Summer of Palestinian Visibility

All events will take place in the parish hall at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, located at 111 NE 80th St. Seattle, WA 98115​

Sunday, June 14th –  Destiny Magnett with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)              After the 10am service (11:30am), Destiny Magnett with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) will speak. CMEP promotes a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East. They mobilize Christians in the United States to advocate equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East. Save to calendar.

Sunday, June 21st – Dr. Liora Halperin.                                                                                       After the 10am service (11:30am), in the Parish Hall, Prof. Halperin will speak. She is a Professor of International Studies and History, and Distinguished Endowed Chair of Jewish Studies, at the University of Washington. She is an historian of Israel/Palestine with particular interests in nationalism and collective memory, Jewish cultural and social history, language ideology and policy, and the politics of colonization and settlement. Save to calendar.

Sunday, July 12th – Father Kendall Haynes, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Seattle

After the 10am service (11:30am), Father Kendall Haynes will give a talk titled “Waking Up to Palestinian Justice: A Priest’s Journey”. Save to calendar.

Sunday, July 26th – Short Film “Letter From a Palestine Prison”

After the 10am service (11:30am) we will show the short film “Letter From A Palestine Prison” by filmmaker David Wild in the Parish Hall. Followed by a discussion with David, moderated by Ruth McRee Shultz. Save to calendar.

Sunday, August 9 – Book Group – The Lemon Tree

After the 10am service (11:30am) we will be having a discussion of the book “The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East “. It is a biography and work of historical nonfiction written by Sandy Tolan. Throughout the biography, Tolan highlights how two families on opposite sides of the conflict—the Khairis and the Eshkenazis—are connected on a level that transcends both faith and human fallibility. Save to calendar.

Wednesday, August 12th 7pm – Movie Night (title to be announced)

Save to calendar.

August 30th – Dr. Alice Rothchild

After the 10am service (11:30am) Dr. Alice Rothchild will speak in the Parish Hall. Dr. Rothchild is a retired obstetrician-gynecologist who worked in the health care reform and women’s movements for many years. She directed a documentary film and is now writing and speaking. Since 1997, she has focused much of her energy on understanding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Save to calendar.

The Museum of the Bible reflects the discouraging state of Christianity

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A King James Bible from the year 1617. (photo: Scalzo / Epa-Efe / Rex / Shutterstock)

The museum provides a metaphor for the state of Christianity in the US today.

By Christine Emba | The Washington Post | No 17, 2017


The Museum of the Bible reflects the discouraging state of Christianity — especially evangelicalism — in the United States today. It is lavishly funded and larger than life to the point of performance, often literally. Yet the approach is strangely superficial given the wealth of complexity inherent to its subject. There are dozens of illuminated manuscripts, but it’s unclear whether they’ve been read.


Somewhere between the surround-screen animation of the New Testament and the backlit glass case containing Elvis Presley’s personal Bible, I began to feel a bit overwhelmed. It was bound to happen; the guide made it clear that the Museum of the Bible was meant to be a highly stimulating experience.

Educational too, of course. The new museum’s purpose, as stated in its promotional materials and in the carefully bland speeches of its largely evangelical Christian board, is to invite all people to “engage” (their preferred word) with the most popular book in the world. There was a lot to see: more than $500 million worth of artifacts, interactive exhibits and performance space in a 430,000-square-foot building three blocks from the Capitol. But actual grappling with the Bible and its implications was an afterthought.

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