The work of preventing terrorism and hate is not simply the job of governments or law enforcement. It involves each and every one of us, including you. Whatever your faith, the world literally needs you to be a peacemaker. YOU can change the world and save lives. Here are some ways you can make a real difference.

On Saturday a gunman with anti-Semitic views opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 and wounding 4. In tragic irony, this happened on the very same day the world observes International Religious Freedom Day. Today we stand in solidarity with this community and mourn their losses with them.

Leon Panetta, former Director of the CIA and Secretary of Defense, and Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, just launched Turning Point: A New Comprehensive Strategy for Countering Violent Extremism. Turning Point summarizes the findings of interviews about violent extremism with hundreds of experts, along with surveys conducted in Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The latest edition of Fuller Seminary's online Journal, all about Evangelicals and Islamophobia, features a variety of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish voices. Browse the Journal to read articles from Rick Love, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, and others, and leave your comments to let us know what you think!

Creating a culture of widespread distrust and fear of an entire group is a technique that has been used preceding mass violence throughout history. As followers of Jesus, what are we to do?

The alienation between many Americans and Muslims world-wide is based primarily on fear and not facts. American mainstream media, and all too often Christians, view Muslims—all Muslims—as evil extremists who want to do us harm. Muslims equal “security threats” in the eyes of many people.

Peace Catalyst International grieves with the people of Lebanon and France over these despicable terrorist attacks in Beirut and Paris. We urge followers of Jesus everywhere to love God with their mind in order to resist simplistic sound bites about Islam. Islam is radically diverse. The vast majority of Muslims are not our enemies. The tiny fraction of Muslim extremists like ISIS are.

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.”

The U.S. is continuing its bombing campaign against ISIS. Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Congress for ground troops. It looks like we will soon see bombs in the air and boots on the ground once again. But below the radar screen, Obama has appointed and Congress has confirmed Rabbi David Saperstein as the new Ambassador-At-Large For International Religious Freedom.