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Peacemaking and Being Children of God
By Allyson Carr, Justice Ministries
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
Peacemaking is working for a just and equitable end to the causes of conflict or harm, and toward healing and sustainable flourishing for all involved. To do those things, it helps to un- derstand what is causing the conflicts, and what is helping sustain them. All that the church does gives witness; this is why it is so important to take disciple- ship seriously and to repent and reform when we realize we have done wrong. It is also why work- ing for peace, equity and justice are so important. They are such a significant part of the witness the church is called to. All of this— discipleship, repentance, reform and working for justice and equi- ty—are part of the peacemaking Jesus called us to.
Though the church’s witness has been marred by sin and has not always been aligned with peacemaking—par ticu- larly through our role in coloniza- tion—The Presbyterian Church in Canada has a history of working for peace and engaging in peace- making. In 1994, the same year the PCC first made confession for its role in colonization and residential schools, the General
Assembly also adopted a theo- logical statement on peacemak- ing. This “Theology of Peace- making” statement not only calls Christians to work to end armed conflict; it calls the church—and all within the church—to address the roots of conflict, which are found in such things as racism, xenophobia, economic exploita- tion, colonialism, and the impacts of human-driven changes to the earth’s environments and climate.
The Presbyterian Church in Can- ada’s understanding of peacemak- ing flows from that commitment to “examine the root causes” as well as from the church’s com- mitments to justice, which are laid out in general terms in Living Faith. Among other commitments, Living Faith states that justice pro- tects the rights of others and is concerned about concrete matters such as employment, education, health, fair laws justly adminis- tered, concern for victims and of- fenders, and requires that cour ts and penal institutions are just and humane. The justice section clos- es by noting that justice stands with neighbours in their struggle for dignity and respect and de- mands the exercise of power for the common good (summarized from Living Faith 8.4.1–6).
Pursuing all these things are forms of peacemaking. As we stand with our neighbour in that struggle for dignity and respect
we do the work, with them, of re- humanizing all of us to each other. We do it too in contexts where the powers-that-be would try to de- humanize or make monsters out of whomever those powers label “other” instead of “neighbour.” When we demand the exercise of power for the common good, we support and nurture the creation of contexts for real peace—and justice, and equity—to grow. One of the greatest things the church can contribute to peacemak- ing today, then, is speaking out against hate and demonstrating the care that comes from loving our neighbour. Wherever hate is allowed to flourish, conflict and violence will have deep wells to sustain themselves; demonstrat- ing love gives communities dif- ferent, healthy wells to draw from.
Peacemaking and war
Work to address root causes of conflict is what will sustain equi- table peace in the long run—but in the short run, where conflict and violence have already taken root, it is crucial to work for an end to armed conflict and war. Where there is war—in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and anywhere—peace cannot exist before a ceasefire is achieved. The PCC’s “Theology of Peacemaking” statement reminds usthat:“theChurchcannotpartic- ipate in the justification of human warfare as good and holy. Nor
can Augustine’s [Just War] teach- ings be used to justify war where ‘collateral damage’ is a code word for children, women and men be- ing killed, injured and sentenced to years of poverty, disability and disease. God does not glorify our wars, nor allow us to freely take joy and satisfaction from defeating our enemy. The loss to our world of human and natural resources is too great” (p. 362, A&P 1994; Statement adopted p. 29).
We are told to judge a tree by its fruits (Matthew 7: 15–17). The fruits of war and armed conflict include not only the deaths of all those killed in the conflict but also trauma that can linger for genera- tions; homelessness; increased hunger not just where the conflict is but also in areas around the world that may depend on food or trade from areas involved in
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the conflict; environmental ef- fects and toxins left in the soil from armaments and weapons; destroyed lives, intergenerational anger and broken trust. Wars never solve problems, but they do cause a lot more of them. Peace, sustainable and just peace, is what solves problems.
“Blessed are the peacemak- ers” Jesus taught us. Like jus- tice, working for peace is a vital par t of Christian discipleship. So as we consider the conflicts around us, let us be the children of God that Jesus called us to be: peacemakers.
See “Peacemaking: A Reflec- tive Resource,” available as a free download on the Social Action Hub. Go to the “Educational Re- sources” tab of the Peacemaking page at presbyterian.ca/justice/ social-action/peacemaking.
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Ottawa Valley, Ontario
If you are a Christ-centred, Spirit-filled minister who is not afraid to take on a leadership role and is willing to work alongside others to rejuvenate a congregational ministry, then we might be the church family for you!
Located in the heart of the beautiful Ottawa Valley, Community Presbyterian Church serves the communities of Almonte, Carleton Place and surrounding areas.
Please prayerfully consider reaching out to us about making our community your next home. Contact Interim Moderator the Rev. Milton A. Fraser at [email protected]
Make an Impact in the Heart of Toronto
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is hiring a full-time Associate Minister to further our mission of serving our neighbours in downtown Toronto.
The Associate Minister will share responsibilities for developing our community involvement and enhancing our outreach programs, supporting the congregation in the formation of their faith, and helping lead worship.
If you have a passion for serving others, managing programs, and rolling up your sleeves to get things done, we want to hear from you! Email the Rev. Dr. Emily Bisset at [email protected] and visit standrewstoronto.org