March 17, 2021
1 Thought
When we think about peace being made after war, we often think of a treaty or a truce. It's a sort of meeting in the middle, skewed towards the side of the people or nations who won the war.
This is not biblical peacemaking.
Meeting in the middle and skewing the terms of the meeting towards those who hold power is more like peacekeeping–or keeping the status quo–than it is like true peacemaking.
The word for "peace" in the Bible comes from a word that originally means "wholeness".
To keep peace is to hoard wholeness for the ones who think they have it (they don't if their version causes brokenness).
To seek peace is to desire wholeness for all people, self included.
To make peace then, is to actively do whatever it takes to restore wholeness to all. (Share this on Twitter)
This applies at all different levels: wholeness of an individual, of a community, of a society, etc.
Here are three ways to start being a peacemaker:
Empathize: God has always had a special concern for the marginalized. Intentionally listen to an individual's story, a community's history, and learn about the pain they have been through/are going through and just stay there.
Untether your value from being liked by other people: People who haven't spoken up in the service of restoring wholeness to marginalized communities often struggle with fear–of repercussions, of being talked about, of being labeled "the problem", of being uninvited from power. Wagering your value on these lesser things is a sacrifice too costly for what you deserve. Turn back, and receive the full value of your personhood from God.
Steward your relationships: Everyone has influence. Everyone has family, friends, and community they already have trust with. It can feel vulnerable to risk disagreement by entering into loving dialogue about high-stress topics, but it is a good and faithful thing to do so.
1 Resource
Justin Giboney on peacemaking:
"Some assume peacemaking requires inactivity or silence in the face of disorder and injustice. But true peace is not passive quiet or the absence of action or the silence of indifference. Biblical peace is shalom, meaning completeness, well-being, and right relationship with God and each other. Silence or inaction amid grave partiality and inequality is not peace. When we mute the poor or rob the victim of voice, we deny peace. Gaslighting or shushing the suffering perverts the wholeness and fulfillment Christianity demands."
Source: Only Biblical Peacemaking Resolves Racial and Political Injustice
1 Question
What might you lose in your journey to embody peacemaking? What might you gain?