Author Archive

In our churches, despite best efforts, people can get locked into entrenched positions. Sharon Strand Ellison will show us how to break through defensiveness and/or anxiety so we can talk with each other openly, with both honestly and compassion.

On 21 September, churches and communities throughout the world are committing to the International Day of Prayer for Peace (IDPP) through prayer, meditation and other forms of spiritual observance.

Leaders need to move towards conflict, not away from it. This provides opportunities to reach resolution before the matter gets out of control. A small brush fire can be extinguished by stomping it with one’s foot or using a garden hose, but if it is allowed to expand into the forest it may become unmanageable.

In response to a horrible drunk driving accident that claimed the life of one in their order, the Benedictine nuns in Virginia are forging a path of forgiveness and reconciliation: “We are also confident that responses of mercy and forgiveness, though not usually easy, are not optional for Christians” – Benedictine sisters in Virginia

“Peace for the World’s Children”, the 2010 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference, will be taking place September 18-21, 2010 in North Carolina. Workshops and details have been announced. Register today!

As JustPeace approaches its 10-Year Anniversary (Nov 2010), we’re making a concerted effort to gather as many stories as possible – stories of forgiveness, conflict transformation, reconciliation, and peacemaking. Do you have a story to tell? Submit your story and we’ll highlight it on our website.

In order to engage in the work of conflict transformation, we must be grounded in the reconciling work of God. We seek to align ourselves with the reconciling ministry of Jesus, not only in remembering stories of his work, but also by re-living the table fellowship in which this work gained memorable expression.

In this short video, Tom Porter gives a summary of Matthew 18, a Gospel that is a book of instruction to the early church. Here is where the scripture puts flesh and blood on the bones of the Great Commandment and on our calling to be reconcilers.

John Paul Lederach was recently featured on public radio’s Speaking of Faith in an episode entitled, “The Art of Peace”. Lederach, who is now a professor of conflict transformation at Notre Dame, was part of the design team for this organization and argued successfully at its inception for its name to be “JustPeace”.

An online resource developed by The Department of Human Development and Family Studies of Colorado State University.