The keynote and discussions were centered on storytelling. Although I have sometimes seen that high schoolers can be unwilling to share many personal details or go “too deep”, I found this to be a very effective and interesting way to learn more about others. At the beginning of the week, I reminded myself that I needed to sit back, rein in my chatty tendencies, and let the campers tell their stories and steer the conversations, only interjecting when there was a lull. I was shocked to find that, especially in my peace lab, this reminder would be unnecessary. Even though this camp hasn’t had a peace intern in decades, they felt right at home discussing such difficult topics as white privilege, sexism, and what it means to be a peacemaker. If there was any silence, it was usually immediately filled by another camper’s story or question. Often our time would expire after feeling like we had just sat down to begin, with the campers wanting to continue our discussions well into lunch or free time.

I began this summer’s journey of a lifetime knowing that I had been blessed with a unique opportunity to change many lives, but I also knew that I would be changed. That’s why this camp’s theme, Romans 12:2, truly struck a chord within me.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This dynamic and diverse group of campers, youth ministry leaders, and adults graciously welcomed me the very first night I was in Texas, as we shared a meal at the local Whataburger. I was definitely transformed by their Christlike love, acceptance, and willingness to share over the course of the week. I was truly able to hear the voice of God in their stories, the worship services underneath the bright Texas stars, the challenging discussions about peace and justice, and in their meaningful and touching prayers. What a blessing Camp Gonzo has been.

This week I am thrilled to be in Detroit, Michigan for a week with Motown Mission!

Peace,

Aly

I have spent lots of time worrying and wondering just exactly what I would bring to campers this summer.  In the midst of my chaotic mind with new ideas distracting me left and right, this week has made me recall yet another Disciples institution that has prepared me thus far to recognize that learning, service and leadership must all be married in a trinity of sorts. One is not possible and should not be done without the other two.   With the vision of our Disciples foremothers and forefathers who began Eureka College, and as newly graduated alum at EC, I leave that place with the knowledge of leadership development and interpersonal communication. I have learned (and I am continuing to realize) that most, if not all conflicts in the world arise out of one simple disconnect: the failure to recognize the humanity in those whose lives we do not understand and secondly, the lack of respect we have for our own story and for the beauty that we bring to the table.   So, here it’s begun.  I spent Monday teaching campers about the value of each persons’ story.  We must love others enough to listen to them and to hear them.  On Tuesday, we went into depth discussing the ways in which we can honor the needs of those we have difficult discussions with rather than beginning with an expectation to “win” the argument.  And today, what better fit can there be than to work and pray with here who are living our their faith and exemplifying just what the world can look like if start with peace?

I am learning, making mistakes, noticing changes in my campers’ perspectives on how we treat each other and loving it all.

Peace, oh God.

Breathing in, watching, noticing.

Strumming the guitar and breaking new ground,

This is our call.

Amen.

This past summer as an intern I carried with me, all across the country, a white parachute that quickly became filled with messages of peace, love and solidarity to be given to children living under occupation in the West Bank. I used the parachute as an opportunity to discuss with my campers the power of the Holy Spirit, made known to us in the wind we felt while moving the parachute up and down in unison. This holy wind that blows through our lives, this ruah, spirit-wind-breath that we breathe and is breathed by every human being on the planet, connects us all in our struggle for justice.

Throughout my Peace Intern summer I shared stories of the reality many experience daily living under Israeli occupation. I expressed the need to raise awareness and stand in solidarity with Palestinians, Christians and Muslims alike, as well as to pray for peace alongside of our Jewish brothers and sisters.

I told campers that this parachute would be given to Palestinian children as a symbol of our prayers and solidarity with them. Last month I had the pleasure of fulfilling that intention by gifting the parachute to the Friends Girls School in Ramallah, a coed, inter-faith elementary school inside the occupied West Bank.

The teacher recently wrote to tell me:

Thanks again for your wonderful gift, it touched our students’ hearts and souls. We sat around it and each student read one message then they responded to these messages with thankful & appreciative words. They were happy to know that children around the world are thinking of them and wishing them peace. I’m attaching some photos of our students while sitting around the “Connecting Parachute” as we called it, reading the messages and responding to it.    

A “connecting parachute” – what a beautiful thing! I would like to extend a big “thank you!” to all of the incredible campers who shared messages of hope and love on the parachute and sent their prayers and actions for peace along with it. I would also like to thank all the supporters of the Disciples Peace Fellowship for making these connections possible.

It may not seem like much, but really these are the steps we are called to take as Christians and as human beings: to build bridges, to extend love, and to go to the edges of the earth and our communities to recognize the common humanity of those we meet along the way. It is hard for many, including myself, to sustain a hope for a peaceful and just solution to the conflict, but when I see the smiles on these kids’ faces I have to keep believing that God is still a God of justice and our prayers and actions do mean something.

I encourage you all to check out the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (sabeel.org) to learn more about the issues Palestinians face as a result of the Israeli occupation and specifically the hopes and prayers of Palestinian Christians for a just peace.

Salaam,

Amy

I write these words on Memorial Day weekend. There is much talk about sacrifice at this time a year. Much of it is misleading. Without a doubt many soldiers have faced serious hardship and dangers through the centuries. My father, great-grandfathers, and great great grandfathers were among those who suffered deprivation, emotional trauma, serious physical injury and/or imprisonment from World War II to the French-Indian Wars. They deserve honor for enduring what they faced.

Still I find myself drawing back when I hear some politician declare that those who died in war “sacrificed their lives for freedom” or democracy or whatever. They didn’t sacrifice themselves. They didn’t lay down on an altar and plunge a knife in their own heart. Not only was it not their intention to kill themselves in sacrifice, it was not their intention to place themselves in someone else’s hands to be killed. No, they didn’t sacrifice themselves.

They were sacrificed. Someone else did the deed. Even before they faced that final encounter with a bullet or bomb’s blast, a head of state or group of politicians decided to sacrifice the soldiers who ended up dead. They were the ones who determined that a certain cause was worth the lives of the soldiers who would eventually die. They were the sacrificers. They were the ones who laid the soldiers on the altar, though others were the instruments that took their lives.

Not only did the soldiers who were killed in battle not sacrifice their own lives, their deaths usually had little or nothing to do with the reasons named by politicians for going to war. More soldiers have come to recognize this fact in more recent wars. The slogan, “Freedom isn’t free,” has provided cover for national leaders who have sacrificed solders for reasons unrelated to freedom. Only about 4 in 10 among US soldiers who fought in Iraq post 9/11 believe the reasons for going to war justified the loss in blood and property. This majority obviously don’t believe defending freedom was the reason for the war.

Certainly, these soldiers recognize the courage and suffering endured by their lost comrades-in-arms. But the national leaders expended those lives, sacrificed them, for an unworthy cause. Instead of dying for freedom, they have died for business interests of various sorts. If the leaders were truthful about the causes for which soldiers are asked – commanded! – to die, fewer would be willing to allow themselves to be put in harm’s way.

Some years ago I walked in an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. alongside Celeste Brown, a mother whose son Sherwood Brown, a Pennsylvania national guardsman, was killed in Iraq. Later in a presentation to Disciples Peace Fellowship she represented the feelings of many Gold Star mothers who are repelled by the deceitful praise bestowed on the war dead who were sacrificed under false pretenses. She forthrightly rejected the claim that her son sacrificed his life for freedom. Rather his precious life – and those of so many like him – were sacrificed by a misguided Administration who lied to the nation. Soldiers who have died in battle are not genuinely honored by the praise of politicians if they were not first of all honored while they were alive by being told the truth about the real causes for which they are told to fight.

Food stamps were a topic on Capitol Hill last week.  The House Agriculture Committee approved legislation that would reform farm subsidies and trim the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by roughly $2.5 billion a year, leaving an additional nearly two million people without needed help. Rep. Juan Vargas, a former Jesuit priest, now a U.S. congressman from California, pointed to the parables of Jesus and his teaching in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25 regarding the importance of caring for the poor as he made his case for restoring funds that had been cut.

A congressman who opposes action that would enable more people to have access to food stamps took exception. “I read this chapter of Matthew 25 to speak to me as an individual,” Texan Mike Conaway, a Southern Baptist, said. “I don’t read it to speak to the United States government. And so I would take a little bit of umbrage with you on that. Clearly, you and I are charged that we do those kinds of things but [our government is not] charged with that.”

In fact Jesus never addressed people as “individuals” in contrast to whatever else they might be, perhaps citizens or members of a profession or class or race. Nothing we find in Jesus –or writers of the New Testament- suggests that what Jesus had to say was reserved for some narrow portion of life and without bearing on other significant portions of it. But Rep. Conaway has lots of company in trying to limit the relevance of Jesus. It is crucial for them to do this to free them to throw their support to priorities and values that fly in the face of what Jesus said and did.

While I agree that Jesus didn’t suggest how to run governments, neither did he use the restrictive category that the good Congressman labeled “an individual.” Instead Jesus called people to be disciples. Discipleship is not something we do as “individuals.” It is what we practice with others and for others as we serve God. And discipleship is not something that ceases to apply when we start dealing with the government.

While Jesus didn’t tell governments what to do, he did tell his disciples the sorts of things they should do. And the things he wanted them to do, were to be done everywhere. Certainly a case can be made for the belief that a disciple shouldn’t be involved in the work of government. If one can’t follow Jesus and at the same time do what is necessary to govern then a choice must be made. Obviously, Rep. Conaway doesn’t claim to take that position. Instead he believes that he, a Christian, can be involved in the government but promoting the priorities and practices of Jesus regarding the care of the poor are irrelevant in this area. Apparently, for him Capitol Hill is a discipleship-free zone.

An equally misguided, supposedly Christian companion in Congress, Rep. Doug LaMalfa, stated, “It always looks good when politicians can go say, we brought a bunch of money to this project here or that project there, standing next to this big, giant blown-up check somewhere and saying, ‘look what we did for you.’ That’s all someone else’s money. We should be doing this as individuals, helping the poor.”

Taxes are not simply “someone else’s money.” Rather these are the funds necessary for the operation of a safe and decent country. They are the funds owed by citizens and other residents of a nation to insure crucial services are made available for the common good. And, like it or not, the payment of taxes was supported in scripture (Romans 13:6-7). The concern shown by some politicians about spending “other people’s money” apparently does not extend to paying for weapons systems and wars that many people oppose.

I don’t hear LaMalfa and other politicians of his ilk expressing any sense of responsibility about “other people’s money” when it comes to spending massive amounts of it for instruments and endeavors of death. Recently Congress has insisted on continuing the flow of money for tanks that the Pentagon has said it doesn’t even need or want. Yet there was no outcry from those in Congress who now want to withhold adequate funding for food stamps. Useless military expenditures are being supported by Christian politicians while real human needs are being treated as concerns that are not appropriate for the government to address. Nothing resembling discipleship can be seen in this posture.

Hunger and food insecurity are not problems that are going to be resolved by “doing this as individuals” any more than the wars and weapons systems will be paid for by private donations. Disciples whose vision and lives are shaped by Jesus have no basis for giving priority to projects and programs of death over those that improve the quality of life for people in need. There is nothing commendable about Christian politicians whose practice and priorities suggest that Jesus is largely irrelevant.

About 134,000 Iraqis -70% of whom were civilians- were killed in the war. Countless more were wounded. A million people fled the country. Nearly 4500 American soldiers were killed and at least 3400 US contractors died.  The infrastructure of Iraq, such as roads, health care, and water treatment systems, were left in shambles. While rebuilding is being done, it has a long way to go. Furthermore, the war lead to the increase of radicalism in the region.

Only those who view the world through the thickest ideological lens and those who have benefitted the most economically claim the war was “worth it.” Few echo former Vice President Cheney’s words: “If I had to do it over again, I’d do it in a minute.” Most Americas now say the war was a mistake, a huge reversal from the dominant view ten years ago. Only about 4 in 10 among US soldiers who fought there believe the reasons for going to war justified the loss in blood and property.

Yes, the dictator Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. Has that fact led most Iraqis to believe the war was “worth it?” Well, no. A poll taken 15 months ago –the most recent- of the attitudes of the Iraqi people found that only 30% of the population believe their country is better off now than before the U.S. invasion. A global survey recently put Bagdad as the worst major city in the world in which to live lends. Continued political turmoil, poor security enforcement and attacks on citizens and foreigners were among the reasons for the low ranking. Who most benefitted from the war? According to the poll, only 4% believe the Iraqi people are the major beneficiary.  Many more believe Iran, the U.S. and even al-Qaeda benefitted more.

There were evangelical Christian leaders who touted the war on Iraq as an evangelistic opportunity. The gains for the church would make the war “worth it.” Charles Stanley, well known minister of First Baptist Church in Atlanta with a strong presence on TV, said, ”We should offer to serve the war effort in any way possible… American foreign policy and military might have opened an opportunity for the Gospel in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

But in fact the war has devastated the church in that country. While there had been considerable religious freedom under Saddam Hussein, after the invasion suspicion and hostility toward Christians dramatically increased. In October 2010, gunmen raided the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad and massacred 56 worshippers during Sunday mass. After that tragedy Shia and Sunni religious leaders issued a rare joint fatwa condemning attacks on religious minorities. By some estimates the Christian population in Iraq has dropped by as much as 85%. Is the church in Iraq –or in the entire Middle East- better off now than before the US invasion of Iraq? Not even close!

In 2013 a sense of celebration for “liberation” is missing from most Iraqi voices. Asked about his memories of the beginning of the war, Abdullah Fadil an Iraqi tea seller said, “There was nothing accomplished, so why should I remember it?” Karrar Habeeb, a 22-year-old carpenter, asked about the anniversary of the invasion responded, “I didn’t know about it. Are we still talking about the Americans? I don’t think we need to do any kind of celebrating or make an effort to remember that day. I think even the Americans wish they could forget it.”

Attending the recent installation of Patriarch Louis Sako as the new leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad was Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa. He represented the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace.  While in the Middle East he met with church leaders from Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Syria. The religious leaders placed the problems weighting down Iraq squarely on the shoulders of the United States. Those leaders want the U.S. in some fashion to make reparation for the destroyed infrastructure, collapsed economy, sectarian violence and lack of safety for religious minorities. “The U.S. invaded and occupied, so they’re responsible for the situation,” Bishop Pates agreed.

The American public and nationalistically inclined religious leaders too quickly and uncritically accepted the dubiously justifications for invading Iraq. Even when it was abundantly clear that Saddam Hussien had no weapons of mass destruction and Iraq was in no way involved with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, evangelical Christians remained the strongest supporters of the war. There are lessons that Christians need to be learn from the Iraq war if they are not going to march lockstep with the rest of the nation into the next war. But is there a willingness to learn? Is there a willingness to take the peaceable way of Jesus more seriously than the war-prone ways of many national leaders?

David Cortright, director of policy studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, recently said, “Every time I hear [national leaders] talking about Iran, I get this terrible sense of deja vu. We’re threatening possible military action against a country for its nuclear weapons capability that doesn’t exist yet.” The Christian faith community, should lead the questioning, not leading the charge, as it did in the run up to the Iraq war.

Was the invasion of Iraq worth it? Not by any definition of “worth” that I believe is supported by the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was, however, worth the protest and resistence it received. Sadly, thanks to some misguided Christian leaders, it did not receive much more.

“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13: 1, 2

“Give ear, O people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; things that we have heard and known, the glorious deeds
of the Lord, and her might, and the wonders that he has done.” Psalm 78:1-4

Christian Watkins is one of three 2010 Disciples Peace Interns. A native of Chanute, Kansas, she is a recent graduate of the Kansas University Sociology program. This fall Christian will be assigned to either Ireland or Australia for her internship year. Follow Christian and her fellow interns, Alexis Branaman and Katie Russell, here on this blog throughout the summer, and be sure to look for updates and photos from them on Facebook.

I was looking online for some graphics about love I could use for a project on which I’d been working. I came across pictures of bumper stickers and posters that contain the words of Jesus, “Love Your Enemies.” I was struck with the variety of ways the words were used. For the most part a second sentence was added to qualify, or even undercut, the intention of the Lord. Some of these tried to clarify what Jesus was saying. Most were meant to be humorous. A few directly contradicted the aim of Jesus’ words. All of them missed the mark in some way.

Here are a few examples.

“Love Your Enemies…It Pisses Them Off” or “…It Makes Then So Damn Mad” or “…Nothing Annoys Them So Much.” No doubt these lines are supposed to be funny. But in fact they diminish the love Jesus called for by delighting in the negative response some people might have when they are greeted with unexpected love. Such statements infer that the very aim of loving those at odds with us is to strike a blow against them, albeit of an unconventional sort. Yet the love that Jesus advocated was not some sort of unconventional blow but a blessing.

Jesus immediately used words like “do good”, “bless” and “pray for” when he told his followers to love their enemies (Luke 6:27-28). Sure, it will undoubtedly astonish people when their attacks are not met with the same. But the point of this love is not to “mess with their minds” but to touch their hearts. As we walk with Jesus we are to enrich the lives of the people around us with the love we have received from God. We very well may “piss off” or “annoy” or make some “so damn mad.” Certainly scripture teaches that doing good to enemies “will heap burning coals on their heads” (Romans 12:20). But we don’t love with such a response being either our aim or desire.

Far worse is the bumper sticker that reads, “Love Your Enemies…But Keep Your Gun Oiled.” The meaning of that particular message seems to be one of several related possibilities, none of which have anything to do with following Jesus. (1) “Love Your Enemies…Not Really!” (2) “Love Your Enemies…But Only as a State of Mind, Not Action.” (3) “Love Your Enemies…But Prepare to Harm Them in Case They Threaten You.” Whatever “love” means to those who designed and display this bumper sticker, their definition ignores the teachings and life of Jesus. Instead, violence-trusting values are promoted.

The one variation that I found most commendable says, “Love Your Enemies…I’m Pretty Sure That Means Don’t Kill Them.” And I’m pretty sure that it means at least that much. Doing no harm is a decent start. But love is certainly more. It is not just refraining from deliberately causing injury or death. It is to will and to work for the good of another. Love works for right relations, wholeness and harmony. Bridge-building, not wall-building, reconciliation, not annihilation is the work of love (2 Corinthians 5:14-20). Love is kind and is not self-seeking even when faced with an enemy (1 Corinthians 13: 4, 5).

All this starts with prayer. As our Lord taught, we are to pray for those who abuse us (Luke 6:28). Roman Catholic peace activist John Dear recently offered these wise words: “In prayer, we feel the infinite love of God and are stirred to love ourselves and others, even our enemies. We give God our inner violence and resentments, our hurts and anger, our pain and wounds, our bitterness and vengeance. We grant clemency and forgiveness toward those who have hurt us and move from anger, vengeance and violence to compassion, mercy and nonviolence.” In prayer the sense we have of God’s embrace is renewed and we are moved to pass it on to all others, whether they love us or not.

One bumper sticker that I didn’t see was one that says, “Love Your Enemies…Though It Might Get You Killed.” Such a message doesn’t stroke our naïve idealism but it does reflect biblical realism. Offering love to enemies doesn’t guarantee a pleasing outcome. Jesus never promised such love would “work” as a strategy to win their friendship and create peace. While we are to “live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18), such behavior might leave us more vulnerable to those with harmful intentions. Nevertheless, this is the way of Jesus: “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps…. When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:21, 23).

Bumper-stickers won’t teach us what it means to love enemies. That is the sort of lesson we can learn only by paying attention to how Jesus loved his own enemies, whether they were personal enemies or enemies of his nation. There was no covert viciousness or overt violence in his love. He loved enemies with compassion, mercy and truth…all the way to the cross. And from there he said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

As you know, President Obama has asked Congress to pass legislation which would include a ban on military-style assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips, and require a background check on all prospective gun purchasers. Now is the time to contact your Senator and Representative and urge them to support this important legislation. All you have to do is send a quick email, making it clear that you support the gun control legislation which the President has proposed.

Blessings upon you as you continue to follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace!