Mitri Raheb on Culture

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Lutheran Christmas Church and President of Diyar, has spent most of his adult life founding and nurturing cultural and educational outreach ministries of the church. Here is what he has to say about the necessity of culture in Bethlehem:

"Often I meet people and donors who think that culture in this context is a luxury we Palestinians cannot and should not afford. For these donors, [humanitarian] relief is what the Palestinians need under occupation. They need bread to eat, to fill their stomach so that they can think. This is usually the logic used.

"Our tragedy as Palestinians has been that our struggle and since the Balfour Declaration has been often portrayed as a humanitarian crisis rather than one that has to do with identity and self-determination. But people 'shall not live by bread alone'.

"Culture is one of the most important elements for people’s survival. Under immense constrains and in the most immoral situations, culture is the art to learn how to breathe normally. In contexts of conflicts, people are concentrating mainly on those who 'kill the body' but often they forget about those who 'kill the soul', i.e. the dignity, creativity and vision of a people.

"Culture is the art for the soul not only to survive but to thrive. Culture is the art to refuse being just on the receiving end, to resist being perceived only as a mere victim. Culture is the art of becoming an actor rather than a spectator. It is the art of celebrating life in a context still dominated by forces of death and domination, an art of resisting creatively and non-violently."

The outreach ministries of the Christmas Church are based on the words of Jesus as recorded in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly."