Resource Library
Interested in learning more? Use the links below to check out a curated selection of texts, multimedia content, and thinkers who have influenced this class. Use the table of contents to naviagte more efficiently.
Prayers
Sabeel Wave of Prayer
Sabeel (‘The Way’ in Arabic) is an ecumenical grassroot liberation theology movement in Palestine with sister branches around the world. Sabeel publishes a weekly liturgy of prayer for their Thursday communion services.
A Prayer for Palestine
Geez magazine was a seasonal print magazine about art, and activism for people at the fringes of faith in both Canada and the US. In October 2023, they published Drew Stever’s A Prayer for Palestine.
A Prayer for Palestine by Drew Stever
News & Current Events
Why are there no major US news outlets in this list?
Major news outlets in the United States have a clear pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian bias.
Images Courtesy of Dr. Assal Rad
In one of the most egregious examples, the New York Times published a fabricated story about Hamas using sexual violence as a widespread weapon of war on Oct 7th. The story served as justification for the ongoing genocide in Gaza but has been thoroughly debunked. The NYT has yet to retract the story.
When reading online sources, I encourage you to practice civic online reasoning skills by asking the following questions:
- Who’s behind the information? If you are only reading US media, whose perspective might you miss?
- What’s the evidence? You might be shocked at how often US news outlets cite the IDF as a source despite their long history of lying to the media.
- What do other sources say? What does it look like to center the ’least of these’ as we follow current events?
The news outlets linked below cite their sources, have reporters on the ground in Gaza and across occupied Palestine, and reflect an independent perspective that is often absent from mainstream media.
Theology
Theologians
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb is founder and president of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, Palestine. Raheb is the most widely published Palestinian theologian to date and his book Decolonizing Palestine was a major source of inspiration for this class.
- Book: Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The Bible The People
- Lecture: Decolonizing Palestine with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb | Princeton Theological Seminary
- Lecture: The Bible’s Role in Settler Colonialism: A Focus on Palestine and Beyond | The Riverside Church
Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac
Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. He now pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and is the director of the highly acclaimed and influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. Munther is passionate about issues related to the Palestinian theology.
- Sermon: Christ in the Rubble: A Liturgy of Lament
- Podcast Appearance: The Freedom Road Podcast, Jesus Under the Rubble
- Keynote: A Christian Response to Gaza
- Keynote: Understanding Christian Zionism - Bridging Faith and Justice by the Nelson Mandela Foundation
Marah Sarji
Marah Sarji is a PhD student of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Born and raised in Nazareth, she became passionate about justice and peace in Palestine and is active among young Palestinian Christians working on decolonizing Palestinian Christianity.
- Podcast Appearance: Palestinian Liberation Theology and Decolonisation with Marah Sarji
- Webinar: Lessons from Liberation Theology | Kairos Center
Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek
Naim Stifan Ateek is a Palestinian priest in the Anglican Communion and founder of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem.
Organizations
History
There are innumerable books on Palestinian History, but the following three provide a focused introduction:
- The Hundreds Years War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi (Palestinian-American Historian)
- The Ethnic Clensing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe (Israeli Historian)
- Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History by Nur Masalha (Palestinian Historian)
- Also check out The Bible and Zionism by Nur Masalha
Documentary Films
The documentaries below provide context for the experience of the People of Palestine in the 21st century. All are freely available online or through your local public library.
5 Broken Cameras (2011)
5 Broken Cameras (2011)
5 Broken Cameras is a first-hand account of protests in Bil’in, a West Bank village affected by the Israeli West Bank barrier. The documentary was shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son. (94 Min, Not Rated)
Born in Gaza (2014)
Filmed shortly after the 2014 Gaza war, this documentary examines how violence has transformed the lives of 10 Palestinian children. (54 Minutes, Not Rated)Gaza Fights for Freedom (2019)
Filmed during the height of the Great March Of Return protests, it features exclusive footage of demonstrations where 200 unarmed civilians have been killed by Israeli snipers since March 30, 2018. (94 Minutes, Not Rated)The Stones Cry Out: The Story of Palestinian Christians (2013)
The Stones Cry Out: The Story of Palestinian Christians (2013)
In 1948 the history of Palestine changed forever, but little is ever said about the upheaval faced by its Christian minority. Christians have lived side by side with Muslims and Jews for almost two thousand years. An integral part of Palestinian society, they have shared in the events of recent history, yet their voices are seldom heard and worse: their existence often ignored. (55 Minutes, Not Rated)