In March IGE President Dr. Chris Seiple, and IGE Program Officer Kristen Lundquist, will travel to the Holy Land to attend the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference held at Bethlehem Bible College—the only evangelical Palestinian college in the West Bank. The Christ at the Checkpoint Conference serves as a unique opportunity to spend time with fellow evangelicals to learn about the dynamics of the “Arab Spring” and to see what Israel-Palestine can teach us about engaging the world in terms of respect, reconciliation, and religious freedom.

The conference will be followed by a 6-day tour, led by IGE board member Todd Deatherage (former Chief of Staff to Senator Tim Hutchinson, as well as to Secretary Rice’s internal think-tank at the State Department). Todd is the president and co-founder of The Telos Group (which educates American Christians about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a way that helps them be a common friend to both).

As IGE explores the dynamics of religious freedom in the region, and how we might add value, we are inviting friends of IGE to follow our blog and provide feedback, helping IGE discern our future engagement in the region through our new Women of Faith for Peace & Security Initiative.