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Impressions of the Open Hearts, Open Minds and Fair Minded Words Conference, October 15-16, 2010

August 3, 2010
Consistent Life Endorsers Play Leading Role at Peace Among the Peoples

Peace and justice activists and educators from across the ecumenical spectrum of Christianity convened in Elkhart, Indiana at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary for the Peace Among the Peoples conference July 28th-31st, 2010. Peace Among the Peoples was a preparatory gathering leading up to the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation which will be held in Kingston, Jamaica in May of next year under the auspices of the World Council of Churches. The IEPC is the culmination of the WCC's “Decade to Overcome Violence,” and will assess the impact of the international ecumenical Christian peacemaking efforts and identify the next steps for the WCC's member churches to follow up on in order to maximize the antiviolence campaign's effectiveness.

The major focus of Peace Among the Peoples was on achieving some common ground on questions surrounding the morality of war. Historically, a division has existed between those Christians and churches which identify themselves as pacifist or Historic Peace Churches, and those which hold to the just war theory. For pacifists, violence and war are always to be rejected as incompatible with the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, while for those in the just war tradition, there are certain instances where warfare may regretfully be a moral option to be used only as a last resort and when a number of strict criteria have been met. Traditionally, the pacifist trajectory and the just war trajectory have talked past one another because of their differing conclusions on whether war is ever morally acceptable. But both pacifism and the just war tradition are based on the conviction that war is a grave moral evil. One important goal of the Peace Among the Peoples gathering was to get pacifists and those in the just war tradition to begin working together and talking to one another instead of past or against one another to advance the common goal of reducing and eliminating war and violence. How can just war advocates and pacifists, acknowledging both their points of agreement and points of contention, work together to overcome the spirit and logic of violence?

The conference itself was rich and meaningful for all involved. Because it was an ecumenical gathering of Christians, worship was a vital component and was interwoven between plenary and working sessions throughout the four days of the conference. When the conference convened on Wednesday the 28th with an opening worship service, author, Catholic peace advocate, and Consistent Life endorser Mary Jo Leddy offered a quiet but powerful sermon on how peace and life activists can struggle against the dominationist spirit of empire. We should be like termites, she told the conference, slowly chewing away at the foundations of the violent structures that undergird the empire in order to usher in a new world of cooperation instead of competition, in which people come before profits and the needs of personal relationships come before the needs of corporations.

On Thursday, following morning prayers, the first plenary session featured presentations by Rita Nakashima Brock of Faith Voices for the Common Good and Orthodox priest and associate of a Consistent Life member organization, the Orthodox Peace Fellowship, Philip LeMasters on alternative approaches to Christians and war. Brock gave a lively presentation on ancient Christian art and its underlying theology. Ancient Christians, she argued, did not depict the dead Jesus in their artwork because their theology stressed his resurrection life more than his atoning death. LeMasters' presentation offered an overview of the Eastern Orthodox Christian approach to peacemaking. He explained that Orthodox spirituality is an ongoing process, known as theosis, of becoming more and more like Jesus in every area of life. With respect to peacemaking, the Orthodox maintain that Jesus' absolute nonviolence is the normative standard for all Christians to grow into. There is no such thing as a “just war” in the Orthodox tradition. War is always a sin, regardless of its moral or legal justification, and though Orthodox laity sometimes take up arms and even kill in defense of justice, it is always with a spirit of repentance and mournfulness, because killing another human being who is made in the image of God always traumatizes and harms the killer.

The next session brought the just war tradition and pacifism directly into dialogue with one another. First, prominent theological ethicist and Consistent Life endorser Stanley Hauerwas issued a scathing indictment of the just war mentality. The Christian church, he argued, does not have an alternative to war, rather the church as a people among whom Jesus' pacifism and nonviolence are (or should be!) normative is an alternative to war. Wars are often justified by those waging them on the notion of “sacrifice,” Hauerwas observed, in which it is argued we must not dishonor the sacrifices of those who have already died by abandoning the cause for which they gave their lives. “[F]or Americans war is a necessity to sustain our belief that we are worthy to be recipients of the sacrifices made on our behalf in past wars,” Hauerwas told the conference, “Americans are a people born of and in war, particularly the Civil War, and only war can sustain our belief that we are a people set apart.” For Americans, deaths in war thus come to have redemptive meaning. But for Christians, “If the Civil War teaches us anything it makes clear what happens when Christians no longer believe that Christ's sacrifice is sufficient for the salvation of the world. As a result, Christians confuse the sacrifice of war with the sacrifice of Christ.” Christ's self-giving on the cross ended the necessity of war's “sacrifices.”

Offering a counterpoint to pacifism, Gerard Powers of Notre Dame University's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice made a case for a distinction between what he called “permissive” and “restrictive” versions of the just war tradition. A common misperception of the just war theory, Powers pointed out, is that it is often seen by Christians and others as a means to justify wars over against pacifism. Whereas, according to Powers, in its best form the just war theory is not meant as a means to justify wars, but as a means to take the horrors of war and to make them more just and merciful, at least more than they would otherwise be. A permissive form of just war theory takes as its starting point the assumption that a state of war and conflict is the normal moral order of the world and as a result seeks to justify wars, while a restrictive form takes as its foundational conviction the idea that war is an amoral intrusion into the moral order of the world, and as such we should always have a strong presumption against war, even if we might allow for its possibility in certain tightly-controlled instances. It is this restrictive form of just war theory which possesses the possibility of finding common ground with pacifism in a quest to reduce or ultimately eliminate the scourge of war in the world.

On Friday, Peace Among the Peoples moved from this theoretical and theological background to the practical questions of discipleship in wrestling with faithfulness in Christian peacemaking. The day began with conference attendees splitting up into a number of concurrent sessions focused on such topics as “the Eucharist and Peacemaking,” “Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Accountability,” justice and peace in countering violence against women, wrestling with the moral questions surrounding nuclear weapons, and the legal implications of selective conscientious objection to particular wars. During the concurrent sessions, Consistent Life endorser Glen Stassen, of Fuller Theological Seminary, led a seminar on the emerging concept of “Just Peacemaking,” a series of ten practical strategies on which both pacifists and just war adherents can work together in order to prevent wars from occurring in the first place.

That afternoon, conference attendees were treated to two powerful presentations on new visions for peacemaking in America. First, author, Consistent Life endorser, and leader in the emerging church movement Brian McLaren explored six narratives contemporary Christians allow themselves to be shaped by that impede their witness for peace in the world and negatively impact their faithfulness to the story of Jesus Christ, which should be their life's foundational narrative. Then Paul Alexander, cofounder of Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice, told of how Penetecostal Christians, whose powerful testimonies to the transformative power of God, are leading a new movement of protest against violence and oppression in the world. These charismatic Christians combine their protest against violence with their testimony to the peaceable reign of God into “pro-testimonies” as they “pro-testify” against war through their witness to what God has done in Jesus Christ to reconcile the whole world to himself.

At Peace Among the Peoples, Consistent Life was officially represented by board member Rob Arner, who spoke at the microphone several times about the need for peacemakers to draw connections between the different issues of violence in order to see how they are all united under the common agreement that we will solve our problems by killing people. Arner met and greeted Consistent Life's endorsers, who played prominent roles in the conference's plenary and concurrent sessions. CL's official presence also included a display table with literature and CL-endorsed books, which attracted a number of curious peacemakers interested in how they might offer a more consistent witness to peace and life in their communities and organizations.

May 12, 2010
CL Gains New Endorser & New Member Group

Recently, Consistent Life has gained both a new endorser and a new member group.

The endorser is Dr. P. Jayaraman. Dr. Jayaraman is Founder and Executive Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhayan, USA (Institute of Indian Culture, USA). He is also a professor and author.

The new member group is All Our Lives. All Our Lives works for a world free of domination, coercion, and violence in our sexual and reproductive lives. Their mission is to model a woman-centric, non-violent and inclusive approach to issues of health, sexuality, and reproduction.

January 22, 2010
Consistent Life at 2010 March for Life

Consistent Life had a presence at the 2010 March for Life in Washington, DC. Five Board members and a number of other supporters participated

Consistent Life banner held by Board members Carol Crossed & Tony Masalonis

Two other groups joined our contingent - member group Prolife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) and Secular ProLife.

Consistent Life banner held by Board members Bill Samuel & Carol Crossed
with PLAGAL & Secular ProLife joining us

Other groups which came to the March from various places also carried banners with consistent life ethic messages.

Franciscans support consistent ethic of life

Camden parish notes it's a seamless garment community

Walk for Life West Coast Too!

(added later)

Consistent Life member Edward Chow made this sign and carried it at the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco the day after the March for Life in Washington.

Sign at 2010 Walk for Life West Coast

June 15, 2009
John D. Roth Endorses CL

John D. Roth

John D. Roth, a leading Mennonite historian, recently endorsed the Mission Statement of Consistent Life. Roth is Professor of History at Goshen College. He has a PhD in Early Modern European History from the University of Chicago.

Roth serves as Editor of The Mennonite Quarterly Review. He is also President of the Mennonite Historical Society and Director of the Mennonite Historical Library.

Roth has authored or edited a number of books, most related to Mennonite history and life. One of these books is Choosing Against War: A Christian View (Good Books, 2002). He is also a prolific writer of articles in a great variety of magazines and periodicals.

June 1, 2009
CL Statement on Killing of Dr. Tiller

Consistent Life, an international network of 200 groups and many individuals for peace, justice and life, condemns the assassination of Dr. George R. Tiller. Responding to violence with violence only furthers the cycle of violence, which harms all human society. We urge opposition to all forms of violence through creative nonviolent means. Killing people does not demonstrate that killing people is wrong. Executions, whether by governments or private parties, represent moral failures. We hope that people reflecting on the tragedy in Wichita on May 31 will re-examine and reject the idea that violence is an acceptable "solution" to problems, perceived or real.

May 1, 2009
David P. Gushee Endorses CL

David P. Gushee

David P. Gushee recently endorsed the Mission Statement of Consistent Life. Dr. Gushee is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. He is currently working on a book on The Sanctity of Life: A Christian Exploration (Eerdmans, 2010).

Dr. Gushee teaches at McAfee and throughout Mercer University in his specialty, Christian ethics. Beyond his work at Mercer, he is the president of Evangelicals for Human Rights, a columnist for Associated Baptist Press, and a contributing editor for Christianity Today. Dr. Gushee also currently serves as co-chair of the Biblical/Contextual Ethics Group of the American Academy of Religion and on the Christian Ethics Commission of the Baptist World Alliance.

He has published nine books, over 75 scholarly essays, book chapters, articles, and reviews, and hundreds of magazine articles and opinion pieces. His books include the award-winning Kingdom Ethics, as well as Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust and Only Human.

Dr. Gushee was the principal drafter of both the Evangelical Climate Initiative (2006) and the Evangelical Declaration Against Torture (2007). He is the Kingdom Ethics columnist for Prism, the magazine of Evangelicals for Social Action, a Consistent Life member group.

January 20, 2009
Board Member Rachel Muha Honored

Rachel Muha

Tragedy to Trauma
Her son’s tragic death prompted Rachel Muha to help and forgive
Rachel Muha
Co-founder, Brian Muha Memorial Foundation
Home: Westerville
Kids: Chris, 30; Brian (deceased – 1999)
Quote to live by: “Love one another.”

Making the best of a tragedy has become a way of life for Rachel Muha. After the murder of her 18-year-old son, Brian, Muha has made it her mission to make sure troubled teens on Columbus’ West side end up with a better life.
Initially stricken with emotional heartbreak too intense for Muha to describe, she says words from The Lord’s Prayer made her take a look at things.
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” recalls Muha, “I was being asked – as we all are – to forgive those who hurt and killed my son I love so much.”
When Muha learned the background of her son’s murderers, it became her goal to help inner-city children and teens improve their lives. Founded in her son’s name, the Brian Muha Foundation has been providing services ever since.
In 2005, the foundation opened its first after-school and Saturday program in inner-city Columbus. Billed as “a loving atmosphere that fosters health and happiness through spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical development,” the Run the Race program serves children in grades 2 through 12 – with or without strong family backgrounds.
Muha’s goal is to raise $100,000 to open the West Side Run the Race Center open every day.
“When a child says to me...‘why can’t we stay longer?’” says Muha, “I know the children are able to forget all the challenges in their young lives.” That is how she measures the foundation’s accomplishments.
In addition to the Run the Race club, The Brian Muha Foundation has established scholarship funds at Franciscan University and St. Charles Preparatory School, which both her sons attended. The house from which Brian was kidnapped – although filled with painful memories – has been purchased and maintained by the foundation as a house offered to needy students so they are able to attend the University.
Muha says she is motivated by God’s will, which is love.
“We are in the business of love,” says Muha, “and when you are in the business of love, you don't exclude anyone.”