The Arab Christ

Through a close analysis of the writings of four Lebanese theologians, the author outlines the challenges facing those in Arab Christian communities who seek to foster an accommodation and understanding between Christians and Muslims in the Arab world. The author examines the current position of the Arab Christian communities in the face of rising Islamic fundamentalism in the Arab world, with particular reference to the weakened position of those communities in Lebanon in the aftermath of that country's civil war between 1975 and 1990. The author goes on to call for a re-evaluation by Arab Christians of their attitude towards Arab Muslims and their faith, and for an engagement between the faiths based on mutual recognition of the shared traditions of Christianity and Islam and an understanding of the need for the faiths to act together in solidarity to address the socio-political and sociocultural challenges in the Arab world today. The author concludes by indicating the basis on which a shared spiritual quest for moral and political commitment can be realised.