INTRODUCTION

This factsheet imagines a future in which no indigenous local Palestinian Christians remain in the Old City of Jerusalem. The people making up today’s small Palestinian Christian population are referred to as “living stones,” according to the First Epistle of Peter in the Bible,1 because their heritage derives from the first Christians who lived in Jerusalem during Jesus’ time. While for many a future without local Christians in Jerusalem is unthinkable, year on year, the indigenous Palestinian Christian population continues to shrink due to a wide range of issues that make it ever more difficult for the community to live, work and prosper in the Old City of Jerusalem. This declining Christian population trend is not new. The Holy Land Christian “living stones” population has continued to decline since the beginning of the 20th century due to a range of political, social, and economic factors. These issues are widely known, including by church leaders from across Christian denominations, clergy members, Christian institutions, academics, and Christians both within the Holy Land and around the world. What has been lacking, however, are agreed positions on what can, and should, be done to halt and reverse the trend and thereby preserve Jerusalem’s Christian population. Local Christians in the Holy Land have endeavored to address their concerns about the future by looking inwards and examining their role within their churches’ respective strategic missions and goals. The Local Christian “living stones” are fully aware of the remarkable assistance that the Church provides to the Palestinian community, and in particular the local Christian community, toward the goal of overcoming their problems and struggle. Notwithstanding this important assistance, it has not succeeded in reducing, much less reversing, the declining number of local Christians, in particular within the City of Jerusalem. This factsheet provides background and current data on the Christian presence in Jerusalem and concludes that without targeted interventions, the continued trend of decline suggests there will no longer be any remaining indigenous local Christians living in Jerusalem within fifty years.

Is it possible? 

Sadly, if the current political, economic, cultural and religious issues remain unresolved, it appears inevitable that the Christian population will disappear from the Old City of Jerusalem altogether. Despite seeming unthinkable, given the close attachment that Christianity has maintained to the Old City of Jerusalem for centuries, history from the Holy Land, wider Middle East and around the world confirms that many religious and non-religious communities have entirely migrated or disappeared. Some declined gradually over time while others were forcibly displaced from their place of origin. This has resulted in unique and precious cultures and heritage being lost altogether. Estimations that this may happen to the Christian population of Jerusalem within fifty years are based on current population data and the rate of decline, but this rate may even accelerate if conditions deteriorate further. Importantly, however, collective action, if taken in earnest, could significantly slow, and even reverse, this decline trend.read more...