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| Christianity (Protestantism) |
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Lebanese Protestant Christians (Arabic:بروتستانت لبنان) refers toLebanese people who are adherents ofProtestantism inLebanon. In 2020, studies showed that while 34.28% of the population followed Christianity; in total 1.2% of Lebanon's population were Protestant (approximately 48,000 people).[1]
Most Protestants in Lebanon were converted by missionaries, primarily English and American, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They are divided into a number of denominations, includingPresbyterian,Congregational, andAnglican. They are perceived by some to number disproportionately highly among theprofessional middle class.
The Lebanese Protestant Christians live primarily inBeirut (Greater Beirut).[2]
Under the terms of an unwritten agreement known as theNational Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the Protestant community in Lebanon has one reserved seat in the Parliament of Lebanon.
Protestant presence in Lebanon began in the early nineteenth century with the arrival of American and British missionaries. In 1819, a small group of AmericanPresbyterians set foot in Beirut, learning Arabic and establishing their presence by 1823. These early missionaries arrived during the Ottoman Empire period under theAmerican Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM).
Pliny Fisk and Levi Parsons the first ABCFM missionaries sent to the Levant in 1819.[3] While their initial focus was Jerusalem, Fisk moved toBeirut and Mount Lebanon, where he died in 1825. Other early American Presbyterian missionaries included Chauncey Eddy, a pastor fromNew York who joined the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in 1823.[4] His son Woodbridge and daughter-in-law Hannah began their Lebanese ministry in 1851, initially in Aleppo before relocating to the mountain village ofKfarshima and eventually toSidon in 1857, where they replaced missionary Cornelius van Dyke, who departed to complete his translation of the Arabic Bible a text still revered by many Middle Eastern Christians.[4] Isaac Bird and William Goodell arrived in Beirut in 1823 to establish the first permanent mission station. The mission headquarters in Beirut, known as "Burj Bird," was named after Isaac Bird.[5]
The first Lebanese convert wasAsʿad al-Shidyaq, aMaronite scholar, who encounteredJonas King.[6] As‘ad sent theological objections to Bishop Butrus Karam, challenging icon veneration and church authority. Eventually, Patriarch Yusuf Hubaysh ordered him to cease contact with missionaries, threatening him with excommunication and political punishment. In early 1826, after agreeing to meet church authorities in theQannoubine valley, he was detained in Maronite monasteries, where he remained under confinement for several years.[7] Contemporary accounts describe repeated interrogations, physical punishment, and strict isolation, as well as pressure placed on his family. Despite efforts for release he died in 1830.[8]
By the middle of the nineteenth century, Protestant institutions in the Levant had become more firmly established following official Ottoman recognition of Protestantism afterSultan Abdülmecid I issued a firman (imperial decree) that officially recognized Protestants as a separate "millet" (religious community) to enjoy the full and free exercise of their religion in 1850,.[9]. This recognition made it legally possible to organize Protestant congregations. The earliest churches were founded in Beirut andHasbaya,[10] followed by others inTripoli, Sidon, andZahlé.[11] Many of these congregations were led by local clergy educated in missionary seminaries, notably theAabey Boys' Seminary, established in 1843.[12]
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1 TheLebanese people has the most religious diversity of all peoples in theMiddle East, comprising 18 recognized religious sects recognized by theConstitution of Lebanon. 2 Under the terms of theConstitution of Lebanon, the Druze community is designated as a part of the Lebanese Muslim community. | |||||||
