Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, the People, the Bible

by Mitri Raheb, Shawn K. Jain (narrator)

Decolonizing Palestine challenges the weaponization of biblical texts to support the current settler-colonial state of Israel. Raheb argues that some of the most important theological concepts—Israel, the land, election, and chosen people—must be decolonized in a paradigm shift in Christian theological thinking about Palestine. Decolonizing Palestine is a timely book that builds on the latest research in settler-colonialism and human rights to place traditional theological themes within the wider socio-political context of settler colonialism as it is practiced by the modern nation-state of Israel. Written by a native Palestinian Christian theologian who continues to live in the region, Decolonizing Palestine provides an insider's perspective that disrupts hegemonic and imperialist narratives about the region.

Genres: Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published December 31, 2024

Reviews

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this one would be something that I could share for people who are in the Christian tradition but have a knee-jerk republican reaction to the mention of Israel. Unfortunately, it was so academic and the vocabulary used so coded to people that already agreed with the premise, that I don’t think it will be helpful for communicating across political lines.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decolonizing Palestine is one of about a dozen books I'm reading in 2025 on the historical, religious, and geopolitical realities of the region.

This was the first audiobook I came across on this subject written by Palestinian Christian. This author, born in Bethlehem, is a Lutheran pastor with a doctorate in theology.

Compared to everything else I've read so far, this book gave a closer look at the impacts of Christian Zionism and European Colonialism on the region today.

While I don't think this book is useful in isolation, as part of a larger context, it provides a vantage point that I haven't come across in my reading journey thus far.