peace

Written by Bruno Baerg

The impact of war is felt long after specific hostilities exist and long after the global community has forgotten all about it.

This is particularly true in Mozambique some 18 years after the cessation of the apartheid Rhodesia / South African funded war of destabilization (1977-1992) in the country. Approx 1 million people were killed due to that conflict along with another approx 5 million people displaced. This had huge consequences which are still felt to this very day.

As followers of Jesus and bearers of the message of the kingdom of God, peacekeeping and non-violence should permeate our Christian faith in dealing with war, conflict and violence. It should both challenge and lead us to live out this unavoidable non-violent message demonstrated by Jesus. Often, when I try to follow Christ in the context of South Africa, I am surprised by the reaction of the church in dealing with conflict, war and violence.

A consultation on world peace and human security was convened by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva on Thursday 9 February. The event precedes a two-day committee meeting charged with following up the report and recommendations of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, which brought 1,000 participants to Kingston, Jamaica in May 2011.

The committee will suggest how the topic of just peace may be addressed during and after the 10th Assembly of the WCC, to be held in 2013 at Busan, Korea.

Anglican leaders from across Africa on 8 February made an emotional plea to Muslim faith leaders to stand with them in opposition to the "tragic violence that is destroying our communities." 



The appeal was issued at the end of a three-day meeting in Burundi of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) where Christian-Muslim conflict was high on the agenda, according to the Anglican Communion News Service. 



Amidst increasing security issues in several African countries plagued by violence, political turmoil, religious intolerance and lack of democratic governance, churches are called to engage in peace-building, said African church leaders in a presentation on “Burning issues of insecurity in Africa” at a World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation in Kigali, Rwanda.

A World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation in Kigali discussed peace and security issues in Africa, with more than ninety church and ecumenical leaders. Together, they also reflected on Rwandan experiences of ethnic violence, genocide and church initiatives of reconciliation in the past.

As the professor stood before his first-year class at the end of his lecture on the fascinating question, "Did God really say?", he suddenly found himself unable to speak.

This module in a new and innovative core curriculum for undergraduates at the University of the Free State was designed to challenge deep beliefs about authority and (any) scripture in fundamentalist societies.

African clergy say the Republic of South Sudan, which gained independence on July 9, must take steps to resolve an increasingly violent conflict in the troubled border region of South Kordofan.

“If the Government of South Sudan does not sit down to address the issues raised by the militia groups, it could become a nightmare with no stability for the South,” said Bishop Daniel Adwok of Khartoum in a recent interview with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

This robotic looking creature is actually a sculpture made up of destroyed weapons from the war of destabilization (1980's & 1990's) waged against the Mozambican government by a dissident group called Renamo. This group was funded and trained primarily by the South African military structure during the Apartheid era (although other western countries supported this war of destabilization) and internally in Mozambique had a certain very limited support.

Are you desperate to make a difference in your neighbourhood? Are you yearning for change in your community? You can make a difference. And we believe that we can all make a difference in bringing about peaceful community change.