Peace in Israel and Palestine #2 - Lament and Reconciliation

·1 hr 20 min·5 clips

A Jewish follower of Jesus in Israel shares her experience of the October 7 attack while at a peace gathering.

This episode features an interview with Lisa Loden, a Jewish believer in Jesus based in Israel, who serves on boards of peace and reconciliation organizations. The host introduces the series as a response to the October 7 conflict, aiming to amplify Christian voices in the Middle East. Lisa recounts being at a Families of Faith gathering when the attack began, describing missiles overhead and singing prayers with Arab and Messianic families. She reflects on the intractable nature of the conflict, noting it as a zero-sum game that causes populations to close in on themselves. Lisa shares her personal background, including growing up Jewish in the U.S., her spiritual search through various religions in the 1960s, and her conversion to Christianity after a car accident in Washington State. She and her husband immigrated to Israel in 1974, where she began engaging with Arab Christians and focusing on reconciliation work. Lisa discusses identity, emphasizing her primary identity as a follower of Jesus over ethnic or national labels. She explains that most Messianic Jews in Israel are Zionist, but she chooses not to identify as Messianic to avoid being boxed into political stances. The conversation touches on theological challenges, with Lisa noting that Israeli and Palestinian Christian theologies are often mutually exclusive, making bridging difficult. She mentions her involvement with Musallaha, a reconciliation ministry, and other projects like the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice. Lisa reads a poem she wrote after October 7, lamenting the human cost and shared humanity in the conflict. The episode concludes with practical advice for Western Christians, urging them to avoid taking sides, pray for all affected, and support humanitarian aid, particularly in Gaza.

As heard by us

A searching Christian conversation about lament, messianic Jewish identity, and peace carried into ordinary life.

Regent College Podcast's peace series turns from the noise around the Israel-Hamas conflict toward Christian voices living in the Middle East.

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Why you'd press play

You can hear lament, Christian hope, and small acts of peace meet in a conversation shaped by Israel, Palestine, and life after October 7.

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