CMEP Bulletin: When Optimism Fails – Why the Atlanta Church Summit Matters

By Jessica Pollock-Kim – CMEP’s Legislative Director

Christian leaders from the Holy Land and the US gathered in Atlanta last month to forge a path through the quagmire that is the Middle East peace process.

A daunting task — considering pessimism tends to dominate whenever the topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is raised. In Washington, DC, everyone from think-tank experts to congressional staffers are quick to point out that the situation on the ground is the worst they have ever seen it. But when these same individuals are asked how we might move closer to a resolution, most throw up their hands and shrug their shoulders. So it is understandable that some might question the ability of a gathering of religious people to create progress where so many experts have failed.

Yet just a few weeks ago, one of those experts had the audacity to suggest that it is precisely when the political horizon looks bleak that we should look to religious communities for leadership. Click here to continue reading.

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