The World According to Sabeel

By Shelley Neese, The Jerusalem Connection What type of lense must one wear to look at the situation of the world and determine that America is a power-hungry empire, Israel is an apartheid state, Christian Zionists are delusional militants, and Palestinians are peaceful advocates for justice?  Welcome to Sabeel’s International Conference on Challenging Christian Zionism. …

The Rise of CUFI

By Shelley Neese, The Jerusalem Connection “It’s a new day in America.  The sleeping giant of Christian Zionism has awakened!” Pastor John Hagee announced in his booming voice to thunderous applause at the AIPAC Annual Policy Conference last March.  What Hagee humbly omitted is that Christians United for Israel (CUFI), a group he formed just over…

The rise of CUFI

by Shelley Neese “It’s a new day in America. The sleeping giant of Christian Zionism has awakened!” Pastor John Hagee announced in his booming voice to thunderous applause at the AIPAC Annual Policy Conference last March. What Hagee humbly omitted is that Christians United for Israel (CUFI), a group he formed just over a year…

Palestinian Liberation Theology

By Shelley Neese, The Jerusalem Connection Replacement Theology—the belief that the Christian Church replaced Israel in God’s plan—has found a new home in the work of the Sabeel Center—the Jerusalem-based ecumenical organization for Palestinian Christians.  After experiencing decades of decline and total rejection by many denominations, Replacement Theology has resurfaced in the form of Palestinian…