Discussion Questions

Josh says living in Jerusalem convinced him that “any kind of easy narrative…just really doesn’t cut it.” What “easy narratives” about Israel/Palestine have you personally relied on, and what details from his experience (Old City life, West Bank/Gaza work, media differences) specifically destabilize those narratives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What simple “one-side is right” stories about Israel/Palestine have you believed? Which parts of Josh’s life there (Old City, West Bank/Gaza work, different news reports) made those stories harder to believe?

Josh describes stumbling on tombs “dating back to the First Temple period” while eating outside the Old City, and says the “depth of history…plays with your perception of time.” How should that kind of historical rootedness shape the way Christians talk about God’s purposes, God’s promises, and the land—without turning history into a trump card? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How should being surrounded by such old history change how Christians talk about God’s plans, promises, and the land? How can we respect history without using it as a way to automatically win the argument?

Josh highlights Yad Vashem’s “room on anti-Semitism” that “begins with quotes from church fathers.” What does it reveal about God—and about the danger of merging Christianity with political power—that Christian teaching could help lay groundwork for centuries of hatred? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it say about God and the risks of mixing Christianity with government power that some Christian teachings helped fuel anti-Semitism for centuries?

Josh urges Christians to “take seriously the extent to which Christianity has been…complicit with anti-Semitism,” noting “scars…very, very deep in Jewish memory.” What forms of speech, Bible interpretation, or casual assumptions in your church world could still carry that legacy, even if no one intends harm? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kinds of church talk, Bible teaching, or assumptions today might still carry old anti-Jewish attitudes, even if people don’t mean to?

Josh warns those inclined to a pro-Israel political stance: “don’t adopt any kind of view that you couldn’t justify or explain to your Palestinian brother or sister in Christ.” If a Palestinian Christian sat in your group tonight, which of your current beliefs about Israel/Palestine would be hardest to defend as consistent with the way of Jesus? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If a Palestinian Christian were here tonight, which of your views about Israel/Palestine would be hardest to explain as matching the way of Jesus?

Josh says Palestinian Christians he knew often showed “powerful examples of enemy love…they know who their enemy is.” What does that kind of explicit, costly enemy-love suggest about God’s expectations for discipleship, and where does it confront the way Western Christians talk about safety, rights, and justified force? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the enemy-love Josh saw in Palestinian Christians show about what Jesus expects from his followers? How does it challenge how Western Christians talk about safety, rights, and when force is “okay”?

Josh mentions Gaza being “virtually unlivable” (dirty water, limited electricity, no political solution) and adds, “remember that there are Christian brothers and sisters there.” How does the presence of believers on all sides challenge the common evangelical habit of treating this conflict mainly as a prophecy/politics issue rather than a body-of-Christ issue? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does knowing there are Christians in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank change the way you think about this conflict? How should it move us from arguing about prophecy/politics to caring for fellow believers?

Josh critiques the idea: “whatever Israel does, we need to support it if we want God’s blessing,” and says Scripture never exempted Israel from “justice and equity and righteousness.” How does that claim reshape what it means to be “God’s chosen people,” and what parallels should we fear when Christians seek blanket immunity for “our side”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Israel is still held to justice and righteousness, what does it really mean to be “God’s chosen people”? Where do Christians today try to claim a free pass for “our side,” and why is that dangerous?

Josh describes feeling “helplessness” and even uncertainty about “what actually happened” because Palestinian vs. Israeli media tell “a different story.” What practices of humility (“quick to hear, slow to speak”) would actually change how you post, talk, vote, or argue when the next headline breaks? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Israeli and Palestinian news tell different stories and you’re not sure what happened, what would it look like to be “quick to listen, slow to speak”? What would you change about how you post, talk, vote, or argue after the next headline?

Josh recommends that Bible tourists “spend some time on the other side of the wall…in Bethlehem…in a refugee camp,” specifically to be with Christian brothers and sisters. What concrete steps could your group take to stop consuming this land as a religious experience and start relating to it as a place where disciples bear the cross today? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What practical steps could our group take to stop treating the Holy Land like a spiritual field trip and start caring about Christians living there now? How could we build real relationships with believers “on the other side of the wall,” like in Bethlehem or a refugee camp?