Decolonizing Palestine Book Study

Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, The Bible is a remarkable book. Perfect for the reflective time of Lent and perfect for our class discussion, this book study class will be led by seminarian willow carter and retired pastor Carol Parsons. Class will run from 9-10 am, February 22 – March 29 in Calvary’s Caritas room 146. There will be two class sessions after Easter to prepare questions and meet with Palestinian scholar, Tala AlRaheb.

The central question of Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, The Bible is:

What if “peace” in Palestine has been framed in ways

that preserve injustice rather than dismantle it?

Written by Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Christian, this timely book provides an easy to understand account of why things are the way they are. Citing biblical references and long-held church teachings, Rev. Raheb gently but firmly asks us to rethink what we think we know about the Palestine-Israel situation. Educating ourselves beyond the smokescreen moniker of “It’s complicated” is vital as we continue to prepare ourselves to truly live our faith in our community, city, state, country, and world.

Born and raised in Palestine, Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb is a co-founder of Bright Stars of Bethlehem and the Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University. Previously, he pastored the Evangelical Christmas Church in Bethlehem, Palestine. His steadfast calling focuses on realizing abundant life for Palestinians via his writing, public speaking, and major international media appearances.

Tala AlRaheb, Development Director of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, will join the class via Zoom on March 19 for a dedicated Q&A  conversation. As a Palestinian Christian and scholar, Tala is deeply committed to fostering peace, supporting communities and advancing the lives of Palestinians. She earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Emory University, specializing in World Christianity. Her research and publications focus on immigration, Middle Eastern and Palestinian Christianity, and gender studies.