To respect the sanctity of life and build peace among peoples, churches must work to strengthen international human rights law as well as treaties and instruments of mutual accountability and conflict resolution. To prevent deadly conflicts and mass killings, the proliferation of small arms and weapons of war must be stopped and reversed. Churches must build trust and collaborate with other communities of faith and people of different worldviews to reduce national capacities for waging war, eliminate weapons that put humanity and the planet at unprecedented risk, and generally delegitimize the institution of war.
World Council of Churches, An Ecumenical Call to Justice, page 15
The Caribbean Initiative
The Caribbean: from Paradise to Paradox
It is important to go beyond a sense of “paradise,” as it reinforces the common stereotype of the Caribbean as a place of eternal joy and pleasure. During the Caribbean Initiative, we will change this image of “paradise” and substitute it with the one of “paradox.”
The Caribbean, as a region, is a context of extreme paradoxes where life is configured by a complex history, an ambivalent and fragile present, and an uncertain and risky future. Yet, life is colorful and melodic, hospitality is offered in goodwill, hope overwhelms our people, and faith – many faiths – sustain our hopes. The Caribbean embodies the despair of a marginalized and exploited region and the joy of a people of hope, placing lives between the assurance of dry land and the mystery of the sea. So, the beauty of the Caribbean encounters the paradox of the lives of its inhabitants, as our journey through mission in the Caribbean occurs in places where people drown in violence and injustice, provoking migration and human trafficking. 100,000 stateless people have been unlawfully expelled from the Dominican Republic to Haiti in the middle of a wave of returns and deportations. Structural sin and imperialism continue to be an impediment to peace with justice. Cuba lives in troubled times in a new and uncertain framework of relations with the U.S.; innocent people don’t have access to adequate nutrition and medicines due to a four-decade-long embargo. People continue to struggle for socioeconomic justice in Venezuela. American and European-owned “maquilas” and “sweat shops” pay extremely low wages and regularly expose workers to unsafe and unhealthy conditions in the Dominican Republic. Colombia seeks the full implementation of its Peace Accords after decades of violence and internal displacement. And Puerto Rico still seeks self-determination in this time of a Fiscal Control Board ruled by the U.S. Congress to deal with a debt for which the U.S. is greatly responsible.
To learn more about this initiative of the Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, please click here.
The Middle East Initiative
Global Ministries’ new ministry initiative calls our attention to conflicts in the Middle East and asks us to show our solidarity with sisters and brothers in that area.
For more information, please click here.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Peace Process
World Council of Churches (WCC) Statement on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Peace Process, June 26, 2016: Click here to read the statement.
Human Rights Situation in West Papua
World Council of Churches (WCC) Minutes on the Human Rights Situation in West Papua. The conflict in Tanah Papua (West Papua) has cost the lives of thousands of people since the late 1960s. Click here to read the minute on this issue.
Statement on Religion and Violence
The WCC Central Committee encourages the study and adoption of the principles and practices of active non-violence, as the most legitimate and appropriate means of countering discrimination and oppression and of breaking the cycle of violence. To read the statement, click here.
Conflicts in the Korean Peninsula
This General Assembly Resolution was crafted in cooperation with the CCU, the NAPAD, the Global Ministries, and our Korean Partner, The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea. GA-1522, Sense-of-the-Assembly, A Call for Peace, Justice and Reunification in the Korean Peninsula
DOC and UCC Leaders Oppose Deployment of THAAD in South Korea. To read a letter from church leaders regarding this issue, click here.
Unity, War and Peacemaking
The resources below came from the General Assembly program called “Faithful Conversation: A model for engaging divisive issues while maintaining our unity.”
Study and Conversation Resources:
A study program: Understanding the Historic Christian Positions on War and Peace
A study program: Historical Disciples Positions on War and Peace
Additional Resources:
The Changing Face of War (Bruce Ervin and Craig Watts)
Caring for Veterans and their Families (Zachary Moon)
Drone Warfare, Ethics and Faith (Craig Watts)