On September 16th, members of a Louisville Islamic Center arrived at the mosque to find it vandalized with disturbing messages spray-painted across the building.The malicious act, presumably intended to cause division in the community, actually had the exact opposite effect. Just two days after the vandalism nearly 1,000 Louisville residents from all faiths, including over 100 from the local Jewish community, gathered to stand in solidarity with the mosque and help paint over the graffiti.

We rejoice that conflict resolution and peacemaking have become major fields of study in colleges and universities. We have learned much from secular research and will continue to engage with scholars and practitioners in this field. Nevertheless, we are Jesus-centered in our approach. Here are five truths that define what Jesus-centered peacemaking means to us.

Many of us who love Muslims or make peace with Muslims are often accused of compromising our faith. Some people even claim we are teaching “Chrislam,” a syncretistic blending of Christianity and Islam. Here’s our response.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9) AND “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). How do we reconcile these two famous peace passages?

We often hear statements like this: “You shouldn’t work for peace, because the Bible teaches that there will never truly be peace on this earth (particularly in the Middle East). What you are trying to do is futile according to Scripture.” Here’s our response to that idea.

We get asked a lot of the same questions over and over again. The wording may be different, but the concerns remain the same, so we're writing a number of blogs addressing some of our Frequently Asked Questions. Today we address the question of evangelism and how it relates to the work of peacemaking.

There are several questions we get asked over and over again. The wording may be different, but the concerns remain the same. So we're writing a number of blogs addressing some of our Frequently Asked Questions. Today’s question: “Is it really possible to have peace between Christians and Muslims?”

It’s fine to talk about what we believe, but it is better to see people’s faith put into action. As we work alongside people and hear each other’s stories of life and faith and family, it makes it a lot harder to believe the stereotypes. What would happen at your church if Muslims started showing up to help paint the walls or mow the grass? Can you think of a good project we could do together? The Muslims in Louisville are asking.

In peacemaking, we often talk about this kind of thing on a large scale, but it actually applies to everyday relationships and conversations, and that’s what makes this book such a gem. The principles in Crucial Conversations empower us to both talk about the hard things AND maintain relationship. They give us the tools to “talk openly about high-stakes, emotional, and controversial topics.”