Re-Examining Christian Engagement with Ba’athism in Syria and Iraq

A new publication has just been released online by GCRR's bi-annual academic journal, Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry (SHERM)! You can read the article for free here.

Title

"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea? Re-Examining Christian Engagement with Ba’athism in Syria and Iraq"

Abstract

This article re-examines the dominant scholarly perception that Christian support for Arab Nationalist regimes is primarily a product of fear of Islamism. After a brief examination of the Christian origins of Ba’athism—a form of Arab Nationalism—the author argues that a more granular understanding of the current Christian politics of Syria and Iraq reveals that while some Christians have supported regimes out of fear, there is also significant strain of active, positive support, though to what extent this is a product of Christian identification with Arab identity requires further research. The study employs an examination of posts from pro-Assad Syrian Christian Facebook pages.

About the Author

Louis Elton studied Theology, Religion, and the Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge. He is continuing his research at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.

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If you have an academic or ministry-related article that you'd like to publish, submit your manuscript to SHERM journal today! Start by clicking this link here and then following the instructions laid out in the Author Guidelines document on the SHERM website.