In Israel, Dr. Rula Mansour, a Palestinian Christian, wants to see churches become agents of peace in the Middle East. That passion led her to do PhD studies, supported by Langham Partnership, on developing a Middle Eastern theology of reconciliation.
She’s now the founder of the Nazareth Peace Center, “symbolically located in the hometown of Jesus, the ultimate Peacemaker”; a lawyer; a seminary professor; and a conflict resolution specialist.
Listen to Rula’s story
Because Langham invested in her theological training, Rula uses the platform of her PhD to multiply other leaders to bring the radical peace of Christ in the tense and conflict-ridden Holy Land.
“Because the Word, the Word of God, transforms the way we think and the way we think comes out with action and attitudes … we need the Word of God to transform leaders and leaders to transform communities by teaching and by learning from the Word of God,” Rula said. (Listen to more of her story in this podcast conversation with Chris Wright.)
That’s why she believes theological training is so important, especially in her context.
She and other Langham Scholars in the Middle East are promoting peace and spreading Christ’s love through teaching, pastoring churches and writing books that provide biblical perspectives on challenges of their context.
Read some of their books
Praying Through the Psalms
by Dr. Yohanna Katanacho
(Langham Scholar, professor of biblical studies and academic dean at Nazareth Evangelical College in Israel)
After completing his PhD with Langham support, Dr. Katanacho felt led to pray every psalm in the context of the Middle East. The result is an amazing collection of 150 prayers which express a healthy theology of tears in the midst of oppressive realities and help the reader grow in understanding the struggles of Christians in the Middle East from a biblical perspective.
Following Jesus in Turbulent Times
by Dr. Hikmat Kashouh
(Langham Scholar, senior pastor of Resurrection Church Beirut, former academic dean and current research professor at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary)
With a pastor’s heart and a scholar’s wisdom, Dr. Kashouh shares the lessons he and Resurrection Church Beirut have learned by welcoming and serving refugees from around the Middle East. In telling their story, Hikmat presents a model for discipleship of people from non-
Christian backgrounds, especially those from Arab contexts.
Theology of Reconciliation in the Context of Church Relations
by Dr. Rula Khoury Mansour
(Langham Scholar; seminary professor; founder of the Nazareth Peace Center)
In this timely book, Dr. Mansour encourages Christians to
develop greater cultural and theological awareness in their quest for peace. She calls congregations around the world to be communities of forgivers and agents of reconciliation within their wider communities.
From Theology of Transparency to Theology of Coexistence
by Dr. Andrea Zaki Stephanous
(Langham Scholar; president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt and the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services; seminary professor)
In this book, Andrea Zaki Stephanous explores the complex relationship that exists between the church and the Egyptian state. While it’s is an excellent resource for those interested in Christian-Muslim dialogue, political theology or the modern Egyptian church, it is also a powerful source of encouragement for Christians globally, especially those serving in contexts hostile to the gospel message.
