Kairos Palestine Document

The Kairos Palestine Document, is a document modeled after the Kairos document launched by Christian leaders in South Africa in 1985. In South Africa, the Kairos Document was used to unite people in the struggle against apartheid, calling apartheid a sin, and appealing to Christians around the world to join with their brothers and sisters in South Africa to work to end the sin of apartheid in South Africa.

In the same spirit, the Kairos Palestine Document was launched by Palestinian Christian leaders last Friday, December 11. This document, which may be better read as a letter, labels the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land as a sin, because it distorts the divine image of God present in all people: "We also declare that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is a sin against God and humanity because it deprives the Palestinians of their basic human rights, bestowed by God. It distorts the image of God in the Israeli who h as become an occupier just as it distorts this image in the palestinian living under occupation."

With the Kairos Palestine Document, Palestinian Christians send "a word of faith, hope, and love" to Palestinians, Israelis, Christians, Muslims and Jews of the local community and the international community, and to the Church worldwide

The Kairos Palestine Document is a significant step towards uniting the Christian community. In a land that is so divided, even within the Palestinian people, politically, religiously, and even denominationally, this letter brings together Christian leaders of all denominations as an attempt to create unity within the Palestinian people from which they can effectively resist the Israeli occupation non-violently.

The Kairos Palestine Document is a call to the Church around the world. We as a church are required to support our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter where they are in the world. These Palestinian Christian leaders call the churches around the world to regain the mission of the church, which is to pray and serve in the spirit of Jesus, who called us to love others as he loved us, thus realizing their human dignity and fighting against injustice which destroys this dignity. They thank churches around the world who have shown persistent support and ask churches who have not: "to revisit fundamentalist theological positions that support certain unjust political options with regard to the Palestinian people. It is a call to stand alongside the oppressed and preserve the word of God as good news for all rather than to turn it into a weapon with which to slay the oppressed. The word of God is a word of love for all His creation."

The Kairos Palestine Document also contains poignant words to Palestinians and Israelis and I encourage you to read the full version found HERE.

I myself have found myself worn out and tired within the past few weeks, because of the persistence of the conflict here. Reading these words, which are meant to create unity among Palestinian Christians, gives me hope that further unity will come and peace which seems impossible at times will one day prevail.

For more information, please go to the Kairos Palestine Document Website or read this article on the International Solidarity Movement Website.