Lest you think I only hate things, I wanted to post something I love. Ali Elhajj is an Arab follower of Jesus who founded The Bethlehem Christmas Project: Bringing Israelis and Palestinians Together on Christmas.
They are bringing people together. They are blessing others. They are tearing down walls. They are making peace. I love it.
“I saw the joy and the love and it’s very unique to see all the people together giving gifts to Palestinian children and I was amazed to see their smiles,”Alex, an Israeli. Alex had never been to the West Bank before. He had never been on the other side of the wall. Understandably he was a bit afraid. I had tears in my eyes as I listened to him. Not only did he bring joy to the children he met, but he returned to Israel a changed man.
You can also read an article from a couple of years ago in Christianity Today. Here are some key quotes from it:
“When you come to Christ, you have to understand that he died for me to reconcile me to God,” Elhajj said. “How am I as a Christian, as a citizen of the kingdom, supposed to act? As a peacemaker.”
Elhajj told CT he believes that stereotypical perceptions of evangelicals being close-minded is just as unfounded as some evangelical stereotypes of Muslims. “If you’ll just engage people, you’ll find a wide range of beliefs and motivations. You try to find folks who are open, are ready to learn, and want to do the will of God.”
