Reconciliation and justice in action
Reconciliation is at the core of the gospel; God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ. Thus, as followers of Christ, we ought to bear this message of reconciliation and apply it in our lives. In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Paul expands on this responsibility and asserts that we ought to be ambassadors of reconciliation to the world through His justice.
This was and still is the calling that inspired me 30 years ago to establish ‘Musalaha’ (reconciliation in Arabic). Over the years, I have learned a great deal about reconciliation and was thrilled with the opportunity to expand Musalaha’s reconciliation teachings through the Peace and Reconciliation Network of the World Evangelical Alliance. Despite the many conflicts in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, the few churches and organisations to partner with, I have been researching and exploring the main actors of peace and reconciliation with the desire of familiarising ourselves with our reconciliation MENA network.
Musalaha Testimony: ‘We have to be Christ right now.’
A Jewish believer writes: I was born in Israel and lived here for three years before living all round the world. My dad worked in the hotel industry, so we were always travelling. I came back to Israel when I was 18 and met my wife.
My mum is Moroccan-tradition Jewish, so not really religious. My dad was born in England, but raised in Scotland. He came to Israel in the mid-1970s.
Musalaha: Reflections on 30 years
Musalaha Executive Director Salim J. Munayer writes:
Firstly, 30 years is no small number for any organisation to be active, let alone in Palestine/Israel. We have faced numerous challenges and adversities including various different political administrations, wars, an intifada, global economic crisis, and now a pandemic! Despite all of this, Musalaha has learned to adapt itself to some of the most complicated circumstances in Palestine/ Israel. This was of course no easy task as Musalaha had to reinvent itself a number of times. Reconciliation was always our message and calling, but its communication and implementation had to always translate to the reality on the ground. Sadly to say, we witnessed over 30 years many peace-building, reconciliation and dialogue groups dissolve. We are truly thankful for God’s provision and guidance through the various storms.
