high risk health insurance…

I was a student of yours a year ago. I am currently not a student at Fuller. I work part time for Middle East Fellowship and part time as a youth minister at a local Episcopal Church. My friend Adam Cleveland who went on the program Palestine Summer Encounter I coordinate for Middle East Fellowship also runs the website http://www.pomomusings.com/

He recently asked me to be a guest writer for his website and to write about the Kingdom of God. I immediately thought of your class, “Church in Mission” and especially the book, “Church: Community for the Kingdom”. I dont know if you remember but most of my reflections for your class were on the Kingdom of God and the Middle East.

I came to check out your class website again to help me write my post for pomomusings when I came across this Edward Said video. I am thoroughly shocked, amased, and impressed that you used this Media Education Foundation video on Edward Said. I am writing quite simply to inquire the context in which you used it and to compliment you on using this video and drawing students attention to Said and Orientalism. I think Said’s scholarship and the issue of Orientalism have relevant connections to the church and God’s Kingdom especially in the Middle East.

I have used this exact same Media Education Foundation video along with excerpts from Lawrence of Arabia and Paradise Now in presentations I have done on the Middle East. Last year while I was a student at Fuller I also included an entire section on Orientalism in the paper I wrote for Bryant Myers, “Transformational Development” class. My paper was on transformational development in the Israli Occupied Territories.

Its always encouraging when you see other people with similar perspectives, drawing similar conclusions, and utilizing similar tools.

Keep up the great work!!

Peace,

- Josh