E_Newsletter 25 July 2006
Plant a Tree in Palestine
Peter J. Miano
As our constituents know, I am particularly enthusiastic about the launch of our new mission initiative, called Plant a Tree in Palestine. It enables individuals and churches to continue to be involved in promoting awareness, understanding and action to promote equitable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and redress social injustices that aggravate that conflict. Many have warmly embraced it and generously supported it with their time, donations, energy and prayers. Why is it important and how does it fit in with the mission of The Society for Biblical Studies?
Anyone who has been involved with The Society for Biblical Studies knows that part of our mission is to reform biblical scholarship. One of the ways we do this is by inducing our participants to ask the question, "What do I do with what I have learned." A colleague of mine observed in a recent conversation that too much biblical scholarship avoids this question. The consequence of this is that much scholarship evades pressing social challenges and confines itself to the realm of irrelevance. Be this as it may, if we know nothing else at all about Jesus, we should know with certainty that Jesus did good. The purpose of following Jesus and studying the Bible must, therefore, have something to do with doing good. In contrast with most biblical scholarship, many participants in our travel programs find themselves energized for mission. They return to their home mission fields asking the question, "What do I do?" Asking the question is, by itself, an important first step, because any response to any social need in our world begins with a commitment of personal responsibility. In our faith journeys, it is not enough to love Jesus and leave it at that. As Jesus says to Peter when he professes his love, "Feed my sheep." (John 21). Love of God is measured by love for one another.
It is a sad commentary that so many people give up in the face of seemingly overwhelming social challenges. Too many give in to the debilitating lie that individuals don't matter and can't make a difference. When enough people flee from challenge, we end up with the sort of world we are living in--one marked by violence, fear, inequitable distribution of goods, hunger, hatred, etc. The issues we introduce to our constituents are often deeply troubling. This is the beginning of the renewal of faith and commitment to action. There are many ways for individuals to remain involved and make a positive difference. The Plant a Tree in Palestine program is one.
Even without fully examining the confused sea of conflicting opinions, issues, facts, beliefs and positions in the Isaraeli/Palestinian conflict, and without expecting others to do so, you can participate in this porogram. You can also invite others to begin participation, too. We hope, of course, that this involvement leads to deeper commitment and higher understanding. The Plant a Tree in Palestine program is designed to give you a chance to promote the Palestinian economy by investing in Palestinian agriculture. It promotes investment, rater than divestment (although divestment should be discussed, debated and perhaps enacted, before we conveniently excuse ourselves from addressing controversial issues). It is a way to express support for people in desperate economic circumstances. It will generate revenue. It will also help reforest the West Bank, thus it is environmentally advantageous. Most importantly, though, to plant a tree in Palestine is to make an investment in the future. A young olive tree is easier to sustain and takes root better than an older one. However, it will take more time to produce a harvest. It will be at least five years before the trees we plant are harvested. Our program is not only economically and ecologically beneficial, it helps people develop confidence in the future. In a word, we invite you not only to plant a tree, but also to plant hope. In an environment such as the one I described above, hope is in short supply and without hope, further violence is inevitable.
