History of Christianity, peace and reconciliation, integrated mission of the church

In the present paper we present the threefold character of Christian Peace, as viewed through the teaching of the Church fathers and especially the neptic fathers in their ascetic works and collections such as Apophthegmata Patrum. In the patristic tradition, the concept of peace and reconciliation in Christ, differentiated significantly from the cosmic sense of the peace and extended to the following triptych:
· Peace and reconciliation of man with God, as expressed through the primary fact of the Fall and the reconciliation of the world with God through the Incarnation of Logos, which perpetually experienced by the Church in the Liturgy of Peace.
· Peace between the brothers, which exceeds conventional, external criteria of peace in the world and raised a spiritual level, cooperating with other spiritual virtues, such as love, humility and justice,
· The inner peace of christian person, which defeats the stasis (revolution) of human nature toward its Creator, expressed through its passions and the consequent noise and turmoil they create in man, and makes God's man a peacemaker, the main and crucial factor which characterizes the Christians.
The peace in Christ becomes perfect in a progressive way and along with love constitutes the highest spiritual good, which restores man to paradise.

Edited with Michael Stuart Williams.
Warfare has long been central to a proper understanding of ancient Greece and Rome, worlds where war was, as the philosopher Heraclitus observed, ‘both king and father of all’. More recently, however, the understanding of Classical antiquity solely in such terms has been challenged; it is recognised that while war was pervasive, and a key concern in the narratives of ancient historians, a concomitant desire for peace was also constant. This volume places peace in the prime position as a panel of scholars stresses the importance of ‘peace’ as a positive concept in the ancient world (and not just the absence of, or necessarily even related to, war), and considers examples of conflict resolution, conciliation, and concession from Homer to Augustine. Comparing and contrasting theories and practice across different periods and regions, this collection highlights, first, the open and dynamic nature of peace, and then seeks to review a wide variety of initiatives from across the Classical world.

Продолжающаяся война в Украине вынуждает нас думать больше и больше о мире. Думать не о мире, который возможен после войны. Но думать о мире, в свете которого или в свете мысли о котором мы сможем остановить войну. И не только думать, но верить, воображать. А также воплощать то, что мы уже видим очами веры, хотя еще не видим взглядом обычным, политическим, реалистическим. Видение «мирного Царства» должно опережать и сопровождать наши действия. Я сочувствую позиции одного из протестантских епископов, упорно отказывающегося говорить о «каком-либо мире с оккупантами до нашей полной победы нам ними», но боюсь, что с таким настроением войну закончить не удастся. Даже если мы победим на этом этапе, мы будем требовать новых и новых побед, новых и новых возмездий. Без мысли о мире победа становится лишь продолжением, новым этапом бесконечной войны, или короткой паузой для праздного праздника. Для того, чтобы война в самом деле закончилась, мы должны жить видением мира уже сейчас, и действовать так, чтобы это видение становилось реальностью нашего дня – хотя бы частично, как начаток, как предвкушение, как зерно, как закваска будущего. Очевидно, что ожидать такого массового миролюбия в стране, где идет война, где каждый день гибнут люди,-большая наивность. Но мы можем ожидать этого от христианской общины, которая должна демонстрировать обществу свой альтернативный характер, иной возможный путь, дерзновенную попытку, достойный пример для подражания. В этом смысле, в плане социального влияния христианская община может быть началом нового общества. В плане же эсхатологическом община является началом нового, Божьего Царства, которое непременно будет мирным. В своих последующих размышлениях о христианской общине как начале «мирного Царства» я намерен обратиться к двум интересным парам мыслителей, первую из которых составляют богословы-теоретики Стэнли Хауэрвас и Ричард Хейз, а вторую – богословы-активисты Томас Мертон и Шейн Клэйборн. Если первые увлеченно продолжают свой нескончаемый диалог, то вторые никогда не встречались, хотя могут вполне быть представлены как «дальние собеседники». В сообществе этих четырех мыслителей мы можем глубже проникнуться идеей «мирного Царства» и осмыслить ее как ориентир для нашей христианской жизни и общинно-общественной практики

We are living in an era in which we desperately need peace, friendship, and solidarity for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. The tensions and conflicts that so defined the twentieth century continue in this new century, and innocent people all around us continue to suffer from them. Despite the urgent need for solidarity and cooperation, certain circles are perceived to be inciting ethno-religious conflict, particularly between the two greatest and deep-rooted religions (Islam and Christianity). This issue needs to be scrutinized, as the war of religions that they envisage is having disastrous consequences on us. One of the best ways of preventing such a disaster is to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between these religions. This is not a hard task, as there are no fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity. To the contrary, there is much common ground between them. Considering the current situation and the nature of the problems, we need shared values that will make cooperation necessary for solving the problems, promote understanding, tolerance, conflict prevention/management, peace building, reconciliation and further the cause of a society dominated by morality, happiness, tranquility, security, and prosperity. This can be achieved by forming an alliance of all conscientious people, namely, sincere and religious Muslims and Christians who will come together and unite in this common cause.

Jesus's kingdom is one of truth; therefore, it cannot be furthered by force or violence. Effective leadership, therefore, is a function truth; the truth is always liberating. Part 4 of a book-length project on Truth and Liberation; see Huffington Post essays on this subject: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/panderso-792

Pacifism is often misunderstood as doing nothing to prevent wars. However, Christian Pacifism means you do everything to prevent wars but in a spirit of kindness and non-violence. Here are 53 New Testament Scriptures Calling Christians to Live in Peace and Love and Nonviolence.

Примирення – не тільки природня вимога нашого людського єства, але й фундаментальний богословсько-місіологічний концепт, не лише екзистенційний порив, але й цілісна місія Церкви. У своїх роздумах я хочу пов'язати ці різні аспекти та виміри, показати, як богослов'я та місія можуть втілюватися в соціальній позиції та практиці окремих християн і Церкви в цілому, як християнське миротворче покликання може виражатися у наших переживаннях і діях зсередини трагічних ситуацій, які неможливо вирішити. Звіряючи свої міркування з фундаментальними богословськими принципами Нового завіту, я також звертаюся до сучасного і близького по духу співрозмовника – хорватського протестантського богослова Мирослава Вольфа, намагаючись зіставити безумовні біблійні вимоги й можливості, доступні для нас тут і зараз, осмислити примирення як, здавалося б, неможливу можливість, перекласти біблійне богослов'я місії доступною для нас мовою почуттів, рішень і вчинків.

In the article presented a brief review of evolution of the doctrine of freedom of conscience in historical Protestant confessions of faith. The author presents the origin of the concept of freedom of religion as human value in the light of tradition of state and free churches. Author presents Protestant contribution into development and promoting principles of freedom of religion. Many unique sources presented in this work have not been reviewed before in Russian religious studies publications.

Once Winston Churchill rightly said and I quote: "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." History is not just a past to remember but history is an opportunity to explore new things and learn from it. With a great vision and mission-heart, Finnish missionaries came in the Himalayan belt in the early nineteenth century. They had a vision of entering Tibet as soon as they set foot on Indian territory. They stayed and lived difficult lives since India is riven by caste, creed, and regional backwardness, which a few of them (missionaries) correctly termed as "darkness." The Himalayan people are living considerably more comfortable lives after several decades, yet the efforts and services of Finnish missionaries are still mostly unknown among Himalayan natives. Few of numbers of published articles and books are here to describe their major contributions and chronological evidences of Finnish missionaries' arrival to India. In this article, a thorough analysis of the socioeconomic repercussions of Finnish missionaries in the Himalayan belts and Buxaduars regions of Indian states West Bengal and Sikkim was conducted using collected primary and secondary data. Therefore, this article carry out this study by collecting data (qualitative and quantitative) and information from various sources viz. Published and unpublished articles and notes, collection of primary data/information from various sources remained in India and Finland and through analysis of historical documents of Finnish Mission History.

By the final years of the twentieth century, nuclear weapons policy in the United States was governed by the dictum of Mutually Assured Destruction. The US stockpiled nuclear weapons in hopes of assuring that nuclear weapons would never be used against us.

Our guest this week, Rev. Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, insists this policy of nuclear deterrence is outdated and morally problematic. Deterrence cannot account for the possibility of nuclear terrorism. It is also impossibly expensive and ecologically ruinous.

How should churches respond in light of these realities?  Is there a Christian message of hope for a humanity that now possesses the power to end itself?  This week, we wrestle with these unsettling but vital questions.

Rev. Tyler Wigg-Stevenson is the chairman of the Global Task Force on Nuclear Weapons, an initiative of the World Evangelical Alliance, and is the founding director of the Two Futures Project, a movement of American Christians for the global abolition of nuclear weapons.  He is the author of the forthcoming book, The World is Not Ours to Save: Finding the Freedom to Do Good (IVP Books, March 2013) and Brand Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age.  He writes frequently for the Huffington Post and Christianity Today.