But is peace just for hippies, beauty queens and liberals? Is peace only relevant for “the faithful few”?Are you one of those evangelicals who need to get converted to peacemaking? If so, you should watch the following video of my presentation on peacemaking at the Society of Vineyard Scholars.

In 2008 I led a conference in Kenya of fifty evangelical leaders from around the world. One of the issues on the table was how to counter the increasing alienation between Muslims and Christians. Conference participants agreed that evangelicals have to address this vital issue but disagreed on the best way to relate to Muslims.In response to this we decided to write a consensus document for evangelicals.

During a formal lecture on peacemaking, someone raised their hand and said, “Rick, thank you for your excellent presentation. But where does the Devil fit in all this?” I gave a brief response, but here’s what I wish I had said.

Given the historical record, it may seem the deck is stacked against American evangelicals organizing into a comprehensive peace movement—yet that’s exactly what’s happening. Enter Evangelicals for Peace. 

I am profoundly disturbed by the American evangelical response to war, terrorism and national security. Far too many evangelicals in the U.S. have blunted the moral edge of what it means to follow Jesus, especially in a Post 9/11 world. That's why five evangelical organizations are hosting the Evangelicals for Peace Summit. 

Sheena Iyengar, a leading expert in choice theory, speaks about the ways people from different cultures make decisions. She shares several interesting insights from case studies from around the world, revealing that not all cultures thrive on the belief that the individual is the locus of decision making, as most of Westerners have been brought up to enjoy.

Yale theologian and peacemaker Miroslav Volf spoke recently to pastors in Columbus, Ohio and told a story about the Common Word Dialogue between Christians and Muslims at Yale: “Prior to the dialogue, we inserted a brief apology, asking for forgiveness in the Yale response to the Common Word. People got so upset! They said you should not ask for forgiveness until Muslims ask for forgiveness first!” Miroslav paused, and with a big smile on his face asked, “Since when is my moral behavior predicated on the moral behavior of another?”

If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance you want to embody the peaceable ways of Jesus. Yet good intentions and loving aspirations frequently fail in the face of conflict (I can testify to that!). In reality, we are often peacebreakers. Some of us are even by nature peacefakers, and yet we long to be peacemakers. So let’s talk about the difference between these.

Dialog between various religious partners is not about melting differences into one tepid spiritual brew. Yet as we retain the distinctives at the core of our faith, we should enter the conversation with open hearts, attentive ears, and minds eager to learn.