At the Borders of Identity: Reflections on Egyptian Protestant Public Theology in the Wake of the Arab Spring

Abstract

A common narrative characterizes Egyptian Christians as a people beset by persecution, struggling to survive in a hostile Muslim context. Other narratives seek to smooth over the differences between Christian and Muslim Egyptians to emphasize national unity and shared citizenship. The revolutionary upheavals starting in 2011 brought questions of subjectivity and agency in shaping Egypt’s future to the forefront of public debate. In spite of continued limitations to free speech and political participation, Egyptian Christians are engaging creatively in prophetic discourse and community-building praxis, contributing to the construction of a revitalized theology of public life. Protestant theologians Andrea Zaki, Safwat Marzouk, and Anne Zaki, for example, draw on the resources of the biblical tradition to think critically about their own subjectivity as Egyptian Christians and about the complex challenges and the hopeful promise facing these communities as they seek effective ways to participate in public life.