simply due to your own folly? 2. Slide 7. Can you think of other New Testament examples of the Church under persecution? 3. Slide 8. What examples can you think of from your own life of persecution "because of me?" What do you know about persecution of Believers in other parts of the world? 4. Slide 9. Why do you think that most persecution comes from Religious groups? Why at times is the church one of the worst persecutors of those who disagree with its dogma? I am thinking of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and even the persecution of Anabaptists and to some extent the Methodist movement. 5. Slide 10-12. What words of comfort does Jesus give to those who are persecuted? List at least 3 reasons for hope in the midst of persecution. 6. Slide 13. Discuss why North American Christianity is relatively free from persecution.

This 84th Episode of CS is titled Lost & is a brief review of The Church in the East.I encourage you to go back and listen again to episode 72 – Meanwhile Back in the East, which conveyed a lot of detail about the Eastern Church & how it fared under the Mongols and Muslim Expansion in the Middle Ages.Until that time, Christianity was widespread across a good part of the Middle East, Mesopotamia, Persia, & across Central Asia – reaching all the way to China. The reaction of Muslim rulers to the incipient Mongol affiliation with Christianity meant a systemic persecution of believers in Muslim lands, especially in Egypt, where Christians were regarded as a 5th Column. Then, when the Mongols embraced Islam, entire regions of Christians were eradicated.Still, even with these deprivations, Christianity continued to live on in vast portions of across the East.Let me insert a verbal footnote at this point. Much of what follows comes form the work of Philip Jenkins, whose book The Lost History of Christianity is a stellar review of the Church of the East. I heartily recommend it to all you hardcore history fans.Consider this . . .The news recently reported the attacks by ISIS on Assyrian Christians in Northern Iraq. This is a reprise of 1933, when Muslim forces in the new nation of Iraq launched assaults on Nestorian & Assyrians, in what had once been the Christian heartland of northern Mesopotamia. But now, government-sponsored militias cleansed most of the area of its Assyrian population, killing thousands, and eliminating dozens of villages.Although the atrocities weren't new, the arrival of modern media meant they reached the attention of the world, raising demands for Western intervention.These anti-Christian purges were shocked many & elicited a new legal vocabulary. Within months, the Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin referred to the Assyrians & Christian Armenians before them, to argue for a new legal category called crimes of barbarity, meaning “acts of extermination directed against the ethnic, religious or social collectivities whatever the motive; be it political or religious.” In 1943, Lemkin expanded this idea and coined a new word for such abhorrent behavior—Genocide.Yes = The modern concept of genocide as a horror calling for international sanctions has its roots in successful movements to eradicate Middle Eastern Christians.I mention this less than century old genocidal campaign against Assyrian Christians because we may tend to assume the Middle East has ALWAYS been dominated by Islam, or at least, it has since the 7th C. What we ought to understand instead is that it was only in the last Century that the Middle East wasn't understood as a home to a significant popular of Christians. Take ANY Middle Eastern person out of the 18th C and plant them in the Middle East of today and they would be stunned by the paucity of Christian presence.Until a century ago, the Middle East was a bewildering quilt of religious diversity in which Christians were a familiar part of the social and cultural landscape. Particularly startling for our time traveler would be modern-day Turkey as a Muslim land.Historically speaking, until very recently, Christians were as familiar a part of the Middle Eastern scene as Jews are in the United States, or Muslims are in Western Europe. At the dawn of the 20th C, Christians of the Middle East were about 11% of the population while American Jews are only about 2%!The destruction of the Middle Eastern Christian community is an historic transformation of the region.The decline of Christianity in the Near East occurred in two distinct phases.The first occurred during the Middle Ages and largely as a result of the Crusades. But even then, Christians suffered more or less regionally. The Syriac Church was virtually annihilated while the Egyptian Copts held their own. Reduced to a minority status, they entrenched & proved durable.But the second phase of hostility against Christians began about a century ago with the advent of a new & virulent form of Islamism. Now Christians are being systematically eradicated; either by aggressive assimilation or outright persecution. The 20th C saw the emergence of a form of Islam intolerant of any other faith.The Ottoman Turks began as a rather small power in Asia Minor. After the Mongol invasions destroyed the Seljuks, the Ottomans used the wars that followed to create a power base in Asia Minor. They gradually spread over what had been the Christian Byzantine Empire. By the time they took Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire included the Balkans, and by 1500 they controlled the Black Sea. By 1520 they ruled most of the Muslim world west of Persia, as far as Algiers, and became the main enemy for European Christians. Their European conquests advanced rapidly through the 16th C under such Selim I & Suleiman the Magnificent. In 1526, the Turks conquered Hungary, destroying what was at that time a major European power. Turkish advances weren't reversed until the their loss at Vienna in 1683.Selim I took the title of caliph, and took his role as head of Islam seriously. He ordered the confiscation of all churches, many of which were razed, and Ottoman authorities forced thousands of conversions. A century later, the sultan Ibrahim planned the total extermination of Christians. From the 15th C onward, the pressure to convert to Islam was massive. Throughout Christian territories held vassal by the Turks was levied the “tribute of children” by which Christian families had to give a number of their sons to be raised by the state as slaves, or as elite soldiers, called Janissaries. These janissaries became some of the most feared warriors in the Sultan's army against the Europeans.Ottoman warfare was extremely destructive because it drew on methods stemming from the Turkish heritage of Central Asia. Ottoman forces massacred entire Christian populations, targeting clergy and leaders. In 1480, the Turks destroyed the Italian city of Otranto, killing 12,000 and executing priests by sawing them in half. The destruction of Nicosia in Cyprus in 1570 was a crucial loss to Europe. Accounts of Ottoman warfare and punishment include such gruesome techniques as impaling, crucifixion, and flaying. When a Christian leader in Wallachia, named Vlad decided to use these very same tactics against the Turks, it gave rise to the legend of Dracula.From the 15th thru the 19th Cs, the Turks ruled over a large Christian population on European soil. They called Christians rayah, “the herd,” and treated them as animals to be sheared and exploited. A Bosnian Muslim song says >> “The rayah is like the grass; Mow it as much as you will till it springs up anew.”Though pressure to convert was strong, Christianity survived, and managed to recover in a few places like Greece & Bulgaria. But the Eastern Orthodox Church now followed the way of their earlier cousins, the Nestorian and Jacobite Churches & passed under Muslim rule.As the Near East fell under the control of Islamic states, Western European nations had an ever-greater incentive to find alternative trade routes. This they did by exploiting the seas. Well into the 15th C, explorers dreamed of linking up with the fabled Prester John, and renewing the alliance against Islam. In the mid–15th C, the Portuguese explored the Atlantic & shores of Africa. By the 17th C, Europeans were well on their way to global domination. Rising economic power led to urbanization, and the share of the world's population living in Europe and in European overseas colonies grew dramatically. Demographic expansion vastly increased the relative power of European Christianity.Expanding commercial horizons brought Europe's churches into contact with the tattered shreds of the ancient Eastern Christian groups. Tensions between European and non-European churches were of ancient origin. As early as 1300, Catholic missions in China had met sharp opposition from Nestorians, who naturally saw the newcomers making inroads on their ancient territories. Now, however, the Latin powers were far stronger than before, and better able to enforce their will. During the great period of Spanish and Portuguese empire building from the mid-16th to 17th C, the leading edge of Christian expansion was the Roman Catholic Church, fortified by the militancy of the Counter-Reformation. As Catholic clergy and missionaries roamed the world, they found the remnants of many ancient churches, which they determined to bring under papal control.So long-standing was the separation of Western and Eastern churches that the 2 sides never stood much chance of an alliance. As Christianity fell to such dire straits outside Europe, Catholics dismissed foreign traditions as marginal or even unchristian. After the fall of Constantinople, Pope Pius II wrote to the victorious sultan, effectively denying that the non-Catholic churches were Christian in any worthwhile sense: they were “all tainted with error, despite their worship of Christ.” He more or less explicitly asserted the identity of Christianity with the Catholic tradition and, even more, with Europe itself.As Western Christians traveled the world, many were skeptical about the credentials of other churches. In 1723, a French Jesuit reported that “the Copts in Egypt are a strange people far removed from the kingdom of God…although they say they are Christians they are such only in name and appearance. Indeed many of them are so odd that outside of their physical form scarcely anything human can be detected in them.”Latins were troubled by the pretensions of these threadbare Christians, who nevertheless claimed such grand titles. In 1550, a Portuguese traveler reported that the 40,000 Christians along the Indian coast owed their allegiance to a head in “Babylon,” someone they called the “catholicos.” Bafflingly, they had not so much as heard of a pope at Rome. Some years later, envoys dispatched by the Vatican were appalled to discover India's Nestorians called “the Patriarch of Babylon the universal pastor and head of the Catholic Church,” a title that in their view belonged exclusively to the Roman pontiff.For the first time, many Asian and African churches now found themselves under a European-based regime, and were forced to adjust their patterns of organization and worship accordingly.Around the world, we see similar attempts at harmonization. From the 1550s, factions in the Nestorian church sought Roman support, and much of the church accepted Roman rule under a new patriarch of the Chaldeans. Like other Eastern churches, the Catholic Chaldeans retained many of their customs and their own liturgy, but this compromise was not enough to draw in other Nestorians who maintained their existence as a separate church. The Jacobites split on similar lines, with an independent church remaining apart from the Catholic Syrians.The most controversial moment in this process of assimilation occurred in 1599, when Catholic authorities in southern India sought to absorb the ancient Syriac-founded churches of the region, the Thomas Christians. The main activist was Aleixo de Menezes, archbishop of the Portuguese colony of Goa, who maneuvered the Indian church into a union with Rome at a Synod in Diamper. In Indian Christian memory, de Menezes remains a villainous symbol of European imperialism, who began the speedy Romanization of the church, enforced by Goa's notoriously active inquisition. The synod ordered the burning of books teaching Nestorian errors as well as texts teaching practices Europeans deemed superstitious. A substantial body of Syriac and Nestorian tradition perished. Many local Christians reacted against the new policy by forming separate churches, and in later years the Thomas Christians were deeply fragmented.Yet despite this double pressure from Muslims and Catholics, Eastern Christian communities survived. At its height, the Ottoman Empire encompassed the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa, & in Europe included millions of subject Christians. Even in 1900, Muslims made up a little less than half the empire's overall population.This survival seems amazing when we think of the accumulated military catastrophes and defeats between 1300 and 1600, and the tyranny of sultans like Selim I. Yet for all these horrors, the Ottomans also found it in their interest to maintain a stable imperial order. After Sultan Mehmet II took Constantinople, he formally invested the new patriarch with his cross and staff, just as the Christian emperors had done previously. Christian numbers stabilized as the Ottomans granted them official status under a system dating back to the ancient Persians. They had their own patriarch who was both religious and civil head. This system endured into the 1920s.Within limits, Christians often flourished, to the puzzlement of western Europeans, who could not understand the distinctive Ottoman mix of tolerance and persecution. Particularly baffling was the extensive use the empire made of non-Muslims, who were in so many other ways denied the most basic rights. Sultans regularly used Christians and former Christians as administrators, partly because such outsiders would be wholly dependent on the ruler's pleasure: eight of the nine grand viziers of Suleiman the Magnificent were of Christian origin.Making their life under the new order more acceptable, Christians actively proved their loyalty. Above all, Orthodox believers were not likely to work with foreign Catholic powers to subvert Turkish rule. The Orthodox found the Muslims no more obnoxious than the Catholic nations, whose activities in recent centuries had left horrendous memories. Apart from the Latin sack of Constantinople in 1204, later Catholic invaders like the Venetians had been almost as tyrannical to their Orthodox subjects as were the Turks. Even in the last days of the empire, a Byzantine official famously declared, “Better the Sultan's turban than the Cardinal's hat!” Matters deteriorated further when the Orthodox saw how Catholics treated members of their own church in eastern Europe.By far the worst sufferers from the carnage of the 14th C were the old Eastern Syriac churches, precisely because they had once been so powerful and had posed a real danger to Muslim supremacy. Neither Jacobites nor Nestorians ever recovered from the time of Timur. If we combine all the different branches of these churches, we find barely half a million faithful by the early 20th C, scattered from Cyprus and Syria to Persia. This implosion led to a steep decline in morale and ambition. Instead of trying to convert the whole of Asia as they had originally envisioned and seemed within their grasp, the Syrian churches survived as inward-looking quasi-tribal bodies. Succession to the Nestorian patriarchate became hereditary, passing from uncle to nephew. Intellectual activity declined to nothing, at least in comparison with its glorious past. Most clergy were illiterate, and the church texts that do survive are imbued with superstition and folk magic.Well …That brings us now back to Europe and the monumental shift the Western Church had been moving toward for some time, as we've tracked over 8 episodes in our series, The Long Road to Reform.We'll pick it up there in our next episode.

This is Part 2 of our series on Rabban Sauma.We begin with a brief review of the political scene into which Rabban Sauma's story fits.Trade between the Roman Empire and the Far East was established as early as the First Century. But this trade was conducted by intermediaries. No single Western merchant made the entire trek to China, nor vice-versa. Goods traveled a ways from East to West or West to East by local caravans, which deposited them at a market, to be picked up by another caravan local to that region to continue the journey. After the Fall of the Han dynasty in the 3rd Century, and the ensuing chaos of the 4th thru 6th Centuries in China, trade stopped. With the emergence of the Tang Dynasty in the 7th Century, trade resumed. Goods flowed from the Middle East to China and back. But still, no Westerner met with his Chinese counterpart. The West prized Chinese silk and porcelain, while the East wanted frankincense, myrrh, jasmine, horses, and camels. Trade increased as Chinese dynasties and Islamic caliphates grew stronger. When they were in decline, trade did as well because of increased raids by brigands and the various protection schemes of money hungry local warlords.In these early centuries, trade flowed between Western and Eastern Asia. Europe wasn't involved because Medieval Feudalism simply had no market for Eastern goods. That changed with Europe's emergence from the Middle Ages and the new appetite for Eastern goods stimulated by the Crusades. The foothold Europeans established in the Outremer during that time opened routes between the Middle East and Europe that brought goods to the marketplace the newly emerging Middle Class were able to afford. It wasn't long before silk began to adorn the wardrobe of the rich, and in a trend that's existed since time immemorial, what the rich wear, the poor aspire to.The Mongol conquests of the 13th Century saw an increase in trade between East & West and the first contact between Europeans and Chinese. By the end of the 1270's the Mongols controlled more territory than any other empire in history, from Korea and South China, large parts of what would later be Russia, all Central Asia, a large portion of the Middle East and all Persia.In the 12th Century, mythical stories of a Christian Ruler in the East named Prester John motivated a handful of Europeans to initiate contact in the hope of an alliance to back down the threat from Islam. The legend of Prester John was stoked by Christian communities in the Middle East who knew vaguely of the Nestorian Church of the East and had heard tales of a Central Asian ruler named Yelu Tashih, King of Khara Khitay who'd' defeated the Muslims of his realm. They just assumed he must be a Christian. He wasn't. But why let a little detail like that mess up a perfectly good story that might illicit assistance from Europeans in launching a Crusade that would lift the Muslim heel form the necks of Middle Eastern Christians?As the Mongols moved steadily westward in the early 13th Century, King Bela of Hungary sent a Dominican emissary named Julian to learn more about what was obviously a very real threat. Julian never reached the Mongol base. He was met instead by Mongol envoys dispatched by the Mongol ruler Batu with an ultimatum of unconditional surrender and the release to the envoys of several enemies of the Mongols who'd fled to Bela for refuge.Julian returned to Hungary with the ultimatum and an account of the Mongol army, which he said, was formidable due to its mobility. He reported it was the Mongol ambition to conquer all the way to Rome and add to their already ridiculous wealth by sacking the richest parts of Europe.The Mongol conquest of the cream of Hungary and Poland's elite warriors and armies in 1240 by what was just the Mongol front screen put all Western Europe on notice about the new threat from the East. But Europe as fractured and disunited. The Pope and Holy Roman Emperor were at odds over who had supremacy. The call for yet another Crusade to liberate the Holy Land from the infidel floundered due to this disunity while the Christian cities in the Outremer pleaded for assistance.Three embassies were sent over the course of 1245 & 6 to the Mongols in an attempt to gather information about their intentions. Only one of them, lead by John of Plano Carpini was successful. He traveled all the way to the Mongol capital of Khara Khorum where he delivered a letter from the Pope, urging the Mongols to convert to Christianity and to leave off any further conquests in the West. While there, John witnessed the ascension of Genghis' grandson Guyug to the position of Great Khan.Why the Mongols forsook their long history as a loose collection of nomadic tribes ruled by local chieftains to a massed nation under a supreme leader is a matter for a different study and podcast. Of our interest is the liberal policy the Mongols took toward religion in the years of their early expansion. The native religion of Mongolia was shamanism. Most of the tribes were originally ruled by a chieftain in conjunction with a shaman n a power-sharing mode. But shamanism wasn't well suited to the ruling of the settled populations the Mongols began conquering in China and the Middle East. These peoples tended to be more literate and sophisticated and needed a Faith that reflected deeper interests than shamanism could address. As a result, the Khans either adopted the predominant religion of the region they conquered, or they maintained a policy of toleration that allowed several faiths to prosper. As a result, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity were all accepted forms of Faith in Mongol realms. What wasn't appreciated by Mongol rulers were demands they embrace a particular faith. So the Pope's demand he convert and forsake an invasion enraged the Great Khan Guyug. John of Plano was sent home with a letter to Pope Innocent and al Europe's leaders to submit to the Mongols. If they balked, Guyug boasted, it would be a war the likes of which Europe had never seen.John's embassy to the East was a disaster. Not only had he failed to convert the Mongols, he'd managed to alienate the very people the West had hoped to ally with in a campaign against the resurgent Muslims of the Middle East. And while his mission was unfruitful, John's written account of what he experienced in the East proved to be a major boon as it lifted the veil of ignorance the West had to the East. If the Mongols had been shrouded in mystery up to that point, the mystery was dispelled with John's comprehensive, though at times inaccurate, description of their way of life. After John of Plano Carpini's mission, there were several attempts by Western rulers like France's Monarch Louis to forge an alliance with the Mongols against the Muslims. Some emissaries were official, while other missions were undertaken in a more covert fashion. Western insistence on the conversion of Mongol rulers to Christianity and Mongol intransigence on European submission were perennial sticking points. At one point Nestorian emissaries sent by The Great Khan Guyug to King Louis fabricated the lie that Guyug HAD converted and that he was married to the daughter of the fabled Prester John. Impressed, Louis sent two embassies to the Mongol court. Since Guyug was now dead, the Great Khanate became a prize rivals wrangled over; creating an impossible situation for the Western envoys when they became part of the prize being fought for.Relations between the Mongols and Europe remained unproductive until 1256 when The Great Khan Mongke's brother Hulegu was sent on a mission to enlarge their territory at the expense of hostile Muslim dynasties in the Middle East. It was well-known that Hulegu's wife was an ardent Nestorian who figured prominently in her husband's counsels. With Nestorian support, the Mongols under Hulegu captured a portion of Armenia, known then as Cilicia, and two years later overthrew the Abbasid Dynasty and entered Baghdad, executing the last Caliph. The Mongols thus became the rulers of Persia and surrounding territories of the Middle East. In 1261, Hulegu took the title of Ilkhan, meaning under-khan. The Mongol rule of wider Persia became forever after known as the Ilkhanate. It was technically subservient to the domains of the Great Khans but for all practical purposes ended up becoming just another region of Mongol dominance until a resurgent Islam was able to push out the weakening Mongols.After the conquest of Baghdad, Hulegu's forces continued Westward toward the Mediterranean. After taking territory in Syria, as so often happened in Mongol history, Hulegu was obliged to head home to Mongolia for the selection f the next Great Khan. His brother Mongke had died and as the tradition was among the Mongols, the next Khan would be selected by vote or the subordinate Mongol leaders, who themselves had all risen to position by merit, an innovation devised by the legendary Genghis. Before he departed for home, Hulegu appointed one of his commanders too continue the struggle against the Muslims by taking the key city of Damascus. Once Damascus fell, the rest of Syria would quickly follow. Up to this point, the Mongolian forces had seemed irresistible. But a change in Egypt meant a new state of affairs. In 1249, Turkish mercenaries of the Ayyubid dynasty revolted against their masters and established the Mamluk Dynasty. Fielding a far more powerful army, they set out to face the Mongols in Syria.Both armies were large and the Mongols had early success. They captured Damascus but were handed a serious defeat at the famous Battle of Ayn Jalut on Sept 3, 1260. This was the Mongols first defeat in the West. The Mongol commander was killed and the Mamluks retook Damascus. They then swept the Mongols from the rest of Syria.When word reached Hulegu of the defeat, he turned around without ever reaching Khara Khorum, rallied his defeated forces, determining to avenge his dead. Hulegu feared the Mamluk victory would embolden the Muslims under his rule in Persia to revolt. Since they were in the majority, a rebellion would prove devastating. But disunity in the Mongol world kept Hulegu from dealing with the Mamluks. To his north was his cousin Berke, ruler of the Mongol Golden Horde in what is today Russia. Berke and Hulegu were at odds with each other over the adjoining region of Azerbaijan, a rich plateau needed for the raising of their mounts, crucial for their style of warfare. Azerbaijan was also the region through which the increasingly rich East-West trade flowed, bring vast wealth. Exacerbating the tension between the cousins was Berke's conversion to Islam. He wasn't at all happy Hulegu had ended the Abbasid Caliphate and was now embroiled in hostilities with the Muslim Mamluks. So these two regions of Mongol dominance were at odds rather than united. With the defeat of the Ilkhanate at the Battle of Ayn Jalut, Berke allied with the Mamluk's against Hulegu.Joining the fray against the Ilkhanate in Persia was the Mongol realm lying to the East in Central Asia, the Chaghadai Khanate. The tensions here were the same as those between Hulegu & Berke – over territory and religion.Surrounded by hostile realms, Hulegu sought allies to bolster his hold on Persia. Persia and the Middle East simply didn't provide the pasturage the Mongol army required to wage effective warfare. Defeating the Mamluks and Golden Horde meant bolstering his forces with capable allies. His alliance with the ruler of Armenia provided some assistance, but Hulegu realized their addition could only forestall defeat, not attain the victory that would end the incessant conflicts.Hulegu's alliance with his brother, the Great Khan Khubilai was more a thing of theory than practice. In Khubilai's contest with their other brother, Arigh Boke, for the Khanate, Hulegu backed Khubilai, but due to the distance, wasn't able to offer anything more than verbal support. The same as now true in reverse. While Khubilai supported Hulegu and the Ilkhanate of Persia, he wasn't able to provide any forces to the contest. The result was Hulegu's turn to the West for allies. To defeat the Mamluks and regain Syria, he'd need Christian Europe's help. He figured they'd be open to such an alliance since they still possessed few holdings in the Outremer after the disasters of the Crusades and a resurgent Islam. Hulegu realized the haughty demands of his predecessors would not endear Western rulers to ally with him against the Mamluks. He'd have to appeal to them as equals.What Hulegu didn't know about was the disunity among Europe's rulers at the same time as such disorder in the Mongol realms. Also, the year 1260, when Hulegu began casting his net for allies to the West was only 20 years after the harrowing defeat of Hungary and Poland's military elite at the hands of the Mongols. Europe was terrified of them. Since treachery was a standard part of Mongolian warfare, offers of an alliance would be regarded as ploys for conquest rather than sincere overtures of alliance. From Europe's perspective, neither the Mamluks nor Mongols were a safe bet for alliance against the other. The best course was deemed as neutrality, and the hope the Mongols and Mamluks would duke it out in a war that would effectively cripple both. The Crusaders could then sweep in and take over.But Hulegu was ignorant of these Western impulses and dreamed of an alliance with the Christian West in a campaign against the Mamluks. Once the threat to his south and west was contained, the Ilkhans would be free to deal with the Golden Horde to their Northeast. While Hulegu's dream of a Mongol-European alliance was never realized, after his death in 1265, his successor carried on the same hope, putting feet to it in the career of the remarkable Rabban Sauma, whose tale we'll return to in our next episode.

The title of this episode is Coping.It's time once again to lay down our focus on the Western Church to see what's happening in the East.With the arrival of Modernity, the Church in Europe and the New World was faced with the challenge of coping in what we'll call the post-Constantine era. The social environment was no longer favorable toward Christianity. The institutional Church could no longer count on the political support it enjoyed since the 4th C. The 18th C saw Western Christianity faced with the challenge of secular states that may not be outright hostile but tended to ignore it.In the East, Christianity faced far more than benign neglect for a long time. When Constantinople fell in 1453 to the Turks, The Faith came under a repressive regime that alternately neglected and persecuted it.While during the Middle Ages in Europe, Popes were often more powerful than Kings, the Byzantine Emperor ruled the Church. Greek patriarchs were functionaries under his lead. If they failed to comply with his dictates, they were deposed and replaced by those who would. When the Emperor decided reuniting with Rome was required to save the empire, the reunion was accomplished against the counsel of Church leaders. Then, just a  year later, Constantinople fell to the Ottomans. Many Eastern Christians regarded this calamity as a blessing. They viewed it as liberation from a tyrannical emperor who'd forced them into a union with a heretical church in Rome.The new Ottoman regime initially granted the Church limited freedom. Since the patriarch fled to Rome, the conqueror of Constantinople, Mohammed II, allowed the bishops to elect a new patriarch.  He was given both civil and ecclesiastical authority over Christians in the East. In the capital, half the churches were converted to mosques. The other half were allowed to continue worship without much change.In 1516, the Ottomans conquered the ancient seat of Middle Eastern Christianity in Syria and Palestine. The church there was put under the oversight of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Then, when Egypt fell a year later, the Patriarch of Alexandria was given authority over all Christians in Egypt. Under the Ottomans, Eastern Church Patriarchs had vast power over Christians in their realm, but they only served at the Sultan's pleasure and were often deposed for resisting his policies.In 1629, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril Lucaris, wrote what was considered by many, a Protestant treatise titled Confession of Faith. He was then deposed and executed. Fifty years later, a synod condemned him as a “Calvinist heretic.” But by the 18th C, the Reformation wasn't a concern of the Eastern Church. What was, was the arrival of Western philosophy and science. In the 19th C, when Greece gained independence from Turkey, the debate became political. Greek nationalism advocated Western methods of academics and scholarship. The Greeks also demanded that the Greek Church ought to be independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Conservatives wanted to subsume scholarship under tradition and retain allegiance to Constantinople.During the 19th and early 20th Cs, the Ottoman Empire broke up, allowing national Orthodox churches to form in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. The tension between nationalist and conservative Orthodoxy dominated the scene. In the period between the two world wars, the Patriarch of Constantinople acknowledged the autonomy of Orthodox churches in the Balkans, Estonia, Latvia, and Czechoslovakia.Early in the 20th C, the ancient patriarchates of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch were ruled by Arabs. But the newly formed states existed under the shadow of Western powers. This was a time when out of a desire to identify with larger groups who could back them up politically and militarily, a large number of Middle Eastern Christians became either Catholic or Protestant. But an emergent Arab nationalism reacted against Western influence. The growth of both Protestantism and Catholicism was curbed. By the second half of the 20th C, the only nations where Eastern Orthodox Christianity retained its identity as a state church were Greece and Cyprus.The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was viewed by Russian Christians as God's punishment for its reunion with the heretical Rome. They regarded Moscow as the “3rd Rome” and the new capital whose task was to uphold Orthodoxy. In 1547, Ivan IV took the title “czar,” drawn from the ancient “Caesar” a proper name that had come to mean “emperor.” The Russian rulers deemed themselves the spiritual heirs to the Roman Empire. Fifty years later, the Metropolitan of Moscow took the title of Patriarch. The Russian Church then churned out a barrage of polemics against the Greek Orthodox Church, Roman Catholics, and Protestants. By the 17th C, the Russian Orthodox Church was so independent when attempts were made by some to re-integrate the Church with its Orthodox brothers, it led to a schism in the Russian church and a bloody rebellion.Now—I just used the term “metropolitan.” We mentioned this in an earlier episode, but now would be a good time for a recap on terms.The Roman Catholic Church is presided over by a Pope whose authority is total, complete. The Eastern Orthodox Church is led by a Patriarch, but his authority isn't as far-reaching as the Pope. Technically, his authority extends just to his church. But realistically, because his church is located in an important center, his influence extends to all the churches within the sphere of his city. While there is only one pope, there might be several Patriarchs who lead various branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church.A Metropolitan equates loosely to an arch-bishop; someone who leads a church that influences the churches around it.Peter the Great's desire to westernize a recalcitrant Russia led to an interest on the part of Russian clergy in both Catholic and Protestant theology. Orthodoxy wasn't abandoned; it was simply embellished with new methods. The Kievan school adopted a Catholic flavor while the followers of Theophanes Prokopovick leaned toward Protestantism. In the late 19th C, a Slavophile movement under the leadership of Alexis Khomiakov applied some of Hegel's analytics to make a synthesis called sobornost; a merging of the Catholic idea of authority with the Protestant view of freedom.Obviously, the Russian Revolution at the beginning of the 20th C put an end to all this with the arrival of a different Western Philosophy - Marxism. In 1918, the Church was officially separated from the State. The Russian Constitution of 1936 guaranteed “freedom for religious worship” but also “freedom for anti-religious propaganda.” In the 1920s, religious instruction in schools was outlawed. Seminaries were closed. After the death of the Russian Patriarch in 1925, the Church was forbidden to name a successor until 1943. The State needed all the help it could get rallying the population in the war with Germany. The seminaries were re-opened and permission was given to print a limited number of religious books.In the late 20th C, after 70 years of Communist rule, the Russian Orthodox Church still had 60 million members.In a recent conversation I had with a woman who grew up in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet Era, she remarked that under the Communists the Church survived, though few attended services. Freedom of religion was the official policy under the Soviets. But in reality, those who professed faith in God were marked down and passed over for education, housing, and other amenities, thin as they were under the harsh Soviet heel. You could be a Christian under Communism; but if you were, you were pretty lonely.Several years ago, when Russia opened to the rest of the world, I had a chance to go in with a team to teach the Inductive Study method as part of Russia's attempt to teach its youth morality and ethics.A senior citizen attended the class who between sessions regaled us with tales of being a believer under Communism. He looked like something straight out of an old, grimy black and white photo of a wizened old man with thinning white hair whose wrinkled face speaks volumes in the suffering he'd endured. He told us that he'd spent several stints in Russian prisons for refusing to kowtow to the Party line and steadfastly cleaving to his faith in God.It's remarkable the Church survived under Communism in the Soviet Bloc. Stories of the fall of the Soviets in the early '80s are often the tale of a resurgent Church.There are other Orthodox churches in various parts of the world. There's the Orthodox Church of Japan, China, and Korea. These communions, begun by Russian missionaries, are today, indigenous and autonomous, with a national clergy and membership, as well as a liturgy conducted in their native tongue.Due to social strife, political upheavals, persecution, and the general longing for a better life, large numbers of Orthodox believers have moved to distant lands. But as they located in their new home, they often transported the old tensions. Orthodoxy believes there can only be a single Orthodox congregation in a city. So, what to do when there are Greek, Russian or some other flavor of Eastern Orthodox believers all sharing the same community?Keep in mind not all churches in the East are part of Eastern Orthodoxy. Since the Christological controversies in the 5th C, a number of churches that disagreed with established creeds maintained their independence. In Persia, most Christians refused to refer to Mary as Theotokos = the Mother of God. They were labeled as Nestorians and declared heretical; though as we saw way back when we were looking at all this, Nestorius himself was not a heretic. Nestorians are more frequently referred to as Assyrian Christians, with a long history. During the Middle Ages, the Assyrian church had many members with missions extending as far as China. In modern times, the Assyrian Church has suffered severe persecution from Muslims. Early in the 20th C and again more recently, persecution decimated its members. Recent predations by ISIS were aimed at these brethren.Those churches that refused to accept the findings of the Council of Chalcedon were called Monophysites because they elevated the deity of Christ over His humanity to such a degree it seemed to make that humanity irrelevant. The largest of these groups were the Copts of Egypt and Ethiopia. The Ethiopian church was the last Eastern church to receive State support. That support ended with the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974. The ancient Syrian Monophysite Church, known more popularly as Jacobite, continued in Syria and Iraq. Its head was the Patriarch of Antioch who lived in Damascus. Technically under this patriarchate, but in reality autonomous, the Syrian Church in India has half a million members.As we saw in a previous episode, the Armenian Church also refused to accept the Chalcedonian Creed, because it resented the lack of support from Rome when the Persians invaded. When the Turks conquered Armenia, the fierce loyalty of the Armenians to their faith became one more spark that lit the fuse of ethnic hostility. In 1895, 96, and again in 1914 when the world was distracted elsewhere by The Great War, thousands of Armenians living under Turkish rule were massacred. A million escaped to Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Greece, France, and other Western nations where the memory of the Armenian Holocaust lives on and continues to play an important role in international relations and the development of foreign policy.