Reviewed by:

• Peace and Faith: Christian Churches and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict ed. by Cary Nelson and Michael C. Gizzi
• Jonathan C. Friedman

Nelson and Gizzi’s expansive edited volume brings together religious leaders and scholars around three main issues: the different, often divergent, approaches [End Page 127] of the many Christian churches toward Israel; the boycott campaigns of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (PCUSA); and the path forward for Israel and Palestine. Nelson is Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Gizzi is Professor of Criminal Justice at Illinois State University. The book, the fifth in a series of publications for Nelson contesting the movement advocating a boycott of Israel, is exhaustive in its research and presentation.

Nelson begins with an 86-page introduction to the beliefs about, and relations toward, the state of Israel from Christian denominations, including, among others, American Evangelicals, Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Mennonites, and members of the United Church of Christ. Part One features in-depth articles about theology and Zionism and specific denominational approaches to Israel, essentially augmenting Nelson’s introduction. The dividing line is both religious and political; the Evangelical right has been supportive of Israel (some would say because it fulfills “end of days” prophecies), while left-leaning churches have tended to be more critical of Israel. Some, including Presbyterian and Methodist churches, have embraced or considered embracing parts of the boycott/divestment/sanction movement (BDS). The 2009 publication, Kairos Palestine, a theological statement by Palestinian Christians on Israel and Palestine, looms large in this work, appearing multiple times in the discussion of Christian support for BDS. Critics have decried the anti-Zionist theological perspective of Kairos Palestine, along with the absence of language affirming Israel’s right to exist.

Part Two centers on the boycott campaigns of the PCUSA. In 2004, its General Assembly voted to support divesting from companies that conducted business in the West Bank. Presbyterian pastors John Wimberly and William Harter write about the genesis and evolution of PCUSA positions, noting that the church altered its position in 2006 to focus on “corporate engagement,” acknowledging the “hurt and misunderstanding” that the 2004 resolution had caused (p. 329). Nelson and Gizzi use the last two chapters of this section to critique the 2014 anti-Zionist Presbyterian publication, Zionism Unsettled. In Part Three, they offer perspectives on reconciliation, with Gizzi emphasizing re-lations through individuals and such groups as Seeds of Peace and Kids4Peace, and Nelson offering specifics for a two-state solution.

With full acknowledgment of the book’s import and contribution to scholarship, a greater variety of voices from within the many denominations of global Christianity would have enriched the volume. Assembling clergy from outside [End Page 128] the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, who represent Christianity in all its theological and geographical diversity, and allowing more men and women clergy to have their say, however unpopular some positions might be, would have been a bold choice. Nelson and Gizzi’s admirable frameworks for peace in their final essays also shift the attention from theology to politics in a book that is supposed to be about religion, specifically Christianity. An epilogue from “postmodern” Christians and Jews, such as Brian McLaren, Cornel West, and Rabbi Michael Lerner, whose Network of Spiritual Progressives envisions a healing of Israel and Palestine that is as much spiritual as it is political, would have kept the focus on faith, which is where the book has its most profound and original impact.

审核人：

• 和平与信仰：基督教会与以色列-巴勒斯坦冲突编辑。通过 Cary Nelson 和 Michael C. Gizzi
• 乔纳森·弗里德曼

纳尔逊 (Nelson) 和吉齐 (Gizzi) 编辑的内容丰富的著作将宗教领袖和学者聚集在一起，围绕三个主要问题：许多基督教会对以色列采取的不同的、通常是分歧的方法[第 127 页结束] ；美国长老会 (PCUSA) 的抵制运动；以及以色列和巴勒斯坦的前进道路。Nelson 是伊利诺伊大学香槟分校的英语教授，Gizzi 是伊利诺伊州立大学的刑事司法教授。这本书是 Nelson 反对抵制以色列运动的系列出版物中的第五本，其研究和介绍详尽无遗。

纳尔逊以 86 页的篇幅介绍了基督教教派对以色列国的信仰和关系，其中包括美国福音派、天主教、长老会、卫理公会、门诺派和联合基督教会的成员。第一部分的特色是关于神学和犹太复国主义的深入文章以及针对以色列的特定教派方法，从根本上扩充了纳尔逊的介绍。分界线既是宗教的，也是政治的；福音派右翼一直支持以色列（有些人会说是因为它实现了“末日”的预言），而左倾教会往往更批评以色列。包括长老会和卫理公会在内的一些教会已经接受或考虑接受部分抵制/撤资/制裁运动 (BDS)。2009年出版，Kairos Palestine是巴勒斯坦基督徒关于以色列和巴勒斯坦的神学声明，在这部作品中显得尤为突出，多次出现在基督教支持 BDS 的讨论中。批评者谴责Kairos Palestine的反犹太复国主义神学观点，以及没有确认以色列存在权的语言。

第二部分以美国长老会的抵制运动为中心。2004 年，其大会投票支持剥离在西岸开展业务的公司。长老会牧师约翰·温伯利 (John Wimberly) 和威廉·哈特 (William Harter) 撰写了关于 PCUSA 立场的起源和演变的文章，指出该教会在 2006 年改变了立场，将重点放在“企业参与”上，承认 2004 年决议造成的“伤害和误解”（第 13 页）。 329). Nelson 和 Gizzi 使用本节的最后两章批评 2014 年反犹太复国主义长老会出版物《未解决的犹太复国主义》。在第三部分中，他们提供了和解的观点，Gizzi 强调通过个人和诸如和平种子和 Kids4Peace 等团体建立关系，而 Nelson 则提供了两国解决方案的具体细节。

充分承认这本书的重要性和对学术的贡献，来自全球基督教许多教派的更多不同的声音将丰富这本书。从外面召集神职人员[完128页]美国、欧洲和中东代表基督教的所有神学和地理多样性，允许更多的男女神职人员发表意见，无论某些职位可能多么不受欢迎，这将是一个大胆的选择。Nelson 和 Gizzi 在他们最后的论文中令人钦佩的和平框架也将注意力从神学转移到政治，这本书应该是关于宗教的，特别是基督教。来自“后现代”基督徒和犹太人的结语，如布赖恩麦克拉伦、康奈尔韦斯特和拉比迈克尔勒纳，他们的精神进步网络设想以色列和巴勒斯坦的治疗既是精神上的，也是政治上的，将保持焦点关于信仰，这是这本书最深刻和最原始的影响。