In this episode, Jen kicks off the "Touring the Holy Land" series by telling some important stories that are entangled in Holy Land tourism. She takes us back to the dawn of Christian pilgrimage to Palestine in the 4th century CE, and highlights some of the dominant narratives in the American Christian Holy Land tourism industry today. This episode features quotes from some of our listeners who have traveled to Palestine-Israel, and more of their stories will be woven throughout the series.

Stay tuned in to the series as we explore the history of Christian tourism in the Holy Land , the role of biblical archaeology, the ways that tourism is shaped by Christian Zionism and the occupation, and the Palestinian and Israeli-led movement of alternative tourism.

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Across the Divide partners with Peace Catalyst International to amplify the pursuit of peace and explore the vital intersection of Christian faith and social justice in Palestine-Israel.

You can learn more and register for the March gathering hosted by Telos at telosgroup.org/gathering2025

In this episode of theFaith and Activism series, Abeer has a conversation with Amir Toumie about the enduring struggle to reclaim Iqrit—a small Christian village whose residents were forcibly displaced in 1948. They discuss the legal and social fight for the right of return, the unique role of faith in sustaining the community’s hope, and how Iqrit has become a powerful symbol of nonviolent resistance, rooted in spiritual and cultural identity.

In their extended conversation for our Patreon supporters, Abeer and Amir delve into the unseen sacrifices and emotional costs of activism for Iqrit. They explore the personal and communal impact of this long-standing pursuit of justice and how faith continues to anchor the fight for dignity and return. To access this extended conversation and others, consider ⁠supporting us on Patreon⁠.

Amir Toumieis a political and social activist for Palestinian liberation and rights in both the Palestinian communities in 48’ and Chicago. He worked as the Director of Government Relations at the Mossawa Center - The Advocacy Center for the Rights of Palestinian Citizens in Israel. As an activist, Amir co-founded and served as president of the Haifa Youth Movement and is a member of the youth movement in his displaced Palestinian village of Iqrit. While engaging in activism in multiple fields, he has earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Asian Studies from the University of Haifa and a dual Master's Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Haifa and the University of Warsaw. Amir is now a 5th-year PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and a board member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UIC.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a Patreon monthly supporter at:https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide

Follow Across the Divide on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠‪@AcrosstheDividePodcast‬⁠⁠⁠

Show Notes:

https://www.zochrot.org/villages/village_details/48985/en?Iqrit

If you are interested to help Iqrit, or learn more, you can contact Amir at:amirtoumie@gmail.com

Instagram: hrh_amirtoumie

For the series finale, Jen Maidrand joins Daniel Bannoura for a live recording where they discuss the series and answer questions from the audience. Apologies for some of the technical difficulties. This was our first livestream, but we'll make sure this won't happen in future streams.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a Patreon monthly supporter at: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide⁠

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In the episode of the Faith and Activism series, Abeer speaks with Dr. Beth Seversen about her research on Palestinian Christians young adults navigating discrimination and their resilience and sumud.

In the extended conversation for our Patreon supporters, Beth also shares more about cultural sensitivity in activism.

To access this extended conversation and others, consider ⁠supporting us on Patreon⁠.

Beth holds a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She has served as Associate Professor of Youth and Christian Ministries at North Park University and Director of Evangelism for the Evangelical Covenant Church. Currently, she serves on the Board of the American Society of Missiology and as Vice President and Associate Editor of the Great Commission Research Network and Journal. She is the author of Not Done Yet: Reaching and Keeping Unchurched Emerging Adults.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a Patreon monthly supporter at:https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide

Follow Across the Divide on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠‪@AcrosstheDividePodcast‬⁠⁠⁠

Across the Divide partners withPeace Catalyst International to amplify the pursuit of peace and explore the vital intersection of Christian faith and social justice in Palestine-Israel.

Show Notes: Beth’s book:https://www.amazon.com/Not-Done-Yet-Reaching-Unchurched/dp/0830841571

Beth’s Publications:https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZJtnGnoAAAAJ&hl=en

You can learn more and register for the March gathering hosted by Telos at telosgroup.org/gathering2025

In this special episode, Daniel has a conversation with Najib George Awad, a Syrian theologian and historian, about the sudden fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the various challenges facing the Syrian people after this “incomplete revolution”.

For our Patreon supporters, Najib and Daniel discuss Kalam (Muslim theology) and the rich history of Muslim-Christian debate in the Middle Ages. To access this extended conversation and others, consider ⁠supporting us on Patreon⁠. Najib George Awad is a Syrian-American theologian and historian. He is an associate researcher at the Center for Comparative Theology and Social issues (CTSI) at Bonn University, Germany, and also at the protestant theological faculty at Charles University in the Czech Republic. His publications God without Face? On the Personal Individuation of the Holy Spirit, And Freedom Became a Public-Square: Political, Sociological and Religious Overviews on the Arab Christians and the Arabic Spring, Orthodoxy in Arabic Terms: A Study of Theodore Abū Qurrah’s Trinitarian and Christological Doctrines in an Islamic Context; Umayyad Christianity: John of Damascus as a Contextual Example of Identity-Formation in Early Islam; and After-Mission, Beyond Evangelicalism: The Indigenous ‘Injīliyyūn’ in the Arab-Muslim Context of Syria-Lebanon; and Contemporary Arabic Christian Theology (Regnum, 2024). If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a Patreon monthly supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide

Show Notes:

Article by Najib Awad about the three challenges facing Syrians today: The Three Challenges for 'Liberated' Syria

We continue our series Christian Zionism, and here Daniel has a conversation with Palestinian theologian John Munayer about the impact of Christian Zionism on Palestinians themselves. John shares about his first encounters with Christian Zionism and how it has also infiltrated into the Palestinian society, particularly through some Palestinian Evangelical pastors and churches.

In their extended conversation for our Patreon supporters, John shares about his research on Holy Saturday and how he relates this religious practice to the social and political experience of Palestinians. To access this extended conversation and others, consider ⁠supporting us on Patreon⁠.

John Munayer is a Palestinian theologian from Jerusalem. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Edinburgh and writing about Palestinian theology. John is also managing the academic journal of Palestinian Christianity at the Bethlehem Bible College, which publishes in both Arabic and English. In addition, John is involved in interreligious efforts to promote justice and reconciliation in the Holy Land. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a Patreon monthly supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide

Follow Across the Divide on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠‪@AcrosstheDividePodcast‬⁠⁠⁠

Show Notes:

John Munayer and Samuel Munayer’s article on “Decolonising Palestinian Liberation Theology: New Methods, Sources and Voices”

In this episode, our three hosts–Abeer, Daniel, and Jen–get together to reflect on one year of podcasting and their experiences as it relates to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and the ongoing occupation violence throughout Palestine-Israel. They also discuss the meaning of Christmas and its potential to call the church to justice in a time of war, occupation, and violence. This is a serious and fun conversation that gets into everything Christmas from consumerism, to the biblical Christmas story, to cheesy holiday greeting cards.

In the extended episode, the hosts are joined by Saleem, Across the Divide’s producer, and together they answer a fun round of questions about the Christmas season and themselves. To access this extended conversation and others, consider ⁠supporting us on Patreon⁠.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a Patreon monthly supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide

Follow Across the Divide on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠‪@AcrosstheDividePodcast‬⁠⁠⁠

Show Notes:

The Star Bazaar (the Bethlehem Bible College Gift Shop)
Sermon by Jacob Taylor, Advent II (December 8, 2024 at Church of the Advent )