No area today figures more prominently and more significantly in the world‘s news than the Middle East. The three great so-called revealed religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—began and flourished in the Middle East, and all three are powerful factors in the conflicts and tensions there today.

Historical Background – Christ’s earthly life and ministry were in this area, and the Gospel spread quickly throughout the region under the missionary activities of the Apostles and early Christians. Later, the early Church became identified with the government of the Roman Empire, and it was soon infiltrated with paganism which seriously corrupted it.

When the Mohammedan conquest began, the weakened church was not able to stand, and Islam dominated the scene despite the Crusades and the continued existence of Christian minority groups.

More than one hundred years ago, long before the end of Turkish domination, Protestant missionaries began to come to the Middle East. Prominent among the earliest to come were Presbyterians, many of whom were Reformed, who established several churches and schools. The American University of Beirut (then known as the Syrian Protestant College) and the Near East School of Theology, can trace their history back to those days. However, many of the newly-formed churches eventually drifted into Liberalism, Arminianism, or a “dead orthodoxy.” The American University became totally secularized, while a strong liberal influence is now at work in most of the schools.

The post-1918 period has seen more arrivals of missionaries from many different churches and organizations. The vast majority, however, being either Liberal or committed to Arminianism, strengthened existing tendencies away from the Reformed position.

The state of the church today in the Middle East gives mnch cause for concern. Among those people still holding to the authority of the Scriptures, there is a strong current of Pentecostalism and Dispensationalism.

Against the background of such tragic complexity of error, the Middle East Reformed Fellowship (MERF) has come into being.

 

 

The Fellowship Grows, A Start Is Made – About five years ago, in the Providence of God, three young people of Reformed convictions, one American, one Lebanese, and one Egyptian, met in Beirut. Each of them was suffering from lack of fellowship with believers of like mind, and they started meeting together for prayer and discussion. The idea of establishing a Reformed Fellowship in the Middle East soon emerged. The aim was to proclaim the Reformed Faith through discussion, friendship, and personal literature distribution. Gradually a few people became interested, and it was decided that the work should be organized.

After two years, the Fellowship had become strong enough to begin planning for an evangelistic center with a library and reading room. An appeal was made to the Cyprus Commission of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (Covenanters) for pastoral assistance. Mr. Donald Piper, a licensed preacher and missionary in Cyprus, agreed to come once a month to preach at the Sunday afternoon public worship service.

Now that the group is properly constituted, registration with the government is expected soon.

The Goals Are Set – The purpose of the Fellowship, as set forth in its Constitution, are as follows:

“1. To promote a communion for mutual encouragement and edification among those in the Middle East who adhere to the Reformed Faith, thus stimulating conformity to the moral standards of the Holy Bible.”

“The first aim, then, is to act as a coordinating organization, to link together Reformed churches of different denominations throughout the Middle East, to give them encouragement, and to build them lip in the doctrines of the Scriptures. The Middle East Reformed Fellowship is not a church, but a service organization.

“2. To propagate the Reformed Faith by means of Bible study, seminars, literature distribution, worship services, etc.”

“In order to do this, a center is needed with a large meeting room, offices, library, and reading room. This is a major concern of the Fellowship at present.”

Enough local funds are available to begin the literature program. Its first publication will be an Arabic translation of Walter Chantry’s Today’s Gospel –Authentic or Synthetic? As more funds are made available, Arabic translations of The Grace of God in the Gospel by Cheeseman, et aI, The Time Is at Hand by Jay Adams, and Van Til’s Christ and the Jews all important Reformed books—will follow. Other priorities include compiling a Reformed Hymnal in Arabic, and publishing a number of tracts which clearly present the Gospel. In addition, Arabic translation of the Westminster Confession of 1689 will be undertaken.

For all this work to be carried out efficiently, the employment of a full-time Arab literature worker is essential, with another taking up employment at a later date. Also urgently needed is someone to cope with the ever-increasing amount of secretarial work that must be done.

“3. To strengthen the Reformed witness in the Middle East through:

a. fostering cooperation between Reformed churches;

b. relating Reformed churches in the Middle East with Reformed churches in other parts of the world;

c. encouraging the establishment of Reformed churches in areas where there are none.”

Much to the joy of all concerned, a Reformed congregation has recently organized in Beirut, taking as its doctrinal basis the Westminster Confession and Catechisms. We are thankful to God for the ministry of Rev. and Mrs. Benson Male, who have been sent by the Committee on Foreign Missions of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. For the moment, services will be in English with the sermon translated into Arabic for the benefit of the many interested friends who have difficulty with the English language. This church is currently meeting in the American University Alumni Club and is anticipating a more permanent home.

“4. To assist and establish Reformed social and educational institutions.”

Great Challenges – There are great openings for the work already. The Fellowship has close contact with a few Baptist and Presbyterian churches in Syria, some in need of pastors and looking to it for help. There is a lively group of young people in Damascus who long for solid Christian instruction and fellowship.

But it is Lebanon which is the key conntry of this region. Because it is the main communications and business center, people from all parts of the Arab world come here; hence it is a valuable place for establishing contacts with other Middle Eastern countries. Furthermore, Lebanon enjoys religious freedom. In Lebanon, the Fellowship has content with several churches, pastors, and educational institutions. Some Presbyterian churches seem ready to accept offers of help.

In order to plan and administer the work here, an Executive Committee, composed of both nationals and foreigners living in the Middle East, has recently been formed. A Board of Reference, made up of prominent people in Reformed churches throughout the world, is also being established. This board will give the Fellowship much vital help through their active support.

The Task Ahead – Despite its primacy in today’s world affairs, the Middle East is almost totally without the Gospel of God’s grace. The Christianity of the past, both Protestant and non-Protestant, is tragically deficient. Worse still, Islam has survived almost completely intact.

It is time for Reformed people everywhere to realize their responsibility toward this part of the world. MERF’s deep desire is to see, once again the historic faith of the Apostolic Church boldly proclaimed throughout this whole region, and countless men and women, through a right preaching of the Scriptures, coming to salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ.