Christians in the Middle East
A series describing life for believers in several Middle Eastern countries
Lebanon, a remarkably small and beautiful country endowed with a very strategic location in the Middle East, is mentioned 70 times in the Bible, along with 35 of its cities and towns. In addition, there are various terms known to refer to Lebanon, including the cedars.
Perhaps Lebanon’s proximity to the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, the cradle of Christianity, is one reason for this privilege. Another, as revealed by Scripture, is that Jesus visited Lebanese towns and cities, touching and transforming lives. We see this in several passages, including
- Mark 3:8: “When they heard all He was doing, many people came to Him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.”
- Matthew 15:21: “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.”
- Luke 10:13: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.”
In his book “Lebanon in the Bible,” Ghassan Khalaf highlights that fact that the Church’s relationship with Lebanon started with Christ’s relationship with the country and its people. Jesus took His disciples with Him when He visited Tyre and Sidon (Matt. 15:23); He took Peter, James and John to the Mount of Transfiguration. Follow-up visits were also made later on by Jesus’ disciples as we see in Acts. Moreover Acts 11:19 notes that the early church fled from Jewish persecution and sought refuge in Lebanon — Phoenicia — where no doubt it shared the message with its hosts.
The same point is further emphasized in “The Roots of Christianity in Lebanon,” in which author Antoine Khoury Harb concludes that “Lebanon first received the Christian message from Christ Himself and then again from Christ’s closest disciples. Christ lived and preached in the ‘Galilee of Nations,’ which encompasses much of the southern part of Lebanon. He was transfigured in front of His disciples on one of Lebanon’s summits; He addressed the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon directly. … When His disciples set out on their preaching mission, they found in the Lebanese cities … a safe refuge for them and a favorable environment for accepting the teachings of the gospel.” This perhaps explains why the people of Lebanon were among the first to accept the Christian faith.
History records that the country eventually became all Christian before Islam came. And thereafter, under the Byzantine Empire, Christianity in Lebanon came to be known as Byzantine Christianity. In other words, there were Arab Christians in Lebanon and the Middle East before Islam. Consequently the language, the social and family structure and customs are the same to a large extent.
Over the years, the country’s strategic geographic position rendered it a haven for minority ethnic and religious refugees from various parts of the region, such that Lebanon became distinguished by its very enriching diversity. It also came to be referred to as a unique mosaic that brings together a religious mix of the following 13 Christian and five Islamic communities: Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt and Protestant and Muslim Shiites, Sunni, Druze, Isma’ilite and Alawite.
Today, however, Christians are no longer the majority population in Lebanon. There are several reasons, including emigration. Christians now form 39 percent of a population of slightly over 4 million people residing in Lebanon, with Christian Maronites and Greek Orthodox forming the majority of the minority, followed by Catholics. Evangelicals come in last, forming the minority of a minority. As a matter of fact, while the various denominations — Christians and Muslims — are equally represented in the Lebanese parliament, Protestants have one member of parliament among the Christians representing them.
Each denomination has its own personal status law and courts. Indeed it is not surprising that in such a highly sectarian country, almost every denomination has its own faith-based organizations, schools, universities, hospitals, etc. Evangelicals, including Baptists, are no different and have continued over the years to serve the communities to which the Lord has called them.
Overwhelmed by their minority status, many Lebanese Christians have emigrated in search of a possibly better future elsewhere. Others unable to travel, particularly following the Lebanese civil war (1975–1989), have isolated themselves within their internally focused communities and churches almost totally detached from the majority Muslim community. Not surprisingly, fear of the other is on both sides — Christian and Muslim — and this is primarily because of the atrocities that took place during the years of war during which all militias, including those with a religious affiliation, had blood on their hands.
Still there is also a population of Lebanese Christians — albeit a minority — who appreciate the uniqueness of their identity and hence the responsibility before them to reflect Jesus in their lives as well as in the choices they make. And this again is true of both evangelicals and nonevangelicals.
Another positive sign is that a study on Muslims and Christians in Lebanon covering six communities — three Christian and three Muslim — revealed that the participants “expressed almost identical levels of willingness to forgive, whether the offender was from the same religion or from a different religion.”
We realize that we have many a challenge as a Christian minority in a majority non-Christian culture, particularly with the rise of fundamentalism. But still let us revisit these challenges in light of our calling — why do we think we are here in Lebanon, the Middle East and the Arab world?
We’re aware of the challenges and their impact on Christian presence in the region. And like any other part of the world, our challenges are diverse. Yet we want to light a candle, not curse the darkness. We want to make a difference — no matter how difficult and challenging. We seek with His grace to follow in His footsteps, adopting Christlike attitudes and approaches toward the different “other.” That is our calling as Middle Eastern Christians. Of course, the impact would be greater if we were to put our hands together — evangelicals and nonevangelicals. Not only that but our witness also would be much brighter then.
“Muslims and Christians in the Middle East are condemned to decide to live together. There is no third way: Either they choose to live together or they are forced to live together. … Coexistence between Christians and Muslims is not something premeditated but it is a choice,” said Mohammad Al-Sammak, secretary general of the Christian-Muslim Committee for Dialogue, in a recent interview with the international news agency ZENIT about the Lebanese government’s decree that the Feast of the Annunciation is a common feast for Christians and Muslims. Celebrated on March 25, the feast recalls the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she was to give birth to Jesus.
In response to a question about the emigration of Christians, Al-Sammak stated that this is equally a loss for Muslims as well as for Christians and “a defeat for Islam-Christian coexistence.” He added that “it is in the interests of Muslims … to maintain the presence of Christians in the Arab world and to protect their presence with all its might not only out of love for Christians but because this is their right as citizens and inhabitants of the region, who were there before Muslims.”
For our part, as Arab Baptists, we were quite encouraged when the Baptist World Alliance made an important contribution putting together a very thoughtful, theologically profound and carefully crafted response to the Common Word letter in December 2008, which is today published on www.acommonword.com. The letter was written in 2007 by 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and intellectuals to Christians to declare the common ground between Christianity and Islam.
Again we’re aware of context-relevant challenges in our region, yet we need to seek first to understand then be understood, which is exactly what Arab Baptist Theological Seminary’s (ABTS) Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES), under the leadership of Director Martin Accad, pursues through its annual Middle East conferences (third week of June).
The mandate of IMES is to bring about positive transformation in thinking and practice between Christians and Muslims in the Arab world and beyond. In other words, we are fully aware that as Arab Christians we have a global role, too, which is why we encourage our fellow Christians from all over the world to join us at ABTS during the third week of every June to learn more about Islam and the Middle Eastern context and so dispel prevalent misperceptions that are at the roots of many conflicts in the world today.
The summer 2006 war on Lebanon transformed us — the caregivers — as well as our fellow Lebanese who sought shelter on our campus. As Christians and Muslims, we each had misperceptions about the other. Yet, to our amazement, we “connected” and were able to see each other as God sees us and relationships were built.
Rather than be discouraged by our minority status, let us instead meditate on the impact that a small amount of yeast can have when mixed with flour. We can only make a difference when we get out of our isolation and engage with our neighbors as the Lord expects us to.
The mission at hand requires the entire body of Christ working together. The Lebanese Baptist Society pursues a mission to serve the Church in Lebanon and the Arab world through spiritual, social and educational development. And we do so through several ministry tracks, including
- ABTS (www.abtslebanon.org), which equips faithful Arab men and women from nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon;
- IMES (www.abtslebanon.org/IMES), which challenges the local, regional and global church to adopt Christlike approaches toward Muslims;
- publications, or Dar Manhal Al Hayat (www.bplebanon.org), which seek to provide the church with much needed Christian resources in the Arabic language;
- Beirut Baptist School (www.bbslebanon.org), a K–12 academy that serves as an oasis of tolerance and understanding where more than 92 percent of the student body is Muslim;
- Baptist Children & Youth Ministry (www.bcymlebanon.org), which works with children that they may develop a relationship with Christ and youth that they may stand steadfast despite contemporary challenges; and
- community relief and development through which we plan to initiate new platforms for Christian witness and ministry.
Each of these ministries was founded on prayers. And dear brothers and sisters — our global family and body of Christ — we count on your prayers and support.
Please pray for improved relations among Christians in the Middle East — evangelical and nonevangelical; that we will be able to focus on the big picture and choose to light a candle, rather than curse the darkness; and for wisdom for the church’s leadership that we may all perceive and pursue our biblical mission.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Nabil Costa is executive director for the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development (LSESD). LSESD is the parent organization of several ministries, including Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Beirut Baptist School and the Dar Manhal Al Hayat publishing house.
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