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Dr. Bob Bryant appears on CNN. Click here to watch.

Dr. Bob Bryant, Associate Professor of Religion and Chair of PC’s Religion and Philosophy Department, appeared on CNN while at a parade in Bethlehem on Christmas eve.

“There were news crews everywhere,” Bryant said. “And there were no identifying marks on any of them, so we had no idea who was recording us while we were watching the parade of Scouts heralding the arrival of Christmas.”

Bryant, who flashed a peace sign on camera, was unaware that he had been on TV until he arrived home. Fellow professors Dr. Tim Gaines and Dr. Jim Thompson were the first to tell him about his appearance.

“Had they not brought it to my attention, I probably would have missed it,” Bryant said. “In any event, I’m glad that they showed me waving a peace sign . . . It’s contagious, it translates readily into many languages, and it’s never outdated, at least in my judgment.”

Bryant travelled to Israel over Christmas break with two other professors and 25 seminary students from across the country. The trip to the country was Bryant’s second. The purpose of the trip was to give seminary students the chance to experience the land and the people “who call the Holy Land home,” according to Bryant.

The group travelled through much of Israel, from the coastal plain to the Golan Heights, from the Galilee and Judean hill country down into the Negev. The group toured the old city of Jerusalem and its surrounding areas. They visited the Temple Mount, the Temple Mount excavations, the Western Wall, the City of David, and walk Hezekiah’s Tunnel to the Pool of Siloam.

Bryant also walked from Bethphage to the Mount of Olives, through the Garden of Gethsemane, along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. His favorite hikes included one to Jericho, where he visited St. George’s Monastery and another at En Avdat, the “Grand Canyon of Israel.”

“It’s a beautiful land filled with beautiful people,” Bryant said. “We were met with kindness by Israelis and Palestinians, by Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze. We also found everywhere a deep hunger for peace and justice, which many are practicing in their daily lives.”

In addition to developing friendships with the members of the group, Bryant made another significant personal encounter, meeting Father Elias Chacour, an Arab Christian Israeli.

“In my mind, he is the strongest and most persistently faithful advocate for peace and reconciliation in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle,” Bryant said. “His presence and work there, such as the creation of Mar Elias College in 1994—the only Arab college in Israel, now enrolling about 4,000 Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Druze students—reminds me that peace can erupt in the Middle East, too.”

Bryant will travel to Israel for the third time in May. He and Dr. Monte Luker, one of the professors who travelled over Christmas break, will guide the sightseeing and lecture about Israel’s geography, history, and people.

From May 16 to June 1, the trip is presented by Presbyterian College and is open to PC students, alumni, and friends.

Dr. Bryant and Father Elias Chacour

Click for larger images.
The Christmas parade in Bethelehem	Mosaic in Sepphoris	Synagogue at Capernaum
Mount of Beatitudes	Mosaic Floor	At the Western Wall
St. George's Monastery	Theater in Bet Shean	Sunset over Galilee