Jen has a conversation with Kelley Nikondeha about her book, The First Advent in Palestine: Reversals, Resistance, and the Ongoing Complexity of Hope. They discuss the context of Matthew and Luke’s Advent narratives, which included abusive rulers, systems of oppression, and economic hardship. Kelley shares about how these Advent stories invite Christians to hear “good news” for the poor and downtrodden and live out our faith in continuing generations of hope.
This episode is a part of Across the Divide’s Monthly Book Club. We invite you to read The First Advent in Palestine along with the ATD community and consider joining our virtual Book Club conversation on the book for our Patreon supporters on Sunday, January 4, 2026. To learn more and become a Patreon supporter, visit https://www.patreon.com/c/AcrosstheDivide
You can purchase the book here, or find an e-book or audiobook version on your preferred platform.
Kelley Nikondeha is a writer, liberation theologian, and community development practitioner. She combines biblical texts and various cultural contexts to discover insights for embodied justice, community engagement, and living faith. She is the author of Defiant: What the Women of Exodus Teach Us about Freedom and Adopted: The Sacrament of Belonging in a Fractured World, and is known for highlighting Palestinian voices and rights. She travels between the southwest US and Burundi in East Africa. For more, visit kelleynikondeha.com
Kelley’s new book is Jubilee Economics: The Purpose, Practices and Possibilities for a Better Future
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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.
#israel #palestine #christianity #bible #faith #advent #christmas #bookclub
Mindy Summers joins Abeer to share about journey of advocacy and peacemaking. Together, they explore how digital platforms can elevate marginalized voices, challenge harmful theologies, and spark deep personal transformation, especially around Israel-Palestine, immigration, and gender justice.
Mindy Summers is an advocate and peacemaker. She uses social media as an advocacy platform to share about Palestine, immigration, refugees, women empowerment, anti-trafficking, racism, church abuse, patriarchy, & systemic injustice. Mindy resides in Missouri with her husband & four children and aims to help her neighbors see the hand of God at work in the margins of our societies.
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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.
Author and historian Jemar Tisby joins us to discuss the connections that blacks, and especially black Christians, have with the Palestinian struggle for justice and liberation. Jemar explains how the concept of “God of the Oppressed” provides a powerful framework to shape Christian advocacy for both blacks and Palestinians.
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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.
#israel #palestine #gaza #christianity #bible #faith #zionism #liberation #justice
Rev. Joash Thomas joins us for a conversation on justice and its relationship to the church. Joash provides helpful insight about the hesitancy of many Christians to think biblically about the justice, and offers some practical steps for individuals and church communities to prioritize justice in their lives and ministries. Much of the conversation is based on Joash’s recent book “The Justice of Jesus.
Born and raised in India, Joash served as a U.S. political consultant and lobbyist before pivoting to global human rights advocacy. Now based in the Toronto area, he holds a master’s degree in Political Management from The George Washington University and holds two master’s degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary in Christian Leadership and Theology. Through speaking engagements, teaching, and advocacy, Joash calls Christians to a more contemplative yet courageous activism, motivated by the grace-filled, non-violent way of Jesus. For me, see https://www.joashpthomas.com/about
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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.
This episode is a part of Across the Divide’s Monthly Book Club. Here Jen has a conversation with John Munayer and Samuel Munayer about their edited volume The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology amid Gaza. They discussed how this book emerged as a communal Palestinian theological project and the unique approaches that the eight contributors took. John and Sam both reflect on the ways that doing Palestinian theology amid genocide in Gaza has impacted their faith, and they consider the profound invitation that this book extends to Palestinian and non-Palestinian Christians who are committed to justice work.
We invite you to read The Cross and the Olive Tree along with the ATD community and consider joining our virtual Book Club conversation on the book for our Patreon supporters on Sunday, November 30, 2025. To learn more and become a Patreon supporter, visit https://www.patreon.com/c/AcrosstheDivide
The Cross and the Olive Tree is edited by John Munayer and Samuel Munayer and includes contributions from Yousef AlKhouri, Marah Sarji, Azmera Hammouri-Davis, Lamma Mansour, Daniel Munayer, Shadia Qubti, John Munayer, and Samuel Munayer. You can purchase the book here through Orbis Books, and see our Patreon page for a limited-time discount code for purchases within the U.S.
John Munayer is a Palestinian theologian from Jerusalem and holds degrees from King’s College London, the University of Edinburgh, and VU University Amsterdam. John is currently involved in interreligious activism and is the founder and editor of the Journal of Palestinian Christianity at the Bethlehem Bible College. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh, researching the political theology of the Palestinian laity in relation to the Holy Fire ceremony.
Samuel Munayer is a Palestinian theologian from Jerusalem and holds degrees from Durham University and Exeter University. Samuel works as an advocacy and access officer for a humanitarian organization that works in Gaza and the West Bank. He recently co-authored with John the article entitled, “Decolonising Palestinian Liberation Theology: New Methods, Sources, and Voices.”
Lisa Loden, Christian Israeli public theologian and poet, joins Daniel for a candid conversation about the October 7th and the ensuing genocide in Gaza. They discuss Lisa’s story as a Messianic Jew and Lisa shares about her thoughts on what’s happened in Gaza and how a theology of suffering and hope can help us move forward.Lisa Loden is a theologian, lecturer, author, teacher, peacemaker, and a poet. In 2014, together with Salim Munayer, she co-authored, Through My Enemies Eyes: Envisioning Reconciliation in Israel and Palestine. Lisa is also a member of several international ecumenical theological dialogues. For more, visit https://www.lisaloden.com/home/aboutPurchase your own copy of “Being Christian After the Desolation of Gaza”https://wipfandstock.com/9798385254859/being-christian-after-the-desolation-of-gaza. Use the coupon "DESOLATION40" to get 40% off.Become a monthly supporter of Across the Divide on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide Follow Across the Divide for more on Instagram @AcrosstheDividePodcastAcross 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.#israel #palestine #gaza #christianity #bible #faith #zionism
Ben Norquist joins us to discuss how Christianity Today, the flagship Evangelical magazine, has been covering Gaza over the last 2 years. The discussion delves into several publications by CT, including its podcast, that have revealed a problematic and dehumanizing attitude toward Palestinian, one that effectively provided a theological cover for the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Purchase your own copy of “Being Christian After the Desolation of Gaza”
https://wipfandstock.com/9798385254859/being-christian-after-the-desolation-of-gaza. Use the coupon "DESOLATION40" to get 40% off.
Ben Norquist (PhD, Azusa Pacific University) has served as director of grants and academics for Churches for Middle East Peace and as director of the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East where he helped American Christians pursue holistic peace with their neighbors around the world. He is the co-author of a book coming out about justice and the land called Every Somewhere Sacred: Rescuing a Theology of Place in the American Imagination (InterVarsity Academic, 2026).
Become a monthly supporter of Across the Divide on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide
Follow Across the Divide for more on Instagram @AcrosstheDividePodcast
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.
#israel #palestine #gaza #christianity #bible #faith #zionism
In this episode, Abeer speaks with Kayla Tychsen, Parent Coach and certified Integrative Trauma Coach, about the deep connections between parenting, personal healing, and justice. They explore what it means to re-parent ourselves, unlearn inherited narratives, and raise children with empathy, courage, and critical thinking. Kayla shares insights from her own journey navigating faith and activism, as well as her work supporting families in times of crisis. She offers practical and heartfelt strategies for approaching hard conversations, nurturing resilience, and staying rooted in compassion.
Kayla Tychsen is an Accredited Parent Coach, Certified Integrative Trauma Coach, and TEDx speaker passionate about empowering parents, educators, and caregivers to cultivate confidence, connection, and joy. Kayla has worked with families across the Middle East and around the world, helping parents understand how their past shapes their parenting, live by their values, and build secure, nurturing relationships where children can thrive.
Sign up to join the Palestine solidarity delegation, May 25-June 4th 2026: https://forms.gle/asNkGWXgVB5MRAuZ8
Become a monthly supporter of Across the Divide on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide
Follow Across the Divide for more on Instagram @AcrosstheDividePodcast
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.
This episode kicks off Across the Divide’s Monthly Book Club. Here Jen has a conversation with Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac about his book "Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza." They discuss how the book emerged from Isaac’s pastoral work and activism after October 7th. Together they reflect on the theology of a God who dwells amid the rubble in Gaza and Munther’s hope on the impact this book will have on the global Christian church.
We invite you to read Christ in the Rubble along with the ATD community and consider joining our virtual Book Club conversation on the book for our Patreon supporters on Sunday, October 26, 2025.
To learn more and become a Patreon supporter, visit https://www.patreon.com/c/AcrosstheDivide
Sign up to join the Palestine solidarity delegation: https://forms.gle/asNkGWXgVB5MRAuZ8
About the book: “Writing from Bethlehem with close-up knowledge of conditions on the ground, and rooted in a commitment to nonviolence and just peace, Isaac urges readers to recognize that support for Zionism’s genocidal project entails a failure to bring a properly Christian theological criticism to bear upon colonialism, racism, and empire. He calls on Christians to repent of their complicity in the destruction of the Palestinian people. And he challenges them to realign their beliefs and actions with Christ—who can be found not among perpetrators of violence, but with victims buried under the rubble of war.”
You can purchase the book here: https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802885548/christ-in-the-rubble/
Rev. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian theologian who serves as pastor of Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ramallah. He also directs the Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice as well as the highly acclaimed Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. His PhD dissertation at the Oxford Center for Mission Studies was published as From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth: A Christ-Centered Biblical Theology of the Promised Land. He also wrote The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope.
Bruce Fisk joins Daniel to discuss his research on the weaponization of the Bible and the usage of the language of moral clarity by many prominent Evangelical and other Christian leaders to justify and sanction Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Get your own copy of “Being Christian After the Desolation of Gaza”Sign up to join the Palestine solidarity delegation: https://forms.gle/asNkGWXgVB5MRAuZ8
Bruce Fisk is senior research fellow with the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East and former Professor of New Testament at Westmont College. He has led study programs in Israel/Palestine and is the author of Ascent to Jerusalem: Pilgrimage, Politics and Peacemaking in the Holy Land.
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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.
New Testament professor Ross Wagner (Duke Divinity School) joins Daniel for a conversation about his recent article titled “Being Christian After the Desolation of Gaza”. The conversation ranges from exploring the narratives that Americans tell themselves about Palestinians to a study of the Biblical concepts of Jubilee and “the year of the Lord's favor.”
Purchase your own copy of Being Christian After the Desolation of Gaza”.
J. Ross Wagner is Associate Professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC, specializing in Paul's letters and Septuagint studies, He is also an Anglican priest.
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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.
Hear the compelling story of Elom Tettey-Tamaklo, a Christian Zionist from Ghana who eventually gets in trouble for his leadership at the Harvard University Gaza encampment. Elom also gave a passionate talk at the recent Church at the Crossroads conference, which we discuss here as well.
Born in Atlanta, raised in Accra and Harare, and having worked in Ramallah, Amman, and Philadelphia, Elom has always been enchanted by places and the stories they contain. Elom graduated from Harvard Divinity School in May 2025, focusing on the intersections of lived religion and political culture. His interests revolve around the prophetic imagination, popular resistance to Empire, and global black emancipatory politics.
Resources:
Clash at the Harvard encampment: https://www.nbcboston.com/video/news/local/video-minor-clash-at-pro-gaza-harvard-die-in/3163853/
Some notes about Elom’s first time in Palestine: https://www.pym.org/travel-and-witness-grant-elom-tettey-tamaklos-travel-to-ramallah-palestine/
Jean Zaru, Occupied with nonviolence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2714040-occupied-with-nonviolence
Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Disinherited-Howard-Thurman/dp/0807010294
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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.
In this episode, Leyla King, Palestinian-American Episcopal priest and author, discusses the importance of getting a voice to Palestinian Christians whose stories are often overlooked in the broader conversation about the conflict. By humanizing the Palestinian experience, Western Christians gain a deeper understanding of the situation beyond political headlines.
The conversation is based on Leyla’s recent book, Daughters of Palestine: A Memoir in Five Generations
Leyla K. King is a Palestinian-American Episcopal priest and author. She is a founding member of both Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies (www.palestiniananglicans.org) and The Small Churches Big Impact Collective (smallchurchesbigimpact.org). She writes about her experiences as a Palestinian, a clergywoman and a mother at thankfulpriest.com. Daughters of Palestine is her first book.
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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.
Professor Ebrahim Moosa joins Daniel for a conversation discussing Muslim support for Palestine. They discuss political Islam, violence, Hamas, and all things controversial.
Ebrahim Moosa (PhD, University of Cape Town 1995) is Mirza Family Professor of Islamic Thought and Muslim Societies in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. He co-directs, with Scott Appleby and Atalia Omer, Contending Modernities, the global research and education initiative examining the interaction among Catholic, Muslim, and other religious and secular forces in the world. He is a faculty fellow of the Keough School's Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.
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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.
Preston Sprinkle joins Daniel for a conversation tackling Evangelical support for pro-Israel. They discuss Preston’s journey out of dispensationalism, and tackle the reasons why so many Evangelicals are Zionist and pro-Israel.
Preston is an international speaker and a New York Times bestselling author, who’s written over a dozen books including his most recent book: Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire. Preston currently serves as the president of The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, an organization that equips Christians to engage questions about faith, sexuality & gender with theological faithfulness and courageous love. And he’s also the president of Theology in the Raw, which includes the popular “Theology in the Raw” podcast and the annual “Exiles in Babylon” conference.
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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.
In this episode, Jen speaks with Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian Christian who stewards his family's 100-acre farm located about 6 miles southwest of Bethlehem known as Tent of Nations. They discuss Daoud's family's history, their nearly 40-year legal struggle to keep their land, and the relationship between faith, hope, suffering, and love. Daoud describes his family’s commitment to nonviolent Christian peacebuilding, the spirituality of their stewardship of the land, and the necessary relationship between prayer and action.Daoud Nassar is a native of Bethlehem, Palestine. Daoud is a Palestinian Christian activist and farmer. He holds a degree in Biblical Studies from a Bible School in Austria and a degree in Tourism Management from Bielefeld University in Germany. He manages the farm known as Daher’s Vineyard located in the West Bank of Palestine and directs the work of the programs and projects at Tent of Nations.
Tent of Nations: https://tentofnations.com/
Friends of Tent of Nations North America: https://fotonna.org/
Friends of Tent of Nations Netherlands: https://www.freundeskreis-tentofnations.de/en
Register to Church at the Crossroads at churchatthecrossroads.com and use the coupon "ATD" for a 10% discount. We'll see you there!
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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.
Fariza Gulomikova shares with us her journey form Islam to Christian Zionism, and then, later, her conversion out of Christian Zionism into a more Biblical faith grounded in following Christ.Fariza is an entrepreneur and advocate. Born and raised in post-Soviet Tajikistan in a Shia Ismaili Muslim family, she became a Christian at the age of 11. She immigrated to the United States at 18 in pursuit of religious freedom and higher education. She has worked across marketing, media, Christian nonprofits, supporting causes like religious liberty, pro-life initiatives, education, and women’s rights. She is the host of The Royal Remnant, a Christ-centered podcast exploring the intersection of faith, culture, and global issues.Check out Fariza's podcast The Royal Remnant Podcast
Register to Church at the Crossroads at churchatthecrossroads.com and use the coupon "ATD" for a 10% discount. We'll see you there!
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Make sure to subscribe and follow Across the Divide on YouTube and Instagram @AcrosstheDividePodcast
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.
Daniel is joined here by Yasmina Haddad who shares her story as a Palestinian and Lebanese Latina, and roots, and how they shape both her identity and her advocacy for peace in Palestine in her local church community.
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Yasmina Haddad is the Communications Specialist for the Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA). As the granddaughter of a Palestinian refugee and the daughter of Lebanese and Colombian immigrants to the U.S., Yasmina centers the Middle East and Latin America in her worldview and her work. Yasmina is currently a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin - Madison pursuing a degree in Educational Policy Studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of education, migration, and language.
Daniel Bannoura is joined by renowned Bible scholar Mike Bird to discuss, among other things, how the Bible has been mishandled by many Christians to justify support for Israel and turn a blind eye to the suffering of the Palestinians. Mike offers important advice on how to read and interpret the Bible and apply it to the world around us.
Mike Bird (PhD, University of Queensland) is a “biblical theologian”. He believes that the purpose of the church is to “gospelize,” that is to preach, promote, and practice the Gospel-story of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the author of over 30 books, including the award winning volumes The Gospel of Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus, Evangelical Theology, and with N.T. Wright, The New Testament in its World.
Register to Church at the Crossroads at churchatthecrossroads.com and use the coupon "ATD" for a 10% discount. We'll see you there!
If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our work on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide
Make sure to subscribe and follow Across the Divide on YouTube and Instagram @AcrosstheDividePodcast
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.
Pastor Nabil Habiby joins Daniel Bannoura to discuss Nabil's article "What do Arab Evangelical Zionists Want?" During the conversation Nabil shares about his background as a Lebanese pastor from a Palestinian background, accusations against him of being dhimmi, and his frustrations with Zionist Christians.
Pastor Nabil Habiby serves as a Christian teacher and preacher, particularly for young adults, online, in a local Nazarene Evangelical church in Beirut, in various seminary settings, and for a number of marginalized communities in Beirut, particularly among the LGBT community. Nabil's article: https://wherethevulturesgather.substack.com/p/what-do-arab-evangelical-zionists
Register to attend Church at the Crossroads and use the coupon "ATD".
If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our work on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide
Follow Across the Divide on YouTube and Instagram @AcrosstheDividePodcast
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.