Theology of Reconciliation in the Context of Church Relations

The theology of Croatian thinker Miroslav Volf is reaching a high level of recognition and acceptance among Christian theologians in different parts of the world.This book by Palestinian evangelical Rula Khoury Mansur is a valuable effort of an insider researcher to use Volf’s theology as a frame of reference in order to understand church conflicts in her country and respond to them from a pastoral and contextual perspective. I hope that Ms Khoury’s methodology and conclusions will inspire similar efforts to understand conflicts and respond pastorally to them in other conflictive areas of the world today.

Samuel Escobar, PhD
Emeritus Professor of Missiology, Palmer Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, USA

In 1996 Miroslav Volf in his book Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation offered the church a good service by calling her to understand the metaphor of salvation as reconciliation. In reality, it is God’s call to the church to realize its task to be an agent of peace and reconciliation as she serves in the midst of fragmented societies. Dr Khoury Mansour has taken that call forward to apply it to a complicated Middle Eastern context where splits and strife are, unfortunately, part of our daily life. She approaches the topic not just with deep sociological and theological interaction but also with much compassion and sensitivity. I am also delighted that Dr Khoury Mansour is the first female Langham Graduate from the MENA region, and I am hoping that she will be the first among many female scholars to follow her steps in the near future.

Riad Kassis, PhD
Director, Langham Scholars

In this work, Dr Mansour joins a plethora of gifted women theologians whose impact is glocal. She honors the Prince of Peace in his own hometown as she addresses church conflicts among Palestinian Baptist Churches in Nazareth and the rest of Galilee. In the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth she masterfully provides an inspiring and challenging theology of reconciliation, engaging both Palestinian culture as well as the theology of Miroslav Volf. Her theoretical and practical insights combine Western and Eastern discussions into an informative, inspiring, and challenging discourse that calls us to be a community of forgivers and agents of reconciliation.

Rev Professor Yohanna Katanacho, PhD
Academic Dean, Nazareth Evangelical College, Israel

In this original book, Dr Khoury Mansour presents a composite, culturally sensitive model of conflict transformation. Beyond the thick, multi-layered analysis of one particular intra-church conflict, this book provides an important inspiration to those seeking to promote peace and reconciliation within and across communities.

Amalia Sa’ar, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology,
University of Haifa, Israel

This is an innovative and compelling book on conflict and reconciliation in church. It is based on close ethnographic research and careful theological analysis, and its author has extensive experience both as a public prosecutor and an active church member. A unique and exemplary book.

Miroslav Volf, Dr Theol Habil
Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology, Yale Divinity School, Connecticut, USA Founder and Director, Yale Center for Faith and Culture