Emily Lawrence: Palestinian Christians Attacked by Zionists.

Christ at the Checkpoint: "Hope in the Midst of Conflict" was a five-day event organized by Bethlehem Bible College earlier this month. Christian theologians, academics and church leaders were invited to meet with the local Palestinian church and challenge the Christian Zionist influence within the evangelical movement. The conference attracted major speakers both from within the Palestinian Christian community, as well as international evangelicals, including Tony Campolo. Gary Burge, Stephen Sizer, John Ortberg and Shane Claiborne. Messianic Jewish speakers were also invited. "This is a conference about sitting down together, Christians, Muslims, whoever comes, discussing theology, in this environment of occupation," Alex Awad of Bethlehem Bible College told The Electronic Intifada. "We want people to come, see the wall, see the checkpoints, see the reality on the ground, and then open the Bible." The bottom line is the reality of God and his goodness, and the reality of this occupation. Because as Palestinian Christians we face this every day," Awad added. "We go to church and we learn God is good, but to get to our church we have to go through a checkpoint. How do we figure out the goodness of God with the harsh realities on the ground? That is what the conference is all about." According to the Christ at the Checkpoint website, its main aims were to empower the Palestinian church, expose injustice in Palestine, and to motivate participants to engage in reconciliation. Topics ranged from the role of Palestinian women in ministry, to the theology of the land and biblical principles of justice and nonviolence. One of the most prominent themes, however, was using the Bible to challenge the theology of Christian Zionism!