Peace and War Overview

In our broken world, we experience and contribute to conflict on a daily basis. Although military conflict may feel far away to many of us, we too often behave in ways that threatens our relationships with our families, neighbors, and communities. We also fail to recognize that in a globalized world, our actions and inactions can impact on wars on the other side of the world.

In the midst of such brokenness, we are called to be peacemakers.

How, in a world of such strife, are Christians to build peace? How should we think about war? And how do we talk to one another about these issues with open hearts in patience, love and humility?

Our Calling as Peacemakers

Every day we have opportunities to contribute to a culture of peace and the way of reconciliation. Through the way we teach children to handle conflict at school, through our involvement with the criminal justice system, and through the way we deal with conflict in our churches, ministries, or jobs, we can bear witness to the God of love. In our day-to-day lives, we are to help people be reconciled to God and to each other.

Members of the Christian Reformed Church are also involved in peacebuilding at the national and international levels.  They come in contact with and have influence on issues of international peace and security through a wide variety of roles: missionaries, aid workers, public servants, and members of our military forces, all of whom face these issues and their consequences as a core part of their vocations. However, all CRC members also have the opportunity for positive or negative influence on conflicts that may seem far away, through our consumption choices (e.g. conflict diamonds) and through opportunities to advocate for just action by our government.

In the political arena, being a peacemaker can mean resisting unjust war and advocating for creative alternatives. Nonmilitary measures of resolving conflict continue to expand and sharpen in expertise and effectiveness. The CRC and its members can contribute from their Reformed heritage to the task of shaping public dialog about international peace and security. We need to make sure our involvement in civil society promotes peace in every way.

When a situation of crisis occurs, the church has the moral authority to speak to the principles that should be guiding decision-makers. For example, in 1982 Synod resolved to send "Guidelines for Justifiable Warfare" to the Canadian Prime Minister and the U.S. President; the guidelines expressed the concerns of the CRC regarding the use of nuclear weapons in the context of a comprehensive statement of the church’s views on warfare (see Acts of Synod 1982, pp. 103-6 and Attachment C).  

Part of the ongoing commitment to peace involves addressing root causes of conflict and war. Poverty, oppression, and exploitation all contribute to insecurity and vulnerability and create situations where violence is perceived to be the only way to make change. Bringing security and justice to people frees them to realize their God-given potential.

Waging peace is not easy. However, in the CRC community there are individuals and agencies that can provide guidance and models for faith-based peace witness, helping the denomination as a whole to renew and better live out our commitment to be agents of peace with justice in the world.

Section adapted from 2006 Synodical Report on War and Peace, pp. 52-3.