How can we be silent?
Peace Sunday is observed on the Sunday closest to the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on September 21. The Peace and Justice Support Network creates worship materials that congregations may use on this or any Sunday throughout the year. Peace Sunday is an annual opportunity to acknowledge and respond to the violence that continues […]
Anabaptist Mission and Theology of Religions
Consideration of the church’s missional constitution and context lead to the claim that interaction with religious others is a necessary element of Anabaptist witness. But what does this interaction look like? What should it look like? What resources do Christian theology and missiology offer as guides to understanding and engaging other religions? The essays in […]
Session 6: The transformation of a violent man
Reading Acts 7:54-8:1, 9:1-19; Romans 5:1-11, 13:8-10; Galatians 1:11-24 Teaching What does it mean to serve God? How did Stephen please God in death? Can a mass murderer inherit the kingdom of Heaven? The first Christians followed Jesus’ ways of openness and abundant mercy. As Jesus had, they faced conflict with the religious leaders. This […]
Session 1: The peace vision of the Old Testament
Reading Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 1:1-15:21, 20:1-21; Jeremiah 8:18-9:2; Jonah 1:1-4:11; Psalm 46:1-11 Teaching What is the main point of the Old Testament story? What can Old Testament stories teach us about dealing with current events? What evidence shows that God continues to engage people today as God is shown doing in the past? The Old […]
Session 5: Enemy love
Reading Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 12:14-21 Teaching What does “love your enemy” mean? How can we truly love someone that we do not know? Is it more realistic and acceptable to display empathy to your neighbor whom you do not know? Jesus taught that loving one’s enemy means actively seeking to do good to […]
Session 4: Jesus and the peaceable kingdom
Reading Mark 8:27-38; Philippians 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 2:1-10 Teaching Who do we say that Jesus is? What do we believe about Jesus Christ? If Jesus visited your Facebook page, would he say that you represent your faith online? (1) We believe Jesus is God’s Son, who brings salvation through his love. In Jesus’ time, many […]
Session 2: Ancient Israel’s power politics
Reading 1 Samuel 8:1-22; 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Kings 21:1-29; Jeremiah 7:1-34; Isaiah 40:1-44:28 Teaching What can we learn from Israel’s political experiences? How can God continue to bless people who clearly break his commandments? What current political situation is particularly reminiscent of politics the past? The story of the liberation of the ancient Israelites […]
Session 3: Prophetic Faith
Reading Amos 1:1-9:15; Matthew 5:20, 38; Romans 3:21-26 Teaching Why do we have difficulty telling people the truth boldly like Amos? What does God say is the solution for a people facing crisis? How does God issue justice and love simultaneously? Amos exemplified how Old Testament prophets challenged how the people of their day lived. […]
Session 7: Hope for the Lamb’s triumph
Reading Revelation 5:1-14, 13:1-18, 21:1-22:6 Teaching How does John’s social criticism challenge congregations today? Is experiencing a major crisis critical to truly knowing God? How can a person remain in sin, yet continue to walk with God? The book of Revelation, when read carefully, directs us toward a nonviolent path. To begin with, the book […]
Session 8: Pacifism is a faith conviction
Teaching Is pacifism an “absolute” for Christians?Is defending yourself against an aggressor justified? How can pacifism prevail in the face of a violent aggressor? A challenge often presented to Christian pacifists is the assertion that simply having strong feelings about our position is not a persuasive reason for others to accept them. While we may […]
Go and make disciples
‘Come, follow me’ Discipleship isn’t an easy path, but Jesus calls us to it By Sara Alvarez The idea seems so simple: Meet regularly with someone and encourage each other’s daily faith journey. Jesus did it when he called his disciples from their day jobs, and asked them to follow him. The group stayed together […]
Bible verses that call for peace
Old Testament verses Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you have only to be still. Numbers 6:24 May the Lord bless you…and give you peace Numbers 12:3 Moses was more humble than anyone else…. Deuteronomy 17:16 The king must not acquire great numbers of horses… Joshua 24:12 You did not (drive them out) […]