A few questions that we keep getting have to do with the relationship between peacebuilding and Christian witness. Is peacebuilding supposed to lead to witness? Does Christian witness simply not matter in light of so much division and conflict? What is Christian witness? Is it mainly about expressing religious convictions through our words? Or is it about serving as a living example of one’s faith? Read on to see our answers.

I want to address several reasons why evangelical believers in the Middle East—and particularly in Palestine and Israel—are upset with Trump's declaration. My critique is from an evangelical perspective and it is a plea to my brethren across the water.

American churches and organizations are loving their Muslim neighbors in practical, beautiful ways. Many more groups than I ever imagined are reaching out in love to their Muslim neighbors.  

We get asked a lot of the same questions over and over again. The wording may be different, but the concerns remain the same, so we're writing a number of blogs addressing some of our Frequently Asked Questions. Today we address the question of evangelism and how it relates to the work of peacemaking.

I recently attended a conference at the Naval War College in Rhode Island on Religion and Security in World Affairs. I loved the lectures and the lively interaction. Yet something deeper was being stirred in me. I could not pinpoint what it was until I recalled the statement by Martin Luther King Jr. that those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.

In practice, evangelicals act as if the great commission (“make disciples of all nations”) is more important than the great commandments (love God and neighbor). Some would never say this, but as one who has been part of the evangelical movement since 1970, this has been my experience. Obeying Jesus’s command to “preach the gospel” usually takes precedent over his command to “love your neighbor.”

I was invited to put on a peacemaking seminar and speak at a large evangelical church. A few months after I confirmed, they also asked me if I would be willing to speak to elementary school children at their Christian school. I do not usually speak to children and was not too excited about it. But when I remembered how Jesus rebuked his disciples for not receiving and blessing children, I knew I had to speak.

I don’t know a single local church pastor who doesn’t believe in peacemaking. And yet, there is a clear gap between U.S. church leaders' stated support of biblical peacemaking and our actual pursuit of peacemaking in our ministry initiatives. I recently conducted a research project that collected data from 15 pastors in personal interviews and 297 pastors through an online survey. Their feedback on this issue was almost unanimous: “Yes, I affirm the theory of peacemaking as a biblical value. No, it’s not something our church is currently doing. Honestly, we’d have no idea where to start if we wanted to.”

As a peacemaker, I am concerned that certain theological sound bytes and either/or thinking actually undermine the Bible’s clear teaching about peacemaking. Let me show you how three important biblical truths are often used to trump three other important biblical truths.