Scripture, Hermeneutics, and the Middle East

  Sponsors: Rob Dalrymple and Bruce Fisk

The focus of this study group is on the biblical texts and hermeneutical approaches that inform various theologies of the Land and People of God, with interest in how these theologies shape contemporary Christian responses to Middle East realities and conflicts, with particular concern for Israel and Palestine. For more information, please contact Rob Dalrymple ([email protected]) and Bruce Fisk ([email protected]).

Fri Nov 22
1:00 - 3:00 PM
Indigo H (Second Level) - Hilton Bayfront

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the round that began in October 2023, is in part a battle over territory, a battle in which the Bible has played an important role. While biblical scholars have done thorough work on Land as a biblical theme, they often “stop before they get to the hard part,” as Walter Brueggemann has complained. This session dares to explore how modern interpreters, Jewish and Christian, have applied the Bible to contemporary debates about, and battles for, the Holy Land. An invited panel will explore questions that include: What does it mean to do theology in a time of war? What importance have interpreters attached to the biblical land promises in assessing modern Jewish territorial claims? How has ancient Israel’s conquest of Canaan shaped Jewish and Christian thinking about the establishment of modern Israel? What role have Old Testament expectations of ethnic Israel's territorial restoration played in Zionist and Christian Zionist discourse? Is the Bible relevant for you in assessing territorial disputes, contested borders, competing national claims, and the use of violence in the Holy Land today? How has Scripture shaped your thinking about Hamas and Israel since October 7, 2023? Are there instructive parallels and contrasts in the way Scripture has inspired various Christian colonial conquests?

Rob Dalrymple, Determinetruth, Introduction (2 min)

J. Ross Wagner, Duke Divinity School, Presiding (3 min)

Opening Statements from the Panel
Bruce N. Fisk, Westmont College (retired), Panelist (8 min)

Yousef AlKhouri, Bethlehem Bible College, Panelist (8 min)

Tommy Givens, Fuller Theological Seminary, Panelist (8 min)

Joshua Brumbach, The Spertus Institute, Panelist (8 min)

Discussions
Roundtable Discussion (51 min)

Discussion (20 min)

Closing Statements
Bruce N. Fisk, Westmont College (retired), Panelist (3 min)

Yousef AlKhouri, Bethlehem Bible College, Panelist (3 min)

Tommy Givens, Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena), Panelist (3 min)

Joshua Brumbach, The Spertus Institute, Panelist (3 min)