Interfaith Just Peacemaking

Interfaith Just Peacemaking is a collected work by 27 Jewish, Muslim and Christian scholars and religious leaders on the ten 'practice norms' of the peacemaking paradigm called 'Just Peace.'Just Peace theory, like the paradigm it most resembles, Just War theory, is a list of specific practices that are applied to concrete contexts.

Interfaith Just Peacemaking is a collected work by 27 Jewish, Muslim and Christian scholars and religious leaders on the ten 'practice norms' of the peacemaking paradigm called 'Just Peace.'Just Peace theory, like the paradigm it most resembles, Just War theory, is a list of specific practices that are applied to concrete contexts.

"Just Peacemaking: The New Paradigm for the Ethics of Peace and War" is the product of twenty-three scholars across various denominations who have collaborated annually since 1992 to specify the ten practical steps and develop the undergirding principles of this critical approach: 1. Support nonviolent direct action 2. Take independent initiatives to reduce threat 3. Use cooperative conflict resolution 4. Acknowledge responsibility for conflict and injustice and seek repentance and forgiveness 5. Advanced democracy, human rights, and religious liberty 6. Foster just and sustainable economic development 7. Work with emerging cooperative forces in the international system 8. Strengthen the United Nations and international efforts for cooperation and human rights 9. Reduce offensive weapons and weapons trade 10. Encourage grassroots peacemaking groups and voluntary associations

Believing Christians should direct their energies toward finding a set of criteria and a model for a "just peace" instead of "just war", Stassen bases his peace theory on the new reality of our world, recent Biblical interpretation, and on the experiences of people who lived in the face of oppression and nuclear threat.

As the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish contributors to this volume have discovered firsthand, religion is better at fostering peace than at fueling war. Rarely, conclude the authors, is religion the principal cause of international conflict, even though some adversaries may argue differently. But religion can often be invaluable in promoting understanding and reconciliation-and the need to exploit that potential has never been greater. Drawing on their extensive experience in organizing interaction and cooperation across religious boundaries in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Northern Ireland, and the Balkans, the contributors explore the formidable potential of interfaith dialogue. The first part of the volume analyzes the concept and its varied application; the second focuses on its practice in specific zones of conflict; and the third assesses the experiences and approaches of particular organizations. When organized creatively, interfaith dialogue can nurture deep engagement at all levels of the religious hierarchy, including the community level. It draws strength from the peacemaking traditions shared by many faiths and from the power of religious ritual and symbolism. Yet, as the authors also make plain, it also has its limitations and carries great risks.

This book contains an analysis of the keys of success in interfaith dialogue as a mechanism for resolving violent conflicts. It lifts up the unique elements of religious peacebuilding, with a particular focus on apology and forgiveness. It also emphasises the importance of keeping issues of social justice front and centre, so that religious peacebuilding does not merely make the participants feel better.

This book on faith-based peacebuilding is a practical resource for peacebuilding practitioners and all others who are grappling with injustice and conflict. Seven case studies describe concrete initiatives within highly diverse contexts. Three case studies focus on strengthening internal church peacebuilding capacity through peace education, one looks at the role of alliances and networks in advocacy for addressing gender-based violence and three focus on ecumenical and inter-religious collaboration. An introductory essay provides a general overview and literature review for faith-based peacebuilding, discusses processes and describes key roles that faith-based actors can play.