Witnessing 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.

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

Achieving peace is often thought about in terms of military operations or state negotiations. Yet it also happens at the grassroots level, where communities envision and create peace on their own. The San José de Apartadó Peace Community of small-scale farmers has not waited for a top-down peace treaty. Instead, they have actively resisted forced displacement and co-optation by guerrillas, army soldiers, and paramilitaries for two decades in Colombia’s war-torn Urabá region. Based on ethnographic action research over a twelve-year period, Christopher Courtheyn illuminates the community’s understandings of peace and territorial practices against ongoing assassinations and displacement. San José’s peace through autonomy reflects an alternative to traditional modes of politics practiced through electoral representation and armed struggle. Courtheyn explores the meaning of peace and territory, while also interrogating the role of race in Colombia’s war and the relationship between memory and peace. Amid the widespread violence of today’s global crisis, Community of Peace illustrates San José’s rupture from the logics of colonialism and capitalism through the construction of political solidarity and communal peace.

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.

A Witness in Times of War and Peace is a searing memoir that describes the struggles a Mennonite pastor experiences during the Second World War. Gerhard Hein is a practicing Mennonite when he is called up for duty, and he must reconcile his pacifist beliefs with the obligation to serve in Germany’s Wehrmacht. He displays courage in a terrifying and uncertain time by voicing his concerns about the National Socialistic ideology in both words and deeds, standing up for his beliefs by pointing to the One who can bring real peace. His story shows that in the darkness of war, rays of genuine love, care, and compassion can shine through.

God's last word in human affairs is not about the Cross, but about the Resurrection. Jesus is the resurrection and the life no man comes to the Father but by Him. He tells us to "go". "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and low, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world". (Matthew 28:18-20). Evangelism involves communicating the good news of salvation through relationships. It will require a strong effort on your part to witness to the lost. Christ must be highly demonstrated in love, compassion, and adoration. You must develop sensitivity to the spiritual condition of people. President Obama alluded to empathy, looking at others through your eyes, or walking in others footsteps. I encourage compassion, looking at others through the eyes of Jesus. This book will inform, empower, inspire, and instructed you in the right way. It gives examples of building spiritual relationships with believers, nonbelievers, neighbors, unknown, business associates, asking God for wisdom of their needs and understanding, and attitudes. From Genesis to Revelation God raised up inspirers, demonstrator, prophets and prophetess, those that had a godly heart to rescue the lost, and to recapture His people. He used men and women for instruments of His love. Those who would endure hardness as a good solder of Jesus Christ. God always takes the initiative to come to His people. Without Him we would all go our own way, and lack understanding. For there is a way that seems right unto men but it is the way of destruction. This book makes it clear that it is not about defeat, but all about Victory. Therefore, our responsibility as His children is to convince the world through witnessing that the best is yet to come. Luke 12:48 says, "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required, and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more". Isaiah 11:9 says, "For the earth shall be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea". Our hope for a non-violent world is by spreading the message of God's love, forgiveness, and prosperity. The true knowledge of God, Jesus His Son, and why the Holy Spirit was sent is conveyed by our true witness. This is why witnessing is so incredible, and a hidden treasure. It is the Spirit working. And we know very little about the Holy Spirit and His works. It is like a wind! In according to Isaiah Chapter One; "The ox knows his owner, the ass his master's crib, but my people do not know me, says the Lord". This is a hard saying, but if God said it, it is true and appropriate. Now when a hard saying is given it is to convince the hearers of their status and merit with God. You can neglect or ignore many things, but not God's word. It is a mandate for living. The Lord requires that we live justly and glorify Him as the Lord God Almighty. The above scripture was given to the children of God for a warning. It was given for conviction of sin, directions, and duty, and for consolation in trouble and danger of being lost. It was given to scare them straight. God's word is given to build and plant, or pluck up and pull down for a change in heart. Everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God is for our benefit, because it will come to pass exactly as it was foretold, sooner or later. In this prophesy everything looks bad, very bad, with Judah and Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah is speaking for God, he is blowing God's triumph, reminding the people what bad shape they were in. Isaiah in speaking for God calls the people of God "stupid" senseless people. You have had plenty of time to get it right, I have feed, clothe, and kept y

This book introduces a new research agenda for visual peace research, providing a political analysis of the relationship between visual representations and the politics of violence nationally and internationally. Using a range of genres, from photography to painting, it elaborates on how people can become agents of their own image.