Guns2Gardens: Become a disarming congregation
I recently attended a series of events in Houston TX designed to witness to the pain of gun violence and equip local faith communities to take action to end gun violence in Houston. One event…
Leaving with more questions
After our three visits to the ETCRs, a couple of the lingering questions in my mind are: "What is reconciliation?" and "How do these communities move forward?" With such a long history of civil war,…
Violence in Afghanistan not inevitable
PPF Statement on Afghanistan after US troop withdrawal in August 2021 It is not inevitable. The reality we have seen in the last two weeks--of Afghans holding onto planes taking off from Kabul, of interpreters…
Committed to Peace
I was energized by our visits with the FARC ex-combatants* we met. Their passion and commitment on the journey of reincorporating into civilian life is inspiring. They knew it would be difficult, but are finding…
The spirituality of disarming
I witnessed how a disarming event--how literally dismantling weapons of violence--transformed not just weapons, but all of us who were there, too. On June 13 I drove to Boulder, Colorado, to gather in the parking…
What is a Peace Church?
“A Peace Church is a church that… ...recognizes that war and militarism are inconsistent with the Gospel of Christ that calls us to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us …recognizes the…
Why I’m Going to Treaty People Gathering
Hundreds of people are attending Treaty People Gathering in Minnesota this weekend. Many of us are attending as part of an interfaith delegation with the support of GreenFaith, and some of us are members of…
No Air
There is no air between the treatment of Palestinians under the Israeli occupation, and the treatment of Black or indigenous people in the United States. There is shared history, shared ideology, shared methods, and a…
Introducing the Inventory of Conscience Survey
Have you ever stopped to consider what you actually believe about war and violence? We are all bombarded (pun intended) with the use of violence on television, in movies and on the news. Most of…
Response to Insurrection
Yesterday (January 6, 2021) we witnessed an alarming insurrection in the US as pro-Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building. Their events yesterday were alarming, but not surprising given Trump’s rhetoric and threats and the…