“Is freedom of religion a liberal political agenda or is it a biblical mandate?” The middle-aged man sitting across from me asked this question intently in response to my comments on the role of religious freedom in peacemaking. I smiled and said, “Good question.”

I recently attended a conference at the Naval War College in Rhode Island on Religion and Security in World Affairs. I loved the lectures and the lively interaction. Yet something deeper was being stirred in me. I could not pinpoint what it was until I recalled the statement by Martin Luther King Jr. that those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.

The fruit of Jesus-centered peacemaking is real, authentic friendship. This is much more than a politely-tolerate-one-another level of “friendship,” because Jesus calls us to actively love others, even those with whom we have real differences. Here in Raleigh, our Peace Catalyst community is working to foster these kinds of friendships between Muslims and Christians—friendships in which we laugh and cry together, talk openly about our deepest convictions, and work together for the common good.

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.

The laughter of women, the smell of Mediterranean delicacies, and the array of beauty products filled Maha's home. For two days, her house was transformed to funnel compassion into action.

Unless attitudes of tribalism, entitlement, and exceptionalism change and we work toward justice and greater equality for all, tensions will continue to escalate and greater violence will follow. When we only look out for our own, we are laying the groundwork for war.

While our relationship may be non-traditional, we are friends, co-constructors of peace, and servants of God. Muslim and Christian. Fatima and Rebecca. Matriarchs of the faith. Somali and American.

In the coming months, we'll be highlighting a different Jesus-centered peacemaker or organization once a month. These are people that you need to know if you are interested in peacemaking, and the first one we'd like to highlight is Josh Daneshforooz. 

Have you heard about this recent “Noah” movie? It’s making some waves. What keeps coming to my mind is how Jesus would react to it. Can it be used for peacemaking in the way of Jesus?