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Introducing the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ) |
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April 30, 2025 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Mimi Kirk, Director
Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism
Phone: 202-368-3249
Email: director@studychristianzionism.org
Launch of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism
Washington, D.C. (May 7)—The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ) proudly announces its official launch for May 14. As a comprehensive initiative dedicated to the study, critique, and response to Christian Zionism, ISCZ aspires to be the premier resource for scholars, clergy, activists, and the general public seeking insight into this influential ideology.
The Institute offers a robust suite of resources, including an online portal, a blog, the Journal for the Study of Christian Zionism, and a speakers’ bureau. ISCZ will also host its inaugural webinar on Wednesday, May 14, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, featuring a conversation between Dr. Atalia Omer, Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Thandi Gamedze, South African educator, writer, and poet, and Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Dar Al-Kalima University, Bethlehem.
The Institute’s founding stems from a pivotal 2009 conference at the Middle East Center at North Park University in Chicago, where academics, clergy, and activists convened to address the growing influence of Christian Zionism. Recognizing the need for sustained efforts, a group of organizers—including Mark Battison, Kathy Christison, Omar Haramy, Joe Roos, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, and Stephen Sizer—laid the groundwork for what would become ISCZ.
Through a combination of rigorous research, documentation, analysis, media engagement, and advocacy, ISCZ aims to expose and challenge the destructive impact of Christian Zionism on communities and global understanding.
“ISCZ meets a growing need for critical work on this ideology that is increasing in influence and scope politically and culturally in the United States as well as in the Global South,” says Institute Director Mimi Kirk. “Crucially, the Institute’s initiatives also confront concomitant forces such as Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-Palestinian racism.”
Future plans include the expansion of online programming, the development of a comprehensive digital library, and the launch of a course on Christian Zionism.
ISCZ extends its deep gratitude to Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) for their support and partnership in making this initiative possible.
For more information, please visit https://studychristianzionism.org/ | Instagram: @The_ISCZ
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Introducing ISCZ: Christian Zionism and the Interruption of Black-Palestinian Solidarity
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Join us on Wednesday, May 14 @ 1:00 pm Eastern / 8pm Jerusalem
Dr. Atalia Omer, Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peace Studies in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, in conversation with Dr. Thandi Gamedze, South African educator, writer, and poet, and Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Dar Al-Kalima University, Bethlehem.
In this webinar, which marks the launch of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism, Dr. Omer will discuss the discursive hasbara technologies used to manufacture nonorganic Black American Christian Zionism. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb will serve as discussant.
Dr. Atalia Omer is Professor at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. She also recently served as a senior fellow and Visiting Professor at Harvard University’s Religion and Public Life program. Her research focuses on religion, violence, and peacebuilding, as well as theories and methods in the study of religion. Omer was awarded an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship in 2017, resulting in her latest book, Decolonizing Religion and Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2023).
Thandi Gamedza is a South African educator, a writer, and a poet. She works across churches, universities, and NGOs in South Africa, and is driven by a deep commitment to critique and reimagine a world that is just, nurturing, and kind. Rev.
Dr. Mitri Raheb is President of Dar Al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. The most widely published Palestinian theologian to date, he is the author or editor of 50 books, including his latest, Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, the People, the Bible (Orbis Books, 2023). |
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Join us on Wednesday, May 14 @ 1:00 pm Eastern / 8pm Jerusalem
Dr. Atalia Omer, Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peace Studies in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, in conversation with Dr. Thandi Gamedze, South African educator, writer, and poet, and Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Dar Al-Kalima University, Bethlehem.
In this webinar, which marks the launch of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism, Dr. Omer will discuss the discursive hasbara technologies used to manufacture nonorganic Black American Christian Zionism. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb will serve as discussant.
Dr. Atalia Omer is Professor at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. She also recently served as a senior fellow and Visiting Professor at Harvard University’s Religion and Public Life program. Her research focuses on religion, violence, and peacebuilding, as well as theories and methods in the study of religion. Omer was awarded an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship in 2017, resulting in her latest book, Decolonizing Religion and Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2023).
Thandi Gamedza is a South African educator, a writer, and a poet. She works across churches, universities, and NGOs in South Africa, and is driven by a deep commitment to critique and reimagine a world that is just, nurturing, and kind. Rev.
Dr. Mitri Raheb is President of Dar Al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. The most widely published Palestinian theologian to date, he is the author or editor of 50 books, including his latest, Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, the People, the Bible (Orbis Books, 2023). |
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