Peacemaker Trust
Stephen is the founder and director of Peacemaker Trust, a registered charity dedicated to peacemaking, especially where minorities are persecuted, where justice is denied, human rights are suppressed or reconciliation is needed.
Convivencia Alliance
Stephen is chair of the Convivencia Alliance, a cross-faith, international initiative for a just peace in the Middle East, and in particular, a just coexistence in Palestine/Israel based on equal rights in One Democratic State (ODS).
Anglican Church
Stephen is the Bishop’s Chaplain to the Right Revd Riah Abu El Assal, the retired Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem. He was ordained in 1983 and served as a curate in St Leonard’s on Sea, Sussex (1983-1986). He was appointed Curate-in-Charge, then Rector of St John’s, Stoke, Guildford in Surrey (1986-1997) and vicar of Virginia Water from 1997 where he served for 20 years until his retirement in 2017.
Israeli Committee Against House demolitions (ICAHD)
Stephen is a member of the Executive Committee as well as the Communications Consultant for ICAHD UK. ICAHD is an Israeli peace and human rights organization originally established to oppose and resist Israeli demolition of Palestinian houses in the Occupied Territory. ICAHD is a non-violent direct action NGO committed to ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and achieving a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Sabeel Jerusalem & Kairos Palestine
Stephen is the international coordinator for the 2024 Sabeel International Conference on Religious Extremism. Stephen is also a member of the Kairos for Global Justice Theology Group as well as a member of Sabeel-Kairos UK, a small and energetic Christian UK charity committed to supporting peace and justice in the Holy Land in solidarity with the Palestinian people promoting and advocating for Kairos Palestine and Sabeel Jerusalem.
Jewish Network for Palestine
Stephen is a member of the Jewish Network for Palestine which brings together many Jews and non-Jews who support Palestine and and act to counter the lies of the Israel Lobby. JNP aims to change the public debate in Britain and to further discussion of a political resolution to the conflict in Palestine.
Campain
Stephen is on the steering committee of Campain. Campain exposes misrepresentation in public affairs and the news media. Campain is not politically aligned, and opposes misrepresentation on principle, and regardless of who is being targeted.
Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism
Stephen is the first director of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism, a new multidimensional research institute being launched in the Summer 2023. The ISCZ will promote rigorous analysis, documentation, research and advocacy to expose, challenge, and confront the heresy of Christian Zionism. It is intended to become the main website portal for the study, critique and response to Christian Zionism.
ChristianZionism.org
Stephen is a member of the coordinating committee for the web portal Christian Zionism
Living Stones of the Holy Land Trust
Stephen is a member of the Living Stones of the Holy Land Trust. Living Stones is an ecumenical charity with the primary aim of advancing education about Christianity in the Holy Land and countries around.
Christianity Explored
Stephen has been a trainer for the Christianity Explored Course and assisted with the launch of the Buganda, Swahili and French translations in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan, as well as the launch of the Arabic edition in Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco and the Polish translation in Katowice, Poland.
Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group
Stephen has served as a trustee and visitor for Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group, a charity who befriend and support asylum seekers and refugees in Hampshire.
Wider Ministry
For over 25 years, Stephen was a trustee of Biblica Europe and International Bible Society, and has served as a trustee, director or committee member of Highway Trust, the Interfaith Group for Morally Responsible Investment (IMRI), Bethlehem Bible College Christ at the Checkpoint conferences, and the Balfour Project.
Human Rights
In 2004, he co-authored the statement Challenging Christian Zionism endorsed at the 5th International Sabeel Conference in Jerusalem. In 2006, he debated Neville White of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group and was instrumental in the Church of England General Synod decision to divest from Caterpillar. In 2006, he also co-authored the Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism for the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem. In 2010 he co-authored the Bethlehem Evangelical Affirmation, endorsed by participants at the Christ at the Checkpoint conference sponsored by Bethlehem Bible College. In 2011 he co-authored the Seven Affirmations of Bethlehem Bible College and in 2012, the second international Christ at the Checkpoint Conference Statement and Manifesto. In 2012, Stephen was a member of the Kairos Britain drafting committee which published Time for Action. In 2021, he authored the Sabeel-Kairos UK conference statement on Israeli Apartheid. In 2022 he co-authored the Convivencia Declaration.
Academic
Stephen gained his BA in Geography from Sussex University in 1976, a Diploma in Higher Education (Dip HE) in theology from Trinity College, Bristol in 1983. He was awarded an MTh (with distinction) from Oxford University in 1994. His thesis examined the Ethical Management of Pilgrimages to the Holy Land. In 2004 he was awarded a PhD by Oak Hill College and Middlesex University. His thesis examined the historical roots, theological basis and political consequences of Christian Zionism in Britain and the USA from 1820.
Stephen has served as an external examiner for post-graduate degrees (MPhil and PhD) awarded by the University of Wales, the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS) and also Tyndale-Carey Graduate School, Bible College of New Zealand – now Laidlaw College.
Author
He is the author of three books, In the Footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles, (Eagle, 2004) Christian Zionism: Roadmap to Armageddon (IVP, 2004) and Zion’s Christian Soldiers: The Bible, Israel and the Church (IVP, 2007). His books have been translated into Arabic, Farsi, Korean and Spanish. He also writes occasionally for various journals and magazines.
Photography and Press
He has Press Accreditation as a freelance photographer from the Palestine News Network (PNN) and Holy Land Trust. His extensive photo collections may be viewed on Flickr topically as Collections and chronologically as Albums
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