“Christians do very well as compared to the rest of society. They are neighborly, forgiving and caring for the poor....” So writes Bradley R.E. Wright in his book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites … and Other Lies You’ve Been Told. But even this positive book acknowledges that Christians, on the whole, still don’t like people of other races, religions, and sexual orientation. Christians struggle with loving the “other.” Why are so many Christians so bad at loving the “other"? I see three major reasons:

A recent blog accused me of being a proponent of “Chrislam,” the syncretistic blending of Christianity and Islam. This type of accusation is nothing new. In fact, those of us who love Muslims or make peace with Muslims are often accused of compromising our faith.

Eboo Patel’s latest book, Sacred Ground is a profoundly refreshing look at how faith intersects with American ideals - or, more accurately, how American ideals should protect everyone’s faith.

It was a great start … but where do we go from here? Here’s my read on the summit and where I think we are headed.

Last night, I met with President Morsi of Egypt, along with a few other faith leaders of Judaism, Islam and strands of Christianity. I was the only evangelical in the room. I also met for the second time Egypt’s Foreign Minister and for the first time the Egyptian Ambassador to the US. The President cancelled meetings with 4 other heads of state just to be able to talk about faith, government, and global affairs with faith leaders.

All the hard work and planning has paid off, and the Evangelicals for Peace summit was a tremendous success! We had a phenomenal lineup of speakers and a packed room full of attendees. Peacemaking is a movement that is beginning to take hold, but what was specifically unique about this group is the focus on Jesus-centered peacemaking. Here's what participant Peter Sensenig had to say about the gathering and how Jesus is at the center of this kind of peacemaking.

Do we do peacemaking simply as an avenue to share the Gospel with people, or does the very act of peacemaking glorify God in and of itself? This week we'd like to continue our video series from Rick Love's talk at the Society of Vineyard Scholars, and today he addresses the Gospel and the role it plays in the work of peacemaking.

What exactly is peacemaking? What's the difference between peacemaking and reconciliation? Are they the same thing? If you wonder about questions like this, Rick Love gives some answers in today's short video clip. 

Both advocates of Pacifism and the Just War theory agree on the priority of reducing violence. Both wish to hold war accountable to moral values before, during, and after the conflict. So there is significant and practical common ground to work for peace.