Website: www.glocal.net
Recommended blog post: How to Host an Ayatollah on Easter Sunday
As we continue our series of featured peacemakers here on the blog, today we highlight Bob Roberts, a must-know in the world of peacemaking.
Not only is Bob the senior pastor at NorthWood church in Keller, TX and involved in church planting and development in countries like Mexico and Vietnam, but he's also the leading voice on something he calls "glocalization," the meeting and blending of global and local. He wrote the book on the subject, Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World (along with other books) and founded Glocal Ventures, a nonprofit to develop communities in Vietnam.
Bob’s latest book, Bold as Love, describes his pilgrimage into a life of radical, loving service in an interconnected world. Like his previous books, it is filled with examples of bridge-building love and faith-stretching stories – funny stories. He especially highlights his peacemaking efforts between Christians and Muslims.
Instead of putting on a “missions conference,” this Southern Baptist pastor puts on what he calls the Global Faith Forum (GFF). He invites imams, rabbis, pastors, politicians, business leaders, journalists, socialists, and atheists to his church. The GFF provides a safe space for followers of Jesus to engage those outside their faith and to learn how to obey both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
At Peace Catalyst International, we're dreaming of a day when churches across the world are known as communities of peace, when their Christian witness is recognized through their reconciliation with enemies, their pursuit of justice, solidarity with the marginalized, and commitment to truth. But we know we can't get there through good intentions alone, and that’s why we’re expanding our capacity to provide aspiring peacebuilders with high-quality training and an intentional community of practice.
As the Ukrainian crisis unfolds, many are asking how they can support the Ukrainian people right now. Here are some of our suggestions.
We are excited to announce the launch of a new project to help Christian peacebuilders across the world explore together how we might faithfully and effectively build bridges of understanding, respect, and friendship with neighbors from other social, ideological, and religious groups. The Christian Peacebuilding Network (CPN) is a private learning and networking platform currently housed on Facebook.
How can I be a peacemaker when I wake up so anxious each morning? Does this happen to you? I can go right to sleep at night, but about 4:30 something wakes me up. These are stressful times, when anxieties can run high, but here are 4 practices that can help.
“I want you to learn to listen so well that you keep on realizing that you didn’t quite understand and that you’ve got to revise your understanding.”
Mark Galli, Editor and Chief of Christianity Today, has done the world a great favor by writing Beautiful Orthodoxy: The Goodness, Truth, and Beauty of Life in Christ. This book is a breath of fresh air in a polluted, polarized world.
One of the best ways to acquire wisdom is through reading. The five books below describe Peace Catalyst International’s multifaceted approach to Jesus-centered peacemaking. Read them carefully and apply them practically to become a peace catalyst this year!
Photographer, visual peacemaker, and Peace Catalyst staff member, Andy Larsen has spent a good amount of time in the Holy Land and has collaborated with Emmy award-winning producer John Yeager to produce the movie Blessed Are The Peacemakers to document Andy's journey through the Holy Land and to tell the stories of real people living life there.
One of the questions people ask us most often is, "How do I get started in peacemaking?" So we've created an online, self-paced course to give you the basics and help you on your journey toward becoming a peacemaker.
Jon Huckin and Jer Swigart wrote, Mending the Divides: Creative Love in a Conflicted World to help followers of Jesus become “everyday peacemakers.” I think they have succeeded in their peace mission. Mending the Divides is now one of my top ten books on peacemaking.