52: Israel, Gaza, & The Political Theology of Collective Punishment

Are you struggling to reconcile your faith with the headlines about the human-made famine that is causing the deaths of innocent civilians in Gaza? You're not alone. All people of good conscience should feel unease. When Jesus wept, it was for the suffering of all humanity. What if we applied that same deep empathy to the heartbreaking crisis unfolding right now? In this episode, we are joined by Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy, the senior pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to discuss the war in Gaza, his hunger strike to raise awareness about the famine, and what progressive Christians can do to motivate our elected officials to use their power to get humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected]. Show Notes Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy Bio/Church Website- https://www.plymouthfw.org/staff Rev. Dr. Murphy's Hunger Strike- https://www.journalgazette.net/local/plymouth-pastors-stage-hunger-strike-to-prompt-israel-to-allow-food-other-aid-into-gaza/article_7f53926e-b15e-479d-9cfc-9c9de6eca0f6.html#:~:text=Plymouth's%20senior%20pastor%20was%20on,last%20two%20weeks%20or%20more. Orientalism- Edward Said https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/159783/orientalism-by-edward-w-said/ The Hundred Years' War on Palestine- Rashid I. Khalidi https://guardianbookshop.com/the-hundred-years-war-on-palestine-9781781259344/?utm_source=editoriallink&utm_medium=merch&utm_campaign=article Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn- Daniel Gordis https://www.harpercollins.com/products/israel-daniel-gordis?variant=32122925121570 My Name is Rachel Corrie- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Rachel_Corrie Marjorie Spiegle- The Dreaded Comparison https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Dreaded_Comparison.html?id=8u_tAAAAMAAJ Caste- Isabel Wilkerson https://www.nationalbook.org/books/caste-the-origins-of-our-discontents/ The Mathematics of Starvation: How Israel Caused a Famine in Gaza https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/31/the-mathematics-of-starvation-how-israel-caused-a-famine-in-gaza Zeteo report on starvation (Behind a Paywall): https://zeteo.com/p/61-of-everyone-whos-starved-to-death?utm_source=unread-posts-digest-email&inbox=true&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true https://www.btselem.org/publications/202507_our_genocide The Israel Lobby and American Foreign Policy- John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374531508/theisraellobbyandusforeignpolicy/ Jewish Voice for Peace- On Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and Dangerous Conflation https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/11/09/antisemitism-dangerous/ What Antisemitism? - David Klion on Zeteo (Paywall) https://zeteo.com/p/what-antisemitism-adl-prostrated-musk-trump?utm_source=publication-search Majority of Israelis Do NOT Support Netenyahu's Actions in Gaza- https://www.timesofisrael.com/72-5-of-israelis-believe-netanyahu-should-take-responsibility-for-oct-7-and-resign/ This American Life Episode with reports from American Doctors in Gaza: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/859/transcript Institute for Middle East Understanding Explainer on ADL https://imeu.org/article/explainer-the-anti-defamation-league-adl