Christian Ethicists Advocate Just Peacemaking as Corollary to Just War

[From PBS's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly]

Just War and Just Peace
January 14, 2005   Episode no. 820
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week820/exclusive.html

Christian Ethicists Advocate Just Peacemaking as Corollary to Just War

by Alexandra Alter

Almost two years have passed since the start of the Iraq war, but war, peace, and nation-building still dominated the debate among Christian ethicists at their annual meeting this January.

In a significant shift, many scholars endorsed taking a proactive approach to peacemaking rather than merely shunning war.

At their 2003 meeting, two months prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, most ethicists criticized the impending conflict either by arguing that a preemptive invasion did not meet standards of Christian "just war" theory or by advocating pacifism. At their 46th annual gathering last weekend in Miami, some members of the Society of Christian Ethics proposed what they say is a powerful third alternative: the application of "just peacemaking theory" as a method of defusing current conflicts and preventing future wars.

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Michael P.