Theology

Theology matters—it can oppress and kill, or it can liberate and heal. It shapes church doctrine, Biblical interpretation, mission work, and how Christians act in the world, including the policies they support. When theology joins forces with colonialism and racism, it gives the theft of resources and subjugation of indigenous peoples divine sanction. But, when theology takes seriously the “signs of the times” and attends to the cry for justice, it responds to the divine command to love neighbor and enemy. All churches—all Christians—have inherited both tendencies.

Kairos Palestine puts it this way:  “Our message…is a call to repentance; to revisit fundamentalist theological positions that support certain unjust political options with regard to the Palestinian people. It is a call to stand alongside the oppressed and preserve the word of God as good news for all rather than to turn it into a weapon with which to slay the oppressed. The word of God is a word of love for all His creation. God is not the ally of one against the other, nor the opponent of one in the face of the other. God is the Lord of all and loves all, demanding justice from all and issuing to all of us the same commandments. We ask our sister Churches not to offer a theological cover-up for the injustice we suffer, for the sin of the occupation imposed upon us.”

Explore these resources to learn more about both the toxic and prophetic theological perspectives that contribute to how people of faith respond to Israel/Palestine.


Dr. Beth Corrie speaks on Theology Matters
Kairos USA Summit, October 2015

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Kairos USA Director Mark Braverman lectures on “A Confessing Church for the Present Kairos” at “Radicalizing Reformation” conference in Germany in January, 2017. Download the paper here.