Many Christians in the West emphasize peace-making and reconciliation as a way to address the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict. While no one can deny that peace-making is surely an integral part of our mission (e.g., Matthew 5:9), the way many Christians, especially among evangelicals, approach it is problematic.
Colonialism is like a leitmotif in the annals and experiences of some nations of the world, especially the ones from the Global South. Most of these nations experienced colonisation by some nations from the west starting from the 19th century, and Nigeria is a prime example of this. Colonialism affects almost everything about a people – their worldviews, cultures, and perspectives to life…
Beni Mocan prepared this paper as part of INFEMIT’s Stott-Bediako Forum, to explore the aspects of Pentecostal spirituality that contribute to Peace Building and Conflict Transformation in Post-Dictatorial Romania.
In this presentation, Nina Balmaceda introduces the Word Made Flesh Methodology adopted by the Center for Reconciliation at the Duke Divinity School and applies it to examine the need to pursue reconciliation in the Americas. She engages in this discussion with the purpose of demonstrating that it is impossible to pursue reconciliation in the Americas unless we are willing to embrace a genuine commitment to work for holistic transformation beyond individual salvation.
Obed Manwatkar, a PhD research scholar at Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences in Allahbad, India prepared this presentation to explore reconciliation within the caste system in India, where much of the population remains oppressed and excluded.
Rev. Lalitha prepared a presentation for the Stott-Bediako Forum that explores Postcolonialism, Peace Building, and Conflict Transformation in the context of India, a context in which native women experience a triple colonization based on race, caste, and gender. She explores some of the history of the realities of conflict faced by the indigenous communities in India, examples of resistance to forms of colonialism and caste oppression, and how Jesus’s movement provides a way forward in peace building and conflict transformation.
Throughout the Stott-Bediako Forum, we’ve had opportunities to hear from indigenous brothers and sisters about the challenges and possibilities for peace building and conflict transformation in their contexts. One recommendation they offered was that of seeking and promoting indigenous Christian theology.
We interviewed Ruth Padilla DeBorst about her ideas on “North-South Partnership in God’s Mission: Joining Hands in the Construction of a Reconciliation Politics.” In this episode, we chat with Ruth about her work, who she has learned from, how colonialism impacts the way we read the Bible, and how differing narratives or interpretations of Scripture can help us on the path to peacebuilding and conflict transformation.
We interviewed Al Tizon about his journey in peacebuilding. Al weaves together his story of rediscovering his own culture during his work in the Philippines with his thoughts on the integration of justice and peacebuilding. He also shares his thoughts on healing through memories and the importance of lament in our church communities.
We interviewed Jocabed Solano (Guna) about her journey as an indigenous Guna theologian and the concepts and practices of reconciliation that exist among her people.