Author Archive

Rev. Carol Windrum. a United Methodist pastor in Nebraska, won the People of Faith award for her commitment to peacemaking.

On this 2nd Anniversary of the international launching of The Charter for Compassion, it is exciting to report that in June, the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church passed Commitment to Kindness – Living an Ethic of Reciprocity, Resolution.

Faith & Leadership: When violence happens, CeaseFire workers, participants and volunteers respond by organizing rallies and vigils and providing support for the families and loved ones of violence victims, both to ensure that there is no violent retaliation and to change the group attitude so that people can begin to believe their neighborhood can change.

United Methodist Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen were awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for their work on women’s rights.

“I fully believe in my heart and in my head, that one of the best contributions that our Methodist church can do to a culture that is increasingly partisan and polarized is to model what unity of mission and diversity of expression looks like.” – Rev. Jeremy Smith

For the Amish, forgiveness is not only a dutiful response to tragedy, it is a way of life — a long, emotional journey.

Watch a full unedited video of a public conversation on September 6th, 2011 moderated by Krista Tippett and featuring New Yorker’s Hendrik Hertzberg, journalist and novelist Pankaj Mishra, and theologian Serene Jones as they remember forward as we enter the 2nd post-9/11 decade.

“I am concerned about the rights of women, the rights of children and, just as equally, the rights of men – because there can never be a community, there can never be a family, there can never be true freedom when any sector of humanity is not free,” she says.

Howard Zehr shows us a better way, one that seeks to repair and restore victims, offenders, and the people around them. If you can’t come to meet him personally, pick up one of his little books and look through his lens at a very different and I believe a much better world.

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward: On Sunday, let us acknowledge the painful memories of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the continuing grief of families directly affected, the on-going need for healing in our communities, and the clear call of Christ to be peacemakers and thereby children of God.