Witnessing For Peace

This book, rooted in the disciplines of theology and peace studies, reflects with and on war-affected communities in Colombia about transitioning from violence to peace. It argues that much that is significant for peace- building in situations of war escapes the notice of governments, human rights organizations, and academics because it is accomplished through a kind of agency they do not recognize. This book names that agency as constructive agency under duress and demonstrates its significance for peacebuilding by reflecting on a form that the author has seen operating in Colombia over nearly two decades.

The rapidly deteriorating situation in Israel/Palestine has dashed hopes of any imminent peace or even accommodation between the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. A leader in Palestinian Christianity, and an outspoken advocate of nonviolence and of Palestinian rights, Bishop Munib Younan directly addresses this situation and its imperatives. Born of Palestinian refugee parents and raised in Jerusalem, Younan has spent his life pastoring Palestinian Christians and searching for nonviolent solutions in this complex and volatile religious and political scene. In this volume, Younan presents first the historical and social context of the Palestinian situation, beginning with the not-well-known story of Arab Christianity and his own background. He elaborates his own theology of nonviolence, centered in the idea of martyria-heeding a call to justice, inclusion, and forgiveness. He illustrates the notion with dramatic and often tragic episodes and shows how it can address key issues in the current struggle with Israel over statehood, land, and refugees. Younan's model of Christian nonviolence also has demonstrable benefits in addressing terrorism, interreligious strife, and global peacemaking. Younan's is a voice all Christians of conscience should hear.

The son of a fighter pilot, raised in an air force barracks, Ahmed Aboul Gheit was privy to the confidential meetings, undisclosed memoranda, and battle secrets of Egyptian diplomacy for many decades. After a stint at military college, he began his career at the Egyptian embassy in Cyprus before later going on to become permanent representative to the United Nations and eventually, Egypt’s minister of foreign affairs under Hosni Mubarak. In this fascinating memoir, Aboul Gheit looks back on the 1973 October War and the diplomatic efforts that followed it, revealing the secrets of his long career for the first time. In vivid detail he describes the deliberations of Egypt’s political leadership in the run-up to the war, including the process of articulating Egypt’s war aims, the secret communications between President Sadat and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the role of the Soviet Union during the war, and the unfolding of events on the battlefront in Sinai. He then gives a detailed and deeply personal account of the arduous process of peacemaking that followed, covering the 1973 Geneva Conference, the 1977 Mena House Conference, Sadat’s visit to Israel, the 1978 Camp David Accords, and the subsequent 1979 Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty. From Sadat’s impassioned address to his cabinet on the eve of the war to delegations ripping out the wiring at their respective hotels, from Jimmy Carter cycling through the bungalows at Camp David to Yitzhak Shamir’s blunt admissions to his Arab counterparts in the 1991 Madrid conference, Aboul Gheit offers an information-packed, first-person account of a turbulent time in Middle Eastern history.

Zen practitioner and non-profit community developer Bernie Glassman offers powerful teaching stories that illustrate ways of making peace one moment at a time. Each chapter focuses on an event or person and demonstrates how a particular peacemaker vow is put into practice. Through these stories and Glassman's personal testimony we come to understand the essence of peacemaking.

Relates how the American organization Witness for Peace observed the war in Nicaragua to bring accurate reports of the war back to the United States

This book presents peace and reconciliation as an integral part of the gospel message. Thoughtful chapters by seven experienced church leaders and scholars-including John H. Yoder, Robert Ramseyer, Richard Showalter, and Ronald J. Sider-clarify the nature of the gospel. The authors suggest how an evangelistic and peace emphasis can be kept together in the mission of the church throughout the world. These essays serve as a corrective to those who would reduce the essentials of the gospel to doctrinal and creedal statements apart from ethics and church order. All Christians can benefit from a careful consideration of this discussion.

Each chapter of Faithful Witness, a collection of Michel Sabbah’s essential writings, contains a theme developed during his twenty-year tenure as Patriarch of Jerusalem. Beginning with “Reading the Bible in the Land of the Bible,” Faithful Witness proceeds from God’s Grace and the Nativity to Lent and Jesus’ Resurrection. In between, Patriarch Sabbah addresses other important topics, including the role of the Church in the Holy Land, Jerusalem, ecumenism, Christian-Muslim dialogue and Palestinian-Israeli relations. “For anyone who wants to understand the complex status quo of the Holy Land today, this careful and thoughtful selection from the work and teaching of Patriarch Sabbah is a useful and most insightful guide. The first Palestinian to be called to the dignity and the challenging ministry of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, this brilliant and courageous religious leader has been for 20 years a father to his community and a test to his adversaries. As you read his words … you see a man … who never gives up hope that the power of God will ultimately bring a new day of harmony to this land where the ancient prophets lived and died and where the children of Abraham—Jewish, Christian and Muslim—must find a way to live in peace together.” Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Ph.D., D.D. Archbishop Emeritus of Washington Patriarch Sabbah’s inclusive vision embraces all peoples, including Palestinians and Israelis. He courageously extends himself to open dialogue with leaders who do not share his vision of “peace with justice.” His friendship and conversations with Palestinian and Israeli leaders do not diminish his objectivity, search for dialogue and truth and calls for peacemaking, peace building and reconciliation.

Exploring diverse human experiences in the US, Poland and Northern Ireland, this book is of interest to practitioners and students of applied theatre, peace and conflict studies, professionals working in conflict resolution, counselors, psychotherapists, professionals in the field of criminal and restorative justice, and spiritual seekers.