Faith in a Time of Genocide: A Moment of Truth for the Worldwide Church

Feb 22

Presented by United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR) and Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA)

Palestinian Christians call us to "costly solidarity" in the stunning new Kairos Palestine document. Kairos Palestine II is a decisive turning point in the Palestinian Christian liberation movement and a challenge to Christians everywhere.

Sixteen years ago in Bethlehem, Palestinian Christians called on Christians worldwide to stand against injustice in the Holy Land, asking us, "Can you help us get our freedom back?"

That call in 2009 was the first “Moment of Truth” declaration, the Kairos Palestine Document that UMKR is named for. That historic statement galvanized Christians around the world and launched a global movement.

In November 2025, again speaking from Bethlehem, Kairos Palestine launched its second major manifesto, “A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide.”

This powerful statement brings us a theology of comprehensive resistance, boldly naming the ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, racism, and settler colonialism that Palestinians live with and challenging us to acknowledge that reality.

In our February 2026 webinar, two of the leading voices among Palestinian Christians present and unfold this extraordinary document for us, helping us grasp its key messages and the actions urgently needed in the church and in society. Speaking from Palestine, we will have two renowned international speakers and authors: Rifat Kassis, the General Coordinator of Kairos Palestine, and Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor, theologian, and Academic Dean at Bethlehem Bible College.

Joining them are United Methodist leaders on several continents, bringing us their responses to Kairos Palestine II from their unique geographic and church contexts.

UMKR leadership will consider United Methodist solidarity thus far and what the call to “costly solidarity” will mean for our movement and throughout the denomination.

This Webinar was recorded on February 18, 2026

RELATED RESOURCES

Read the Kairos Palestine II Document: https://www.kairosresponse.org/kairos_palestine_2.html
See and download the Congregational Study Guide for the Kairos Palestine II document: https://www.kairosresponse.org/kp2guide.html

SELECTED WORKS BY RIFAT KASSIS
Palestine: A Bleeding Wound on the World's Conscience
Kairos for Palestine
Palestinian Christians in the West Bank: Facts, Figures and Trends: Editor, with Mitri Raheb (author) and Rania Al ass Collings (editor)
A Moment of Truth: the Kairos Palestine Document - The Ecumenical Review

SELECTED WORKS BY MUNTHER ISAAC
Promised Land or Lands of Promise: Understanding Israel Today in the Light of Christ
Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible and the Genocide in Gaza
The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope
Christ at the Checkpoint: Blessed are the Peacemakers
From Land to Lands: A Christ-Centered Biblical Theology of the Promised Land