Who Are the Christians in the Middle East?Who Are the Christians in the Middle East? By Betty Jane Bailey and J. Martin Bailey. Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, city (1990 pop. 189,126), seat of Kent co., SW central Mich., on the Grand River; inc. 1850. The second largest city in the state, it is a distribution, wholesale, and industrial center for an area that yields fruit, dairy products, farm produce, , MI: Eerdmans, 2003. 215 pages. Paper. $20.00. The American church is becoming increasingly aware of the presence of Christians in the Middle East: Lutherans living in Bethlehem; Presbyterian worshippers packing Easter services in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of a bombed-out Baghdad; Coptics living in tension with Egyptian fundamentalist Muslim neighbors; and one of the fastest growing congregations, the 70,000-member St. Mary's parish, in Dubai. So who are these Christians of the Middle East? Martin and Betty Bailey have written a helpful reference. They write from the perspective, as they tell the reader in the introduction, of their love affair with the Middle East. Betty, a UCC An abbreviation for the Uniform Commercial Code. minister, and Martin, a religion media consultant, are familiar with the Middle East from their days living in Bethlehem while working with the Middle East Council of Churches After many years of preliminary moves, the Middle East Council of Churches was inaugurated in May 1974 at its First General Assembly in Nicosia, Cyprus. Initially it contained three "families" of Christian Churches in the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Jerusalem Office. The book is organized as a handy resource. Part One gives an introduction to Christianity in the Middle East including a timeline of the development of the church, an essay on the importance of Jerusalem to Christians, and essays by Prof. David Kerr David Kerr may refer to:
Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions and churches which developed in Greece , Serbia , Romania , Bulgaria, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, the " and "The Future of Christians in the Arab World." Part Two provides a catalogue of churches arranged according to the families of Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical/Protestant, and Assyrian. Short descriptions and helpful contact information and addresses make this a resource useful as a travel guide. Part Three is arranged according to country and describes the Christian communities, their history and contemporary circumstances. For an in-depth history of this region, Kenneth Cragg's The Arab Christian: A History in the Middle East (Westminster John Knox, 1991) remains essential. However, the Baileys have provided a basic introduction that should be in every parish library. Fred Strickert Warthurg College Waverly, Iowa |
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