Munib Younan
Encyclopedia
Munib Younan is the elected president of the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...

 since 2010 and the Evangelical Lutheran Church Bishop of Palestine and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land since 1998.

Education

Bishop Younan has studied deaconry and theology in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. He began studies in deaconry at Luther Opisto (college) in Järvenpää
Järvenpää
Järvenpää is a town and municipality of Finland.-History:Järvenpää was separated from its parent community Tuusula in 1951. Järvenpää was granted the status of a market town after the separation. Neighbouring districts Kellokoski and Nummenkylä were not added to the municipality of Järvenpää and...

 1969-1972. Thereafter Younan studied theology at the Helsinki University in 1972-1976, receiving an MA in Theology in 1976. He also studied theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Its degree programs include Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy. It offers concentrations in urban ministry, Bible, environment,...

 in 1988 and holds an honorary doctorate from Wartburg College in Iowa in 2001.

Career and activities

Younan was ordained at the Church of the Redeemer
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is the second Protestant church in the Old City of Jerusalem . It is a property of the Evangelical Jerusalem Foundation, one of the three foundations of the Evangelical Church in Germany in the Holy Land...

 in Jerusalem and served pastorates in Jerusalem, Beit Jala
Beit Jala
Beit Jala is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude...

, and Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...

. Since 1990 Younan served as the president of the ELCJHL synod. In 1998 Younan was consecrated as bishop of the ELCJHL.

He has also chaired the Board of Directors for the LWF owned Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. Younan is the patron of Gospel Riders Jerusalem and Finland - a motorcycle club operating in cooperation with Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission.

Younan has been actively engaged in the Middle East Council of Churches
Middle East Council of Churches
After many years of preliminary moves, the Middle East Council of Churches was inaugurated in May 1974 at its First General Assembly in Nicosia, Cyprus. Initially it contained three "families" of Christian Churches in the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches...

, in various positions since 1985 and presently as the president of it's Evangelical Family. Younan served as president of the Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) in 2004-2010, which during his presidency unanimously voted if favor of the ordination of women as pastors. Youann is also a founding member of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), serving as the chair of Local Reference Group since 2002.

Younan is a co-founder of the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, made up of the two chief rabbis of Israel, heads of the local churches, the Chief Judge of the Islamic Court in Palestine and other Muslim leaders.

Bishop Younan was elected on July 24, 2010 as President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), an organization that represents 145 churches in 79 countries around the world representing 70 million Christians. Previously he had served as the LWF vice president for the Asian region from 2004 to 2009.

Achievements

Younan is the author of Witnessing for Peace: In Jerusalem and in the World published by Augsburg Fortress Press in 2003. In this volume, Younan presents the historical and social context of the Palestinian situation, beginning with the not-well-known story of Arab Christianity and his own background. He elaborates his own theology of nonviolence, centered on the call to witness, heeding a call to justice, inclusion, and forgiveness. He is author of many other articles and a participant at conferences throughout the world.

Younan is also recognized as a leader of interfaith dialogue and an advocate for dialogue, peace and justice in Palestine and Israel.

Younan has received numerous awards, including:
  • Mikael Agricola Medallion, Finland (2008);
  • Templar Peace Prize (2007);
  • Bethlehem Star Award from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (2005);
  • Holyland Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) Prize, Washington, DC (2004);
  • Bethanien (Bethany) Prize, Methodist Church, Oslo, Norway (2004);
  • Human Rights Award from the United Nations Association, Washington, DC (2001);
  • The Finnish Peace Price from the Finnish Christian Peace Movement (2001).

Family

Younan is married since 1980 to Suad Yacoub from Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

, whose family originates from Kfar Bir'im. Mrs. Younan is the Director of the Helen Keller School for the Blind in Beit Hanina.
They have three children and one grandchild.

Sources


Biographical sketch of bishop Munib Younan - Lutheran World Federation

External links

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