# Orthodoxy in Palestine

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/heavy-things-lightly-296775/orthodoxy-in-palestine
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/heavy-things-lightly-296775/orthodoxy-in-palestine.md
Podcast: [Heavy Things Lightly](https://stenobird.com/podcast/heavy-things-lightly-296775)
Published: 2026-06-12T20:23:24+00:00
Episode link: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/p/orthodoxy-in-palestine
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/201462056/a24e78250d2b8a95cf31a849f330d71d.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/heavy-things-lightly-296775/episodes/orthodoxy-in-palestine
Duration seconds: 2583

## Resource

In this conversation recorded live at Symbolic World, John Heers sits down with Mother Agapia for a deep, unfiltered account of life on the ground in the West Bank: the building of the wall, the expansion of settlements, the targeting of Christian communities, and the complicated, often beautiful relationship between Orthodox Christians and their Muslim neighbors.Mother Agapia is an American Orthodox nun who spent decades living and working in Bethany, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem — running a school where 98% of the students were Muslim Palestinians. What she witnessed about the fate of Christians in the Holy Land is rarely spoken of in Western media.Topics covered:• How Mother Agapia ended up living and working in Palestine for decades• The spiritual geography of the Holy Land and who actually lives there• The Second Intifada and the moment everything changed• Soldiers confiscating crosses and icons at checkpoints — in broad daylight• Christian Zionism: a critique from someone who lived inside the conflict• Why Mother Agapia believes this is now a direct attack on Christianity• Her work in Washington DC and what changed when she returned• The Tucker Carlson interview and the message it carriedThis is not a political debate. It is a first-hand witness testimony from a woman who gave 30 years of her life to the people of Palestine — Christian and Muslim alike.⏱ Timestamps:0:00 – John Heers intro2:40 – Interview begins: How did you get to Jerusalem?10:00 – The geography: "The size of New Jersey"15:00 – Before the wall: life in Bethany22:00 – The Second Intifada and the settlements28:58 – Soldiers at checkpoints: crosses thrown in the garbage33:00 – Tucker Carlson and the Western media narrative36:00 – Christian Zionism: a false theology?40:00 – Raising the alarm: why it's di…

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## Transcript

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