Seeking Peace Among the Peoples

*Originally published at Sojourners' God's Politics blog, August 6, 2010. It has since been removed.

Last weekend, Christian leaders and lay persons from all walks of life and just about every denominational body came together for the Peace Among the Peoples conference hosted by the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. The conference brought together scholars, activists, and pastors to overcome the spirit, logic, and practice of violence.

The gathering was convened in order to reflect ecumenically upon positive experiences shared by North American churches' efforts in peace-building, peacekeeping, and prevention of violence. In 1999, the World Council of Churches declared the first decade of the new millennium to be one to overcome violence.

In Elkhart, we came together across ideological boundaries to further our common desire to advance peace and restrain war. Plenary speakers represented a wide array of theological backgrounds, from pacifist to "just warrior," from Roman Catholic to Pentecostal/Charismatic.

One of the areas that I heard articulated in Elkhart was the prevalence of sexual violence within the peace movement itself. Just as we address the violence of the world, so too must we acknowledge that our own house must be put in order. The other area that emerged was the relative absence of those with firsthand experience of war. I was one of only two people there with military experience, and found myself raising my voice to call attention to this oversight.

Originally published in Sojourners. Archived at https://civilianally.com/vita/2010/08/06/seeking-peace-among-the-peoples