The Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice (BIPJ) launched its fall semester course, Introduction to Peacemaking and Justice in the Palestinian Context 1, on September 9. This asynchronous online course has its most robust enrollment yet, with forty students from various countries, from the Philippines to Hungary to Australia. Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, the president of Bethlehem Bible College, and Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac welcomed the course participants, expressing how important it is that the Palestinian voice is heard today and that the course will be personally transformative and a valuable resource for peacemaking in their context.
Dr. Andrew Bush, the BIPJ’s course coordinator, noted that Shady Najjar will be participating and adding his voice to the course. Shady and his family recently escaped the horror of Gaza after sheltering in one of the historic churches in Gaza City for eight months and are now living in Australia. He also notes that those concerned with peacemaking can find all the courses and lectures the BIPJ offers on its website, www.bipj.org.
Rev. Dr. Jack Sara also emphasized the transformative journey that this program offers, encouraging students to embrace it with open hearts and minds. “This journey will shape not only your academic growth but also your spiritual and personal development,” he said. “As peacemakers, we are called to bring justice, love, and reconciliation to a broken world, and this course will equip you to do just that.” The president expressed his hopes that the work students do here will have a lasting impact on their lives and their communities.
BIPJ Offers New Course: The Stones Cry Out!
The Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice at Bethlehem Bible College is now offering a new course, The Stones Cry Out, an eight-part video series recorded at various sites in the Holy Land. The locations include the Herodium near Bethlehem, Beersheba, Tel AlSultan (Jericho), Jaffa, Mt. Gerizim, En Gedi, Herod’s Palace in Jerusalem, and Caesarea. The media department at Bethlehem Bible College filmed the series during the twelve months immediately before the outbreak of the war in Gaza in 2023. Each episode, recorded on location, features peace and justice themes related to biblical narratives pertinent to each site. The presenters for the series are Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College, and Rev. Dr. Nelson Kraybill, President Emeritus of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.
The Stones Cry Out is tailored to adult education learners in congregations, small groups, or other non-academic settings in which a teacher guides participants in viewing the videos and discussing questions from the study guides or other themes brought by the teacher. You may find the course here: https://bipj.org/bipj-courses/short-courses-and-stand-alone-lectures.