This week we pray for

Welcome to Pursuing Peace.  This is Pastor Chad's reflection spot for theology, life, ethics, faith and scripture.

  

Wednesday
Oct122011

CPT Update #2: "We refuse to be enemies"

It is the reality for thousands in the Holy Land who choose to embrace the reality of God's kingdom in the face of the narrative of international conflict. While leaders of nations hold out “peace” as a reward for meeting their demands, there are dozens of community led non-violent acts of Peacemaking happening right now up and down the separation wall. My CPT delegation is but one...

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Monday
Sep262011

CPT Update #1

My first update prior to service in the November CPT delegation: 'In a season when anticipation and fears are heightened, the children of Israel and Palestine need to see the reality and promise of peaceful, non-violence. As CPT regularly asks, imagine if we spent as much time and energy training youth with the courageous skills for mediation and peacemaking instead of drafting them into the military and arming them with tear gas, stun grenades, and bullets.'

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Monday
May022011

On Justice and Osama bin Laden

I'm writing this article at the request of one of my dear friends, even though she doesn't know it. In the wake of the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, she posted a message about the conflicted feelings that she was experiencing. She asked for some reflection from clergy in this regard. As an ordained clergyman, and one who is pursuing my doctorate in matters related to the ethics of peacemaking, I thought, I'll share the thoughts that have been present in my heart and mind throughout this day.

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Wednesday
Nov102010

An Aesthetic Education, or Anaesthetic Education?

In my research, I am turning more and more towards a focuse on a theology of children, and how it relates (or more precisely doesn't relate) to what we adults teach, expect, and plan for the lives and environments of our children. Faithfully, there is a great Biblical mandate to not make our children see the world as we have learned, but learn again to see God's world as they do. And yet, most of our education models, both in public and Christian education, are deductive and backwards. Basically, in a time when our children need to turn off the social, economic and materialist forces that anaesthetize them to their world, we are refusing to adequately fund the aesthetics in education - arts, humanities, music, religious, and environmental education. I'm working up some articles on this, but in the meantime, I found a presentation by Sir Ken Robinson that sums up the point with regard to public education beautifully. I'm embedding it here for your reflection. Peace...

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Thursday
Jun172010

Land, Labour and Life: Nature and the Evolving Morality of the Market

I have submitted an essay on the morality of profit for a competition held by the Seven Fund.  Your reading the abstract actually helps my chances at winning.  So, to read what I have to say about the morality of profit, and to help me out, go to:

http://www.moralityofprofit.com/land-labor-and-life-nature-and-the-evolving-morality-of-the-market/

Then send your friends to visit!

If you want a copy of the actual paper, leave a little message below and I'll email it to you.

Peace,

Chad