Regarding My Palestine and Israel Series

by John Ellis

I want to provide a quick heads up for those who have been reading the series: I am taking a brief pause. There are two main reasons for that: 1. I need a break and, 2. more importantly, the growing tension and violence on university campuses may necessitate a different type of nuance, I think, then what I’ve been building to. I might be wrong about that, but I want to observe, listen, and reflect before putting my conclusion(s) – what I believe is a Kingdom ethical response to this third Intifada and Zionism in general – in print.

This morning, I woke up to the news that pro-Palestinian demonstrators have broken into a Columbia University building. The great postcolonial leader/thinker Frantz Fanon famously said, “colonialism only loosens its hold when the knife is at its throat.” As much as I admire Fanon and have learned from him, what I believe is the most controversial article I’ve ever written (which can be found by clicking here) articulates, based on Kingdom ethics, my rejection of that statement. As a (mostly, I think … still working through it) Christian pacificist, I personally struggle at times with getting a handle on what I believe a Kingdom ethical response to violent oppression should be. This is partially why I need some time to wrap my head around changing events.

I’ve been closely following both pro-Palestinian and pro-Zionism voices throughout the growing demonstrations springing up around the globe. I’m troubled by much of what’s being said by both sides (one side more than the other). I want to do my best to make sure that my voice, specifically the final chapters leading up to my conclusion, is one that provides light and not heat to the conversation, and that does so in ways that bear witness to the Resurrection.

So, thank you for your patience. I don’t anticipate this pause lasting long. In the meantime, I’ve been working on two other articles that are both relatively short (for me). One is tentatively titled “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as Patricide”. The other deals with the nature of truth and knowledge coming out of the brouhaha surrounding Katherine Maher’s supposed relativistic comments she made in a recently resurfaced TED talk. For the record, I don’t write controversial articles for the sake of controversy. My personality is that of a teacher; I wish that everyone who reads what I write would be convinced by my arguments and agree with me (I know that’s not possible, nor really desirable because I’m not even close to being infallible). That being said, I suspect that these two soon-to-be-published articles (maybe one later today and the other by the end of the week) will be challenging for those steeped in the Western/Christendom worldview. However, I also imagine that if you’ve been reading my writing for any length of time, you’ll recognize a continuation of my philosophical development and thought. And if you have been reading my writing for any length of time, including if this is your first article of mine you’ve read, thank you.

P.S. I am aware that I owe one of you a review of the Barbie movie. You know who you are, and I promise I’ll get to it eventually.