In this talk, Professor Drew J. Strait unpacks key concepts and insights from his new book, Strange Worship: Six Steps for Challenging Christian Nationalism. In addition to defining Christian nationalism, Strait discusses how it is impacting global faith communities and how faith leaders can challenge its threats to democracies and human flourishing with strategic nonviolence.

Last month, the Slovakia Missions Network invited me to lead two workshops to introduce peacebuilding and how it relates to God’s mission and how Christians understand the Good News and witness. Since so much of my work with Peace Catalyst is to help Christians catch a vision for God’s shalom vision and peacebuilding mission, I was very excited to see how these ideas might connect more broadly with others in Eastern Europe.

Although it’s best to train for peacebuilding before conflict arrives, conflicts are already present in our personal lives, churches, and society. The time to begin training for peacebuilding is now. It’s time to get started centering peace-oriented theology and peacebuilding skills training in our churches and Christian formation so that we can learn to partner as peacebuilders to bless and heal our communities.

Our Bosnia “Catalyze” peacemaking trip wrapped up a couple weeks ago after an exhilarating and rewarding 10 days filled with new relationships, dialogue, history, and learning across religious and ethnic differences.

I am much better at praise than I am at lament. Yet one third of the Psalms are laments. Prayers of lament are an important part of my spiritual heritage as a follower of Jesus.Yet I struggle with lament because I want to ignore and stay away from pain. I realize this is a natural tendency in all people. But peacemakers engage conflict. So we need to learn how to enter into the suffering of the world.

Here at Peace Catalyst we say, “Friendship is the fruit of peacemaking.”Here are a few pairs of friends who represent just the kind of friendship we work toward. Enjoy their stories and keep your eyes open in your own life for friendship opportunities like these!

In April, I had the pleasure of visiting the Embassy of Finland as a representative of Peace Catalyst to discuss the Marrakesh Declaration with religious leaders and others. Muslim and Christian leaders, and others, were here to fight—for human flourishing. Below are four reflections from this unique experience.

One of the dinner guests asked the eleven of us sitting around a table, “What do you think followers of Jesus should do about ISIS?” After a moment of silence one woman responded, “To be honest with you, I feel like we should respond to ISIS like we should destroy them. I am not saying this is what I should do as a follower of Jesus, but that’s how I feel.”

“You Christians have an image problem,” my Turkish friend told me. We had been meeting for several weeks: six couples and a single friend, Christians and Muslims, sharing meals and our respective faiths. We had developed a level of trust and respect that allowed us to speak openly.