Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. He now pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and is the director of the highly acclaimed and influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences.

Munther is passionate about issues related to the Palestinian theology. He speaks locally and internationally and has published numerous articles on issues related to the theology of the land, Palestinian Christians and Palestinian theology, holistic mission and reconciliation. He is the author of “The Other Side of the Wall”, “From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth”, “An Introduction to Palestinian Theology” (in Arabic), and a commentary on the book of Daniel (in Arabic). He is also involved in many reconciliation and interfaith forums. He is also a Kairos Palestine board member.

Munther originally studied civil engineering in Birzeit University in Palestine. He then obtained a Master in Biblical Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and then a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

Munther is married to Rudaina – an architect, and together they have two boys: Karam (9) and Zaid (7).

Yohanna Katanacho is currently theacademic dean at Nazareth Evangelical College. He is a Palestinian Israeli Evangelical who studied at Bethlehem University (B.Sc.), Wheaton College (M.A.) and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M. Div.; Ph.D.). He has taught at colleges and seminaries in many countries. He hasauthored or contributed to dozens of books and hundreds of articles in Arabic and English. ProfessorRev. Katanacho isalso the Lead Translator ofthe Spoken Audio Galilean Arabic Bible.

Dr. Lamma Mansour is a Christian Palestinian from Nazareth. She has a doctorate and a master’s degree in Social Policy and Intervention from the University of Oxford, and a BSc in psychology from the University of Haifa. She serves in her local church in Nazareth and has been involved in CATC activities over the past few years. She has written on the intersection of faith and society in various local and global outlets.

Anthony Khair is a Bethlehem Bible College graduate of Biblical studies, of Palestinian and Honduran descent. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Arabic, he acquired his language skills through experiences living in Latin America, Palestine, and the United States. He is an active human rights activist, having spent a year working with the Mennonite Central Committee’s National Peace and Justice Ministries in Washington D.C., where he conducted advocacy work related to Palestine, Latin America, and migration to the United States, addressing both the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. Anthony also Led and coordinated the Palestine/South Africa solidarity pilgrimage with the South African NGO “Iziko Lamaqabane”.

Dr. Fares Abraham was born and raised in Beit Sahour in Palestine. Dr. Abraham is the founder and CEO of Levant Ministries that exists to honor God, make disciples, and raise leaders in the Middle East. He also leads NEXTGEN Initiative in the USA and around the world to mobilize Arab youth and young adults to fulfill the Great Commission. Prior to launching Levant, Fares worked as a senior consultant/strategist for a variety of large U.S. corporations and major government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington DC. He has also served as an organizational consultant and executive coach for leaders and organizations throughout the world. He is an author and a frequent guest speaker at conferences, universities, and different functions. He holds an MBA and a Doctor of Strategic Leadership degree. Fares also serves as an adjunct faculty professor at Liberty University. He is most passionate about reaching people with the gospel and equipping/empowering the next generation of leaders. He and his wife, Soha, have three children and splits his time between the Middle East and the United States.

Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author.  his newest book, Rethinking Life. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia.  He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living “as if Jesus meant the things he said.” Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence.

He has been featured in a number of films including “Another World Is Possible” and “Ordinary Radicals.”

Shane speaks regularly at denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe. 

Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, Executing Grace, his classic The Irresistible Revolution, Beating Guns, and his newest book, Rethinking Life. He has been featured in a number of films including “Another World Is Possible” and “Ordinary Radicals.” His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame. In 2023, Shane received the prestigious The King Center’s Beloved Community Award for Social Justice from Dr. Bernice King (daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King).

Buyisiwe “Pokie” Putu, is the Director of Afro Feminism, Womanism and Operations at Iziko Lamaqabane – an ecumenical organisation that fosters the practice of Solidarity. She is also an accountant by training having studied for a BCom Degree at Vista University (now University of Johannesburg). She also holds a diploma in Business Management from Norite College. She has also recently completed a certificate in Leadership Urban Transformation from the University of Pretoria.

Reverend René August is a strategist, thought leader, disciple maker, speaker, author, co-conspirator, trainer, harmony builder, and friend. She lives in the city now known as Cape Town, in a country now known as South Africa, and works for Tearfund as their Global Peacebuilding Specialist. She is an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Cape Town. René August grew up in Cape Town “under apartheid, in a Christian family, with brown skin”. She’s spent her life developing a love of scripture, exploring power and privilege, learning from others, and wrestling with the questions that arise along the way. In a world crammed with diverse perspectives, where certain voices are amplified and others silenced, René extends a gracious invitation to consider the lenses (spectacles) through which we’re looking at one another and at scripture.

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Cannon holds an MDiv and MBA from North Park University, and an MA in bioethics from Trinity International University. She received her first doctorate of two in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) focusing on the history of the American Protestant church in Israel and Palestine. She is the author of several books including the award-winning Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World.

A wife of one and mother of many, theologian, missiologist, educator, and story-teller, Ruth Padilla DeBorst has been involved in theological formation for integral mission in her native Latin America and beyond for several decades. She teaches at Western Theological Seminary. Along with her husband, James, she lives in Costa Rica as a member of Casa Adobe, an intentional Christian Community with deep concern for right living in relation to the whole of creation. Her studies include a Bachelors in Education (Argentina), an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Wheaton College), and a PhD in Theology (Boston University).