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Integrating historical sources, on-the-ground experience, and the voices of global pilgrims, Jerusalem Bound resources Holy Land travel through the lens of Christian pilgrimage. The book’s genesis lies in an opening lecture on Holy Land pilgrimage that I gave at St George’s College, Jerusalem for short-term courses on the footsteps of Jesus. Though merely scratching the surface, the lecture discussed the history of Holy Land pilgrimage, questions of pilgrim identity, and some tenets of pilgrim spirituality. While the course itself focused upon the landscapes and narratives of the Bible, participants generally felt that a pilgrim identity turned Holy Land travel into a transformational experience. It is not unusual to hear pilgrim-talk in the Holy Land. For the most part, however, the language is superficial, and applications are tentative. How to be a pilgrim in the Holy Land—its history, motives, identities, traditions, practices, and challenges—has been largely ignored.

Though programs vary, the Holy Land is the unrivalled destination of Christian travel. The region is indispensable to biblical studies. The Living Stones, the Palestinian church, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cast attention to contemporary issues. Jerusalem offers a unique setting for interfaith dialogue, and as the gathering place for global Christianity, it is the undisputed center of historical Christianity, offering rich possibilities for ecumenical engagement. By contrast, the image of pilgrimage as the pious, personal pursuit of the holy places can be seen as the more popular but less laudable form of Holy Land travel: a weaker cousin to more commendable endeavors.

There are better ways than others to visit the Holy Land. However, when its breadth, depth, and applications are properly understood, the lens of pilgrimage not only transforms traditional expressions of Holy Land pilgrimage, it strengthens other forms of Jerusalem travel as well. Pilgrimage relates to the way we see, discern, and shape the world. It is an exercise in transformation. When the investigation of Scripture seeks contemporary application, we have moved into the realm of pilgrimage. While pilgrimage is personal, first-hand experience, it is not a self-centered endeavor. Pilgrimage takes us beyond ourselves. It crosses boundaries and borders and traverses unknown landscapes. Pilgrimage is rooted in the image of the stranger, and pilgrims engage the Other. Pilgrimage provides a template for compassion ministry, social justice, mediation, and reconciliation.

Pilgrimage is broad, pliant, and applicable. It provides language, themes, and resources for a holistic approach to the Christian life. The modern resurgence of pilgrimage—as good as it is—has largely focused upon certain expressions, and, overall, our notion of pilgrimage still appeals to the individual, spiritual journey. We need to stretch the tent pegs. Pilgrimage is not merely an experience that takes us on an inner journey—it is the inner reflection upon experience that takes us beyond ourselves. The object of pilgrimage is the union of God, self, and the Other. Its character is autobiographical and corporate, incarnational and metaphorical.

The Holy Land provides a unique, layered landscape for the application of pilgrim spirituality. Before jumping into the Holy Land material, however, Jerusalem Bound presents, in summary form, an original methodology for pilgrimage, or a pilgrim-themed spirituality, addressing questions of definition, identity, and biblical expression. To frame the Holy Land experience—and to move pilgrimage forward as a whole—we need a definitional methodology. A good methodology turns theory into praxis, and pilgrimage, above all, is practical theology. The formulation of my model has benefitted from conversations with Michael McGhee and Bingham Powell.

Having framed the subject, the heart of the book is the Holy Land material, which integrates historical sources with the contemporary Holy Land experience. Unique among Holy Land resources, Jerusalem Bound addresses subjects that are seldom addressed or sufficiently detailed on a Holy Land journey: the motives of Holy Land pilgrimage, the history of the Christian Holy Land, understanding the holy sites, pilgrim practices, material objects, and the challenges of Holy Land travel. How should one prepare? What happens in the aftermath?

Life experience is highly transferable, and journeys outside of Jerusalem have shaped the book. Voices, insights, and perspectives from an around-the-world pilgrimage and experiences on the Camino de Santiago apply to Holy Land travel. My experience in camping and retreat ministry, particularly as the director of a one-week family camp, has informed my work with pilgrim groups. I am grateful to Bill Jones for allowing me to serve twenty-five summers at Camp Lake Hubert in northern Minnesota. I went to the University of Wales to study Christian pilgrimage. My advisor, Thomas O’Loughlin, directed me towards Jerusalem. The book pays tribute to Tom.

My specific knowledge of the Christian holy sites and the dynamics of Holy Land pilgrimage stems from on-the-ground experience in Jerusalem, and I am especially grateful to two institutions. My PhD research on pre-Crusader pilgrim texts was supported by residential fellowships at the W. F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research. As the course director at St. George’s College, I led, taught, and guided short-term pilgrim courses. Holy Land pilgrimage is a non-stop conversation and listening to pilgrims debrief the sites and their impressions of the journey was a highlight of the job. Reading student journals as part of joint courses with Virginia Theological Seminary allowed me to observe consistent themes in people’s experience of the holy sites, their quest for spiritual connections, and the challenge of group travel. While I have been influenced by countless, one-off conversations with friends, colleagues, and fellow travelers, I have benefitted from hearing certain people speak about the Holy Land on repeated occasions, including Graham Smith, Michael Billingsley, Mary June Nestler, Andrew Mayes, Rivkah Fishman, Mustafa Abu Sway, Bishop Hosam Naoum, Bishop Richard Cheetham, and Archbishop Suheil Dawani. To integrate the voices of others is to make them your own, which risks the possibilities of errors and distortions. While I am solely responsible for the views of the book, its pages are a tribute to an untold number of people who have influenced my journey.