Statement on SST and Gaza

Dear SST Members,

In light of advocacy by several of our Society’s members and the ongoing discussion among the members of our Committee, we would like to offer this letter in response to the call to western theologians by the group of Palestinian Christians in October 2023. We recognise, first and foremost, that this delay is unacceptable but is not representative of the Committee’s care for the Palestinian people. Our Society and our Committee include people who have a range of views regarding the purpose and responsibilities of theologians, the work of theology and of the Society. We have, in our processes, sought to honour this range of opinions. Nevertheless, our own constitution acknowledges the importance of fostering ‘theological responsibility’ and identifying and discussing ‘important themes, questions and dialogues which call for theological engagement.’ Where theology and its legacies are implicated, particularly in acts of violence, there we find our responsibility to respond. 

As a Society, we have agreed to take particular actions in light of the open letter written by some of our members and signed by those within and beyond the Society, as well as consultation with our members. This includes:

1. Following the 2024 AGM, it was agreed that we would establish an additional bursary fund to support scholars living in contexts of violence globally, including Palestinians. We have secured a bursary funding arrangement with Christian Aid that will start in 2026 and last for an initial three years.
2. Investigating our current banking arrangements with the Cooperative Bank, which showed that the Cooperative remains one of the more ethical options available, especially since the sale in 2024. Our investigation did not reveal any complicity in Israel’s violence against Palestinians.
3. Hosting an online discussion on 25th September 2024 to consider theology and the War in Gaza.  This event considered Palestinian, Jewish and African scholars’ theological perspectives.

Yet, we recognise, as a Committee, that in our attempt to respond well to our members here in the UK, we have not given adequate attention to the demands made by the open letter from the Palestinian Christians. The letter was written primarily ‘to challenge western theologians and church leaders who have voiced uncritical support for Israel and to call them to repent and change.’ Though this may not reflect many of our actions and thus demand our personal response, we call attention to this particular section:

we are disturbed by the silence of many church leaders and theologians when it is Palestinian civilians who are killed. We are also horrified by the refusal of some western Christians to condemn the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, and, in some instances, their justification of and support for the occupation. Further, we are appalled by how some Christians have legitimized Israel’s ongoing indiscriminate attacks on Gaza, which have, so far, claimed the lives of more than 3,700 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.

The Open Letter from the Palestinian Christians demands a response to three issues: Christian Zionism, Just War, and a double standard. 

We condemn the use of Christian Zionist thought, which has led to uncritical support for the Israeli state’s assaults on the Palestinian people. Instead, we support and actively encourage through our practices the view that theologians must consider the implications and outcomes of their theological production, in this case, their complicity in perpetuating new and old forms of violent settler colonialism. This reflective work is something that the Society has long supported, especially through its relatively more recent initiatives addressing Theology and Race. 

Though the Just War is a complex tradition of thought and action in the West, it has an ignoble colonial history. From the 15th-Century Doctrine of Discovery to the present, Just War has been appropriated to legitimate violence and conquest. As a Society, we hope we can consider, going forward, a more global reflection on Just War and its continued influence on Christian political thought and action.

We recognise the accusation by Palestinian Christians of a theological double standard regarding Palestinian lives and those of Israelis. We acknowledge its roots in colonial Christian thinking and the work of scholars in our field to clarify this. As the Asian postcolonial theologian R.S. Sugirtharajah taught, there is a long tradition of critical reflection on Western theological anthropology in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. More recently, Anthony Reddie and Carol Troupe edited a volume on Deconstructing Whiteness, Empire and Mission, which highlights some of the domestic neo-colonial features of the double standards accusation. Namely, how Christian theology reproduces racial hieracies and discriminates against Black and Brown bodies in the UK. The movement to decolonise within the UK university sector, which started with the 2015 Rhodes Must Fall Movement responds directly to the broader question of coloniality. This call has since been taken up by individuals and teams within and across theology departments, divinity schools and theological education institutions – but we recognise there is still some way to go. Consequently, this accusation has some merit for us and should be a significant concern for all theological reflections committed to justice, decolonization, and peace in the region and a free Palestine. 

We end this letter with a recognition that we, as a Society, must give room to reflect on what our responsibilities are at times of global catastrophe while also acknowledging that we will not always agree. We are committed to reviewing our communication and decision-making processes, especially concerning the urgent crises that emerge in our lives here in the UK and in the world at large. As always, we appreciate your suggestions and support.

-SST Committee, March 2025