The 2012 Hosanna Preaching Prize *

The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) [IPMN] is pleased to announce the inauguration of the Hosanna Prize*. The award recognizes preachers who challenge and inspire believers to heed God’s urgent call to justice and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. Beginning in 2012, two $1,000 prizes—one on an Old Testament text and the other on a New Testament text—will be awarded annually.

The prize-winning sermons will raise a vision of God’s love that embraces all who are oppressed and persecuted, exposing the theological error of using biblical passages to justify the delegitimization of Palestinians or Jews.¹ The sermons will demonstrate a deep understanding of the theological concerns voiced directly by Palestinians and Jews:

• Palestinians have called upon the churches of the world to “preserve the word of God as good news for all rather than to turn it into a weapon with which to slay the oppressed,” and to renounce the “theological cover-up for the injustice we suffer.” (Kairos Palestine, 6.1)² For instance, some Christians and Jews erroneously interpret Genesis 12:3 as a literal land grant to contemporary Jews of all of Palestine and the book of Joshua as an excuse to “cleanse” Palestine of non-Jews.
• Jews have called upon the churches to renounce the real or apparent anti-Semitism in New Testament texts (e.g. Matthew 27:25) that are cited to blame all Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus (the charge of Deicide), texts that declare that God’s covenant with biblical Israelites and their Jewish spiritual heirs has been nullified or replaced by God’s covenant with all who believe in Christ (supercessionism), as well as texts that denigrate or appear to denigrate all Jews.

Sermon manuscripts must identify the preacher, include the date preached, and the name & place of the congregation where the sermon was preached. For consideration, sermons must be submitted by September 15, 2012 to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Examples of sermons by Jewish and Christian clergy that meet the prize criteria are available here.

* About the Hosanna Prize: In 1915, the ten-year-old Osanna Panian walked over the mountains into Iran, escaping and surviving the Armenian Genocide. She lived her life as a refugee, always hoping and expecting to go home to Armenia. Because she was born on Palm Sunday, she was named Osanna (Hosanna in Armenian), which means “We beseech you, save us!” The Hosanna Preaching Prize is established by Noushin Framke in honor of her grandmother Osanna Panian (1905-1986), with the hope that all refugees might find their way home.  

¹ See The Bern Perspective on biblical interpretation which declares: “The Bible must not be used to justify oppression” of anyone anywhere. 

² See Kairos Palestine

Share Link: