Christians join global war resisters gathering in the USA
-09/05/06
The worldís bigges
Christians join global war resisters gathering in the USA
-09/05/06
The worldís biggest centre of the military-industrial complex, the United States, is this week hosting a gathering of conscientious objectors from around the world ñ including Christian peacemakers, who argue that it is a ìtheological priorityî.
New York City and Washington DC are the chosen sites for Operation Refuse War, a week of conferences, demonstrations, and actions in celebration of International Conscientious Objectors Day, 15 May 2006.
Participants will be travelling from South Korea, Eritrea, Colombia, Peru, El Salvador, Canada, Britain, Israel, Macedonia, Bosnia, Germany, and across the United States itself. Many will come from situations of deep conflict.
Operation Refuse War, which begins on 11 May, will be an opportunity for anti-war activists and military families to share strategies and to build community.
This week of action, say the organisers, will highlight the difficulties that conscientious objectors currently face – in some cases fines and imprisonment – as well as help build connections between the various communities within the anti-war movement.
In addition, Operation Refuse War will bring together international and American conscientious objectors to share their experiences and ideas with the general public. And there will be a silent witness against the war in Iraq.
The UK religious think tank Ekklesia, which has recently been profiling the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams in the light of the Baghdad kidnapping crisis, today welcomed the initiative.
Says director Simon Barrow: ìWar cannot rectify injustice and seeking non-military alternatives for transforming conflict is surely an urgent priority. Yet few resources are made available for peace-building. Hopefully this week can add to the public awareness of non-violence as a practical option.î
At a World Council of Churchesí global mission gathering in May 2005, German Mennonite leader Fernando Enns made an ecumenical appeal to the churches to make the refusal of violence a ìkey identity markerî for followers of Jesus.
Barrow agrees. He says that for Christians, refusing violence has deep theological roots.
He explains: ìIt isnít just about being nice or highlighting a few biblical texts ñ it is about witnessing to an alternative way of life made possible by the life, death and resurrection of Christ ñ about tapping the power of Godís love to overcome the destructive love of power.î
Though pacifism is a minority tradition in Christianity, non-violence advocates in the churches say that the majority just-war tradition (which involves seeking to limit violence) is increasingly becoming war resistant ñ citing the powerful anti-war sentiments expressed by the two most recent popes.
ìWhen Christians are baptised they are received into a community which is meant to embody the way of Jesus. Surely a minimum requirement of this is for Christians to recognise that they should not kill one another ñ and then to extend that logic to the neighbours they are called by the Gospel to love,î declares Ekklesiaís Simon Barrow.
The full list of 11-15 May 2006 events is on the Operation Refuse War website.
[Also on Ekklesia: Iraq hostage Jim Loney speaks April 28, 2006 – Robert Rhodes of Mennonite Weekly Review with the Christian peacemakerís first full interview; Christian peacemakers can make a difference, Vatican Radio told 21/04/06; Peace workers hold a key to Iraq solution, says think tank 17/04/06; Clarification sought from army chief on false Kember snub allegation 16/04/06; Critics of Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq accused of being ill-informed 16/04/06; Army chief spoke without knowledge on alleged Kember ingratitude -28/03/06; What Norman said – from Iraq captive Kember’s BBC interview 15/04/06; Entombed Iraq captive Jim Loney talks of Easter Hope 15/04/06; Kember notes irony of non-violent release by soldiers 15/04/06; Kember still evaluating Christian peacemaker’s role in Iraq 15/04/06; Christian peacemaker Norman Kember to give first major interview tomorrow 14/04/06; CPT in Iraq: What now? 04/04/06 – Peggy Gish reflects on the future of Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. Briefing on media accusations against Christian Peacemaker Teams – detailed background; Contending the logic of violence – Ekklesia’s Simon Barrow says that true Christian peacemaking cannot afford naivete]
Christians join global war resisters gathering in the USA
-09/05/06
The worldís biggest centre of the military-industrial complex, the United States, is this week hosting a gathering of conscientious objectors from around the world ñ including Christian peacemakers, who argue that it is a ìtheological priorityî.
New York City and Washington DC are the chosen sites for Operation Refuse War, a week of conferences, demonstrations, and actions in celebration of International Conscientious Objectors Day, 15 May 2006.
Participants will be travelling from South Korea, Eritrea, Colombia, Peru, El Salvador, Canada, Britain, Israel, Macedonia, Bosnia, Germany, and across the United States itself. Many will come from situations of deep conflict.
Operation Refuse War, which begins on 11 May, will be an opportunity for anti-war activists and military families to share strategies and to build community.
This week of action, say the organisers, will highlight the difficulties that conscientious objectors currently face – in some cases fines and imprisonment – as well as help build connections between the various communities within the anti-war movement.
In addition, Operation Refuse War will bring together international and American conscientious objectors to share their experiences and ideas with the general public. And there will be a silent witness against the war in Iraq.
The UK religious think tank Ekklesia, which has recently been profiling the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams in the light of the Baghdad kidnapping crisis, today welcomed the initiative.
Says director Simon Barrow: ìWar cannot rectify injustice and seeking non-military alternatives for transforming conflict is surely an urgent priority. Yet few resources are made available for peace-building. Hopefully this week can add to the public awareness of non-violence as a practical option.î
At a World Council of Churchesí global mission gathering in May 2005, German Mennonite leader Fernando Enns made an ecumenical appeal to the churches to make the refusal of violence a ìkey identity markerî for followers of Jesus.
Barrow agrees. He says that for Christians, refusing violence has deep theological roots.
He explains: ìIt isnít just about being nice or highlighting a few biblical texts ñ it is about witnessing to an alternative way of life made possible by the life, death and resurrection of Christ ñ about tapping the power of Godís love to overcome the destructive love of power.î
Though pacifism is a minority tradition in Christianity, non-violence advocates in the churches say that the majority just-war tradition (which involves seeking to limit violence) is increasingly becoming war resistant ñ citing the powerful anti-war sentiments expressed by the two most recent popes.
ìWhen Christians are baptised they are received into a community which is meant to embody the way of Jesus. Surely a minimum requirement of this is for Christians to recognise that they should not kill one another ñ and then to extend that logic to the neighbours they are called by the Gospel to love,î declares Ekklesiaís Simon Barrow.
The full list of 11-15 May 2006 events is on the Operation Refuse War website.
[Also on Ekklesia: Iraq hostage Jim Loney speaks April 28, 2006 – Robert Rhodes of Mennonite Weekly Review with the Christian peacemakerís first full interview; Christian peacemakers can make a difference, Vatican Radio told 21/04/06; Peace workers hold a key to Iraq solution, says think tank 17/04/06; Clarification sought from army chief on false Kember snub allegation 16/04/06; Critics of Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq accused of being ill-informed 16/04/06; Army chief spoke without knowledge on alleged Kember ingratitude -28/03/06; What Norman said – from Iraq captive Kember’s BBC interview 15/04/06; Entombed Iraq captive Jim Loney talks of Easter Hope 15/04/06; Kember notes irony of non-violent release by soldiers 15/04/06; Kember still evaluating Christian peacemaker’s role in Iraq 15/04/06; Christian peacemaker Norman Kember to give first major interview tomorrow 14/04/06; CPT in Iraq: What now? 04/04/06 – Peggy Gish reflects on the future of Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. Briefing on media accusations against Christian Peacemaker Teams – detailed background; Contending the logic of violence – Ekklesia’s Simon Barrow says that true Christian peacemaking cannot afford naivete]