Palestinian Liberation Theology (PLT) has marked certain events within Palestinian history that have demanded a theological response. The events of the Nakba in 1948 were the birth of PLT where Palestinians not only experienced a physical Nakba, but a faith one as well. This crisis demanded a theological response from Palestinian theologians, a call which was amplified with the events of the Naksa in 1967. In the first Intifada in 1987 the world witnessed the emergence of PLT and since then it has remained a leading voice in spheres of civil society, academia, and churches globally. The leaders and founders of PLT have not only paved the way for generations to come but have borne witness – and to this day many continue to bear witness – to the liberating message of the gospel for oppressed peoples around the world.
This issue of Cornerstone contains voices who attempt to understand the meaning and message of the nativity story by contextualizing its message to the Palestinian context. These voices attempt to point us towards the good news which was brought by a baby boy born in Bethlehem to a young virgin woman. This good news is one which demands repentance, revolution, courage to act and not be paralyzed by fear, recognition to those unseen, and liberation to those oppressed. Christmas amidst a Palestinian mass death is not a Christmas for all, especially for the King Herods, the Pharaohs, and the Pontious Pilates of today, rather it is for those who are the least of these. Christmas in Palestine this year is one which requires action and faith in a God who advocates for the oppressed and will judge all who enact and remain complacent to evil.