A Sense of Belonging

Christmas Celebrations Canceled in Iraq After Deaths of 400 Protesters

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on December 9, 2019. Distributing food to protesters with 40 fellow church members under the Jumariyah bridge near Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Ara Badalian made a poignant observation. “This movement is a flood, occupying the hearts of the youth and the poor, without any religious discrimination,” the … Continue reading →

Egypt’s Christian Women Treated Like Muslims in Inheritance. Until Now?

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on December 5. Two stories here, so the article deck is an important follow-up to the headline: Meanwhile, Coptic activist who insists true religious equality does not yet exist goes to prison on terrorism charges. Here’s the intro to the first: Coptic lawyer Huda Nasrallah may have … Continue reading →

Should Lebanon’s Christians Join Protests? Viral Sermons Argue Yes and No.

This article was first published at Christianity Today on November 27. Does a revolution need a leader? As the rocks rained down near the tent of Ras Beirut Baptist Church’s effort to discuss the question, suddenly the faith of the Christians gathered there was put to the test. For the past month, Lebanese evangelicals have … Continue reading →

Palestinian Evangelicals Gain Official Recognition

This article was first published at Christianity Today on November 27. After 12 years of waiting, evangelicals in Palestine now claim they have greater civil rights than their fellow believers in the Holy Land. Earlier this month, the president of the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land—which represents congregations and ministries located … Continue reading →

Split the Cedars of Lebanon: Evangelicals Balance Prayer, Protest, and Politics in Ongoing Uprising

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on November 8. At first, it was two high school girls. The education minister in Lebanon had just canceled classes nationwide due to an explosion of popular anger at proposed taxes. Public squares in Beirut and other cities swelled with demonstrations. The two students asked Steve White, … Continue reading →

The Road from Damascus: How an Evangelical Syrian Spoke at Harvard’s Commencement

This article was first published at Christianity Today on November 7. Following Turkey’s recent incursion into Syria and establishment of a “safe zone” in coordination with Russia, the beleaguered nation faces another refugee crisis. According to the United Nations, 6.7 million Syrians have registered with their High Commission for Refugees. Turkey hosts the largest share, … Continue reading →

When You are Persecuted in One Place, Flee to Another. But Not to America

This article was first published at Christianity Today on November 5. Zero. The United States did not resettle a single refugee in October. According to 30 years of records from World Relief, last month was the first time a calendar month went empty. For the past five years, the October average was 4,945 refugees resettled. … Continue reading →

There’s No One Christian View on Kurds and Turks

This article was first published at Christianity Today on October 24. As reports circulated that Turkey had violated its five-day pause in operations against the Kurds on the Syrian border, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rhetoric intensified. If Kurdish fighters did not withdraw from their positions, as agreed between Erdogan and President Donald Trump, Turkey would … Continue reading →

Armenian Orthodox Leader: ‘We May Forgive One Day, But We Will Never Forget.’

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on November 1. The Armenian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. According to tradition, Armenia was evangelized by Jesus’ disciples Bartholomew and Thaddeus. In 301 A.D., it became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion. An Oriental Orthodox … Continue reading →

Will US Genocide Resolution Satisfy Armenian Christians?

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on November 1. Armenian Americans breathed a sigh of relief this week when the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved Resolution 296 to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Around 1.5 million Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923, as the defeated Ottoman Empire transitioned into the modern Republic … Continue reading →

Syrian Christians Brave Insecurity to Stay Behind and Help

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on October 18. Though most of the fighting has stopped for now, Turkey’s incursion on Kurdish-controlled northern Syria has left another humanitarian crisis in its wake. Local churches as well as Christian organizations like Open Doors and Preemptive Love Coalition have prioritized caring for the citizens who … Continue reading →

Jordan Evangelicals Push for Official Recognition

This article was first published at Christianity Today on October 10. Evangelicals in Jordan have a new leader. They just don’t have anything official for him to lead yet. Five denominations, including Baptists, Assemblies of God, Evangelical Free, Nazarene, and Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) churches, met a month ago to elect Habes Nimat as … Continue reading →

Christians Killed on Syria’s Front Lines

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on October 11. Three Christians have been killed in Turkey’s assault on Kurdish-held areas in northeast Syria, reported In Defense of Christians (IDC), citing their sources on the ground. In Qamishli, a Syriac Christian and his wife died, while in Ras al-Ain an additional Syriac Christian civilian … Continue reading →

Syrian Christians to US: ‘Don’t Abandon Us Now’

This article was first published by Christianity Today on October 8. Not long after the defeat of the Islamic State in the area, Syrian Christians warn that US military withdrawal from the Kurdish-controlled region, announced yesterday by President Donald Trump, will expose them to danger. “The expected military invasion [by Turkey] and the possible confrontation … Continue reading →

Duke-UNC Middle East Studies Center Flagged for Anti-Christian Bias

This article was first published at Christianity Today, on September 27. Certain evangelicals have long complained about bias in American universities. The government may now be doing something about it, as Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos examines a prominent Middle East studies program for downplaying Christianity and other non-Muslim faiths. A three-page letter sent by … Continue reading →

In UN Speech, Trump Announces New Religious Freedom Initiatives

This article was first published at Christianity Today on September 23. Speaking before the United Nations today, President Trump praised the country’s religious freedom record and cited figures that suggest the rest of the world has much work to do, as he announced new funding to protect religious sites as well as business partnerships to … Continue reading →

Evangelicals Who Distrust Muslims Likely Don’t Know Muslims

This article was first published at Christianity Today on September 12. Earlier this week, a Baptist church in Michigan canceled an event titled, “9/11 Forgotten? Is Michigan Surrendering to Islam?” due to pushback from fellow Christians and politicians. The pastor of Bloomfield Hills Baptist Church identifies as an Islamophobe and organized the gathering because he … Continue reading →

When Islam is Not a Religion in America

This article was first published at Christianity Today on September 9. Is Islam a religion? This question is regularly posed by populists seeking to restrict Muslims in America. If Islam is not a religion—if it is a militant ideological system, for example—then some argue it is not subject to First Amendment protection. At stake is … Continue reading →

A Tale of Three Churches

This article was first published in the Summer 2019 print edition of Light magazine, produced by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. In January, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt stood side-by-side with Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Inaugurating the Cathedral of Nativity, the largest church in the Middle East, he … Continue reading →

Why Muslims Love Mary

This article was published in the July/August print edition of Christianity Today. Mohammed, a pious PhD student from Egypt, sat guardedly in the “Community of Reconciliation.” Invited by David Vidmar, director of coaching for Peace Catalysts International, the middle-aged Muslim seemed soured on the idea of interfaith exchange at his northern California university. Vidmar suspected … Continue reading →