Who Are the Christians in the Middle East?

by Betty Jane Bailey

The Middle East continues to dominate international news and global politics. From the perspective of religion, however, many Americans think of that area only in terms of Muslims and Israeli Jews and are unaware of the extensive Christian communities that still exist there. Who Are the Christians in the Middle East? chronicles the history and current state of Christianity in this highly volatile region of the world. Based on personal experience, official church documents, and extensive interviews, Who Are the Christians in the Middle East? looks at the conflicted Middle East region from a perspective that has received scant attention in the mainstream media.

Genres: Religion

229 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished up the last third of this book, the first two thirds of which were​ assigned for my Christians of the Middle East class early in the semester. This book is a little dry, but will be useful as a reference to keep on my shelves.

[Portable Radio Show Host · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Who Are the Christians in the Middle East?, Bailey and Bailey aim to map a diverse and religious landscape. While their work succeeds in offering a base primer on Middle Eastern Christianity and its communicative sphere, it suffers from flattening overgeneralizations and unacknowledged biases that obscure key denominational and political fault lines. While geographically the region is lesser than Europe, the influences on and from Western Europe play a role in the emphasis of speech, liturgy, and religious political arguments all focusing on the ways to interact and dispute theological claims. informative works must find a way to communicate without creating confusion and misinforming their audiences. Writing objectively in the truest form is impossible. As people we are naturally biased and wanting to input our own ideas. To remedy this more pure data should be demonstrated and shown in multiple perspectives to better convey the author's intention of creating an informative book. This was missed in key aspects of the book such as foreign policy of Christian groups, as well as the church and state section. The book's purpose is to show the largely Western Christian audience that there are Christians in the Middle East, and despite the distance, they cannot be forgotten. As of 2025 it is a little outdated, especially in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem section, but serves a noble reference book, and a great reminder of the larger Christian sphere. A perfect introductory book to the larger world, and a fine addition to my reference section.

[Sasha Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in 2007. It was a useful compendium of facts and figures at the time, presumably less relevant now.