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Do Jews have a divine right to the Promised Land? How do Christians understand the Israeli-Palestinian dispute?

Christianity Today (CT) was the public forum for a conversation between John Piper and David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus (since 1996), regarding the question, “Do Jews have a divine right to the Promised Land?”

Here is how CT framed this conversation.

Do Jews have a divine right to the Promised Land? Are American pastors dismissive of Arab Christians in Israel? Should Christians treat the Israeli-Palestinian dispute differently than other conflicts? As pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, John Piper has been addressing these contentious questions for years. After he began informally discussing them with David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, we invited them to share some of their discussion with our readers.

David Brickner, “Do Jews Have a Divine Right to Israel's Land?,” Christianity Today 56/6 (June 20 [Web-only], 2012), Part 1

John Piper, “How to Treat a Rebellious Israel,” Christianity Today 56/6 (June 21 [Web-only], 2012), Part 2

David Brickner, “God Doesn't Keep Jews in a Pickle Jar,” Christianity Today 56/6 (June 22 [Web-only], 2012), Part 3

John Piper, “Why Israel Exists 'for the Palestinians'—and the Rest of the World,” Christianity Today 56/6 (June 25 [Web-only], 2012), Part 4

This is a both a very helpful dialogue and a model for how to engage in theological debate/discussion about an issue that is understood differently. They are not afraid to point out the differences, but also to affirm the areas of agreement. I encourage you to take the time to read through the conversation.

Greg Strand

Greg Strand is EFCA executive director of theology and credentialing, and he serves on the Board of Ministerial Standing as well as the Spiritual Heritage Committee. He and his family are members of Northfield (Minnesota) EFC.

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