Becky,

Thanks for setting this up. I'm down. We need to establish lines of quality communication as fellow Christian philosophers in training. This should be a great forum for that.

As far as the PLO/Israel question... this is a very difficult topic for me to even form an opinion on. Clearly I am against the horrendous violence on both sides of the fence. But what is the answer? I don't know.

Last summer I was down in Biloxi, MS of all place (doing an Air Force thingy) and in a Shoney's (yes, a Shoney's) I met a very interesting man and his family. He had a strong foreign accent that I couldn't place. We spoke for a minute and soon discovered that we were both Christians. This guy was solid. Turns out, after I asked him, that he was from Israel. He said he was born and raised a Jew in Israel but then became a Christian as he discovered Jesus really was the promised messiah. An incredible story. This guy went on to become a Pastor and is now the pastor of a Christian Church in Israel. He was visiting family in the States.
After some more conversing with this brother I had enough courage to ask his opinion on the entire Isreal/Palestenian conflict. His answer truly astounded me.

He said, and mind you this is an Israel citizen, a CHRISTIAN Isreali, that Isreal should stop all this fighting and simply give the Palenstenian's the land they want. He says, and frankly I rather trusted his perspective, that the violence and evil that Israel pours out on the Palenstenians is much worse than their terrorists do to them (although he hated all of it). He holds a position that basically says Israel is wrong here and the Palestenians are right. He said they are just simple people who want their home and Israel (HIS COUNTRY) is the oppresive domineering country demanding land from poor people. He says he KNOWS that the violence would all stop if Israel would simply swallow its pride and give Palenstenians their land.

It was fascinating. I asked him about eschatology and its implications, and he claims that's inconsequential. He looks at it very simply. I'll never forget what he said to me, in a raspy foreign voice, "my friend, we are Christians. And as Christians we need to bring mercy, forgiveness, and love. We need to love these Palestenians, not kill them, and not return vengenance upon them. As Christians it is our job to end it. To stop the revenge cycle. We need to give them love in spite of their hate. We need to give them the land."

Well, of course, the main problem with what he says we need to do is that Israel is a Jewish nation, and not, by any stretch, a Christian one. However, this brother's words were very powerful for me. I still don't really hold a firm position on this. But I thought I'd share the story.

-BJ