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"In light of our Lord's teaching to love all, even our
enemies, as He Himself did, we affirm God's call for us
to be engaged in peacemaking to be agents of reconciliation
and shalom in our society. We also affirm that personal
and collective security comes from God, and that therefore
trust should be in God rather than in military power and
weapons. As part of an active commitment to working for
peace, we strive to address the root causes of war by seeking
to encourage others to make like affirmations and by lovingly
confronting the structures and systems that perpetuate militarism
and destruction."
-Statement adopted by Resident Partners at Koinonia, spring
1982
As our world seems determined to rush toward nuclear holocaust,
the voice of people of faith must be heard, calling for
a change of heart and mind. As Resident Partners at Koinonia,
we want to re-affirm our understanding of the life of peace
to which Christ calls us, recognizing that the way of the
cross will seldom be popular or cost-free. We need to remind
each other of the words of Scripture in the midst of talk
of the "soviet threat", "windows of vulnerability" or "godless,
atheistic communists." The way of Christ often stands in
stark contradiction to the culture's values; peacemaking
is essential to Christian discipleship.
"We were God's enemies, but God make us His friends
through the death of His Son." Romans 5:10.
…God has given us the ministry of reconciliation."
II Corinthians 5:19
Central to the message of the Gospel in Christ's new commandment:
love and treat others as God has loved and treated us. That
is a challenging calling! If God responded to His enemies
by redemptive suffering in the person of Jesus, can we respond
to our national enemies with threats of nuclear devastation?
We at Koinonia think not. We are convinced that the way
of the Gospel motivates us to work for reconciliation and
conflict-resolution rather than recrimination or global
superiority.
The gift of peace which Christ offers us is multi-dimensional.
The Scriptures promise us "peace with God" which goes a
long way toward meeting our needs of personal, inner peace.
The presence of the Holy Spirit, given to us as a Comforter,
aids in allaying our fears and personal insecurities. God's
gift of peace and the call to peacemaking are not limited
to the personal sphere of our lives, but must flow into
and transform our interpersonal and international relations.
Jesus calls us to go beyond love of self to embrace our
neighbors and enemies. Nowhere in the Gospel does Jesus
qualify that teaching with exceptions and exclusions like
"except if your nation is at war," or "unless you are physically
attacked."
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