Mae Elise Cannon Won’t Look Away from Violence in the Middle East
IVP
Sensitivity Warning: This episode includes discussion of war, violence, genocide, and human suffering. Some of these topics are explored in personal and vivid detail and may be difficult for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.
As we mark three years since October 7, 2023, it is more important than ever for Christians to remember that following Jesus means mourning with those who mourn and paying the high price for peace.
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In this episode of The Disrupters, Caleb Campbell sits down with the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, to grapple with Christian complicity in global violence, the privilege of looking away, and the high cost of following the Prince of Peace.
Together, Caleb and Mae challenge the binary thinking that reduces complex conflicts to heroes and villains, which dehumanizes people made in the image of God. Mae shares heart-wrenching stories about the daily reality of families living in fear of the next missile strike. She challenges listeners to consider how their money, politics, and silence contribute to cycles of destruction, and what a gospel of good news actually looks like for those in the rubble.
Mae offers practical guidance in this episode: how to faithfully witness suffering, how to pray through feeling overwhelmed, how to engage with peacemaking long term, and how to radically love your enemies.
Join Mae, Caleb, and The Disrupters in refusing to look away from suffering.
This episode highlights the following themes:
✅ American complicity and Christian responsibility in global injustice
✅ The privilege of looking away and the biblical mandate not to
✅ The intersection of power, justice, fear, and the way of Jesus
✅ Stories of courage, peacemaking, and paying the high cost for peace
Links from the episode:
✅ Learn more about Mae Elise Cannon (https://www.ivpress.com/mae-elise-cannon?utm_source=ivpod25&utm_medium=ivp_dsr&utm_campaign=season7)
✅ Read Mae Cannon’s book, Beyond Hashtag
