Elizabeth Bruenig and Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac: Advent in the Holy Land

On today’s episode, we are joined by The Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig for an Advent reflection with Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, assistant pastor of Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Rev. Isaac is an evangelical pastor whose life and ministry have been rooted in Bethlehem in the West Bank, where he is a theologian, Bible college dean, a leader of the peacebuilding initiative Christ at the Checkpoint, and part of the ancient but fast-dwindling community of Christians in the Holy Land. This Christmas, as there is war in the Holy Land, this sobering conversation points to the hope of the Incarnation in the midst of suffering—offered from a unique vantage point and moment, in the place of Christ’s birth.

 

Guests:

Munther Isaac

Elizabeth Bruenig

 

Additional Resources:

The Other Side of the Wall: A Christian Palestinian Narrative of Lament and Hope, by Munther Isaac

"Christmas is canceled in the land of Jesus' birth," by Queen Rania Al Abdullah in The Washington Post 

"In Bethlehem, the home of Jesus' birth, a season of grieving for Palestinian Christians," by Laura King in The Los Angeles Times