Breaking Silence
Breaking Silence:
Pastoral Approaches for Creating an Ethos of Peace -
Rev. Chad R. Abbott and Rev. Everett Mitchell, editors. In this vivid and
engaging book, Breaking Silence: Pastoral Approaches For Creating An Ethos of
Peace, a panel of clergy, scholars, peace activists, and lay people provide much
needed resources and a study guide for pastors and local congregations dealing
with issues related to war. Topics range from preaching and scripture, to prayer,
peace activism, "just war," and refugees. The authors argue that we can create a
new world, one that embraces and ethos of peace, not war.Purchase Breaking Silence from: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp.
"This timely new book provides resources designed to embolden churches with a biblical view of wholeness in a time of war." Read Reviews ...
"Breaking Silence is a moral eye-opener." Read Reviews ...
Excerpt from the book:
On April 4, 1967, exactly one year prior to his assassination, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out against the war in Vietnam at a gathering of concerned clergy and laity at Riverside Church in New York City. His titled speech for the day was “A Time to Break Silence,” in which he spoke of the connections between the unjustifiable war in Vietnam and its profound impact on the issues of civil rights in the United States. King suggested that what was at work in America was a great sickness and if we did not seriously deal with this reality, this sickness, that we would, indeed, pass on our sins to the next generations. In this famous speech he prophetically spoke:"The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper sickness within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality we will find ourselves organizing clergy and laymen-concerned committees for the next generation. They will be concerned about Guatemala and Peru. They will be concerned about Thailand and Cambodia. They will be concerned about Mozambique and South Africa. We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy. Such thoughts take us beyond Vietnam, but not beyond our calling as sons [daughters] of the living God." (Martin Luther King)
The sickness of the American spirit has, without question, continued to the next generation. Little did King know that in the decades to follow that the U.S. would invade the many countries and murder the millions that we have. Little did he know that thirty years after he delivered his speech at Riverside Church that a conservative think tank consisting of the likes of Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Dick Cheney would be devising a construct for United States global dominance and leadership with the aim of stifling any rival superpower in the world. In June of 1997 the components of this think tank making up what is known as "The Project of the New American Century" created a document of its core principles stating its aim to “make the case and rally support for American global leadership.” It went on to state,
"If we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of this century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership…We need to accept responsibility for America's unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles."
So here we stand at the beginning of a new century, a generation after King and the civil rights movement, and we are concerned over Iraq and Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine, Iran and North Korea, Cuba and Colombia. In short, we live and breathe the sick reality of war, whether it is in our politics, or in the media, in our schools, or in our churches. In the words of writer Chris Hedges, “War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning." But it in fact goes even deeper than merely a sense of meaning or purpose and seeps into our most destructive human desire—the thirst for ultimate power.
Young pastors call for a break in silence regarding war
Rev. Chad R. Abbott and Rev. Everett Mitchell (graduates of Princeton Theological Seminary) have compiled a timely collection of essays called Breaking Silence: Pastoral Approaches for Creating an Ethos of Peace. The need is urgent.In the midst of the violence in Iraq, local religious congregations have remained virtually silent in their opposition to war. They have lacked resources and materials to guide them through the complex, interconnected realities of politics, faith, and war. In this vivid and engaging book, clergy, scholars, peace activists, and lay people provide much-needed resources and a study guide for pastors and local congregations. Topics include preaching and scripture, prayer, peace activism, refugees, the history of “just war,” and personal reflections.
Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary for the National Council of Churches USA, states, “How will Christians co-operate with God's will for peace if the subject of war is seldom raised in our congregations? This timely new book provides resources designed to embolden churches with a biblical view of wholeness in a time of war.”
According to co-editor and contributor Rev. Chad R. Abbott, “This is a book about politics and theology, war and peace, the church and the ethos in which it lives. Whether it is praying for troops, developing religious education, or preaching amid the flurry of images we see daily in the media, pastors are faced with an enormous challenge as leaders of congregations. This is why we began our project on creating an ethos of peace.” Arun Gandhi, founder and president of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, lauds Breaking Silence as “a moral eye-opener.”
Breaking Silence is sure to invoke a spirit of dialogue and activism within the local church. Come and experience the dance of faith and politics in a new way. Come create a new world, one that embraces an ethos of peace.
Purchase Breaking Silence from:
Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp.
