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People of all faiths—including faculty and students from the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary—were among the approximately 1 million pro-independence demonstrators who poured into Beirut's Martyrs Square on Monday to chant and support "freedom, sovereignty, independence" of Lebanon and protest the Syrian control of its government. The protest, greatly outnumbering the pro-Syrian rally from a week ago (in which, according to anonymous sources, many demonstrators were bused in from Syria and many Shiite Muslims were coerced into demonstrating), signaled a return of momentum the opposition had been gaining since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri a month ago. The killing injured the only evangelical member of the parliament, Dr. Basil Fuleihan, who at the time of the attack was in the car Hariri was driving. Fuleihan, one of 17,000 evangelicals among the 4 million inhabitants of Lebanon, was recovering from burns covering 95 percent of his body at a hospital in Paris. Arab Baptist Theological Seminary academic dean Dr. Martin Accad and provost Dr. Paul Sanders spoke with Christianity Today associate editor Agnieszka Tennant this morning and late last week about the way evangelicals in Lebanon see the unfolding events.

CT: What happened at today's protests?

Paul Sanders: Today, there was a "human tide." It is still going on as I speak and will go on until the wee hours of the night. Evangelical churches rented buses to take their church members today. They realize that their own freedom, religious as well as civil, is at stake. The demonstrators were heavily on the youthful side, but many older adults as well. The union of Christians, Sunni Muslims, and Druze was very evident once again. We are hopeful that the tide has turned back in the right direction after the Hezbollah-led demonstration last week.

CT: How limited is religious freedom in Lebanon?

Martin Accad: Largely, there is no limit put on religious freedom here. Lebanon has had the most religious freedom of all other countries in this region. I can take a guitar, go stand on the street corner, sing worship songs, and preach the gospel. I would never be arrested.

CT: What role, if any, have evangelicals played in the massive protests?

Accad: Evangelicals have been more involved than they normally are in politics because of injuries Dr. Basil Fuleihan sustained. The fact that he was very badly hurt and is still struggling for life, has put the evangelical community more to the forefront of the situation than they normally are.

For instance, a prayer service for Dr. Fuleihan was held at the National Evangelical Church in Beirut the week following the assassination. The church was packed with at least 600 people; many were standing outside the church. There were members of parliament, there were ministers, religious leaders as well.

In the protests themselves, there hasn't been any organized evangelical participation; the participation has been that of individuals.

CT: Since the protests started, what could be heard from evangelical pulpits? Did pastors or preachers make any reference to the political situation?

Sanders: There was a great variation. In several churches there were explicit references made to the legitimate desire of the Lebanese people to be free, especially as it relates to the maintenance and the preservation of religious freedom. I wouldn't say that there was an explicit political engagement for the opposition against Syria, but rather more of a positive pronouncement of the importance of freedom and democracy and preservation of religious freedom in the country.

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March (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49