This call is hosted by the Christian Peacebuilding Network (CPN), a multi-org group we helped found, and is part of a series of monthly conversations to help connect Christian peacebuilders and discuss themes related to peacebuilding and the Christian faith.
Join us for a transformative discussion with Andrew DeCort, author of Blessed Are the Others: Jesus' Way in a Violent World. Blessed Are the Others explores the teachings of Jesus through the Beatitudes, offering a pathway to a more fulfilling life rooted in vulnerability, compassion, nonviolence, and justice. He emphasizes the significance of engaging with grief and unresolved pain, promoting healing over vengeance, and fostering compassion in the face of injustice. Through real-life examples of figures like Etty Hillesum and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the book illustrates the transformative power of love and humility amid adversity.
In our December CPN meeting, Andrew DeCort will share from his experience in peacebuilding about how the insights in his book intersect with the work of Christian peacebuilders worldwide. We will explore the seven decisions or way-stations on Jesus' Beatitudinal Way, from poverty all the way to persecution, and discuss practical applications of Jesus’ teachings in various peacebuilding contexts. This conversation aims to inspire and equip practitioners with the tools to navigate challenges such as violence, poverty, and injustice, fostering a deeper commitment to justice and peacemaking in their communities.
Time:
3:00pm Central Europe / West Africa (4:00pm Central Africa Time / Jerusalem, 2:00pm UK, 9:00am USA Eastern, 7:30pm India Time)
Facilitator:
Andrew DeCort
Andrew received his PhD in religious and political ethics from the University of Chicago. In 2016, he founded the Institute for Faith and Flourishing in Chicago. In 2019, he co-founded the Neighbor-Love Movement in Ethiopia. IFF and NLM have reached over twenty million people with the invitation to nonviolent spirituality.
Andrew has taught ethics, public theology, peace and conflict studies, and Ethiopian studies at Wheaton College, the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, and the University of Bonn. Andrew is the author of Reviving the Golden Rule: How the Ancient Ethic of Neighbor-Love Can Heal the World, Flourishing on the Edge of Faith: Seven Practices for a New We, and Bonhoeffer's New Beginning: Ethics after Devastation. His words have appeared in Foreign Policy, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the BBC, The Atlantic, The Economist, Christianity Today, Comment Magazine, Sojourners, The Other Journal, Wheaton College Magazine, The Journal of Religion, Political Theology, All Africa, BitterSweet Monthly, and numerous other platforms. Andrew writes the newsletter Stop & Think. He lives in Chicago with his wife Lily.