"We stand together at the foot of the cross and we will work for peace." Dr. Karen Fancher from Multnomah University joins the show today to walk us through the profoundly Christian field of peacebuilding. In her conversation with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke, Dr. Fancher walks us through what it means to promote peace within the humanitarian space with direct application to situations in Palestine and Sudan as well as explores the biblical foundation for Christians to be actively engaged in bringing God's Kingdom of peace and justice.

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Resources and Links from the show

Visit Multnomah University Online and the Graduate Peacebuilding Certificate Program

Strategic Peacebuilding by Lisa Shirch

Combatants for Peace Online

Conversation Notes

• 6:20 How God intertwines our work and our passion into a life story
• 11:05 “Reconciliation takes place when we step across difference”
• 16:00 Honoring those that have been traumatized and not making assumptions as outsiders when trying to understand conflict in other countries
• 19:20 Understanding the biblical concept of shalom
• 24:15 Peace as a central theme for Jesus and his followers
• 29:10 The primacy of being citizens of the Kingdom of God in contested times and situations. Should we be pro-Israel or pro-Palestine?
• 34:00 Common drivers of violence and conflict - disparity, feelings of powerlessness, trauma and redemptive violence
• 43:05 Considering the history of conflict in Sudan and the impact of war trauma on the populations
• 51:10 The difference between peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding in the humanitarian space
• 56:55 Proximity, skills and posture that promote peace
• 1:03:10 The role that foreign bodies, international entities and INGOs should and should not play in conflict resolution
• 1:09:00 Organizations and stories of peace: "We stand together at the foot of the cross and we will work for peace."
• 1:14:10 Learning from the prejudices and hurts in our own heart towards other people and seeking to better understand the Kingdom of God