One question, four answers

John Cooper
‘Peace is a team effort’

As I write, the conflict in Ukraine continues. Images flash up day after day of bombs and hurt and pain. Individuals share painful stories of loss and death. It feels like we are stuck in a world of continued conflict, yet as Christians we are called to be peacemakers. What does it mean to make peace?…

John Cooper is the Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation

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Mike Meachin
‘There are many paths to peace’

After a total service of 38 years in the Royal Navy – Warfare Officer for 11 and Chaplain for 27 – I retired in July 2021. During my service I was involved with conflicts in the Falkland Islands, the Balkans, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Sierra Leone, Libya, Afghanistan, the ongoing nuclear deterrent operation, and also with anti-piracy and anti-smuggling operations…

Mike Meachin is a hospital chaplain in Portsmouth. He has served as a naval officer and naval chaplain

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Savi Hensman
‘Seeking peace may involve asking awkward questions’

Peacemakers are sometimes thought of as people who seek to smooth over problems, tone down conflict and calm others who become agitated. Certainly there is a case for not overreacting to minor irritations or misunderstandings. But, in the Bible, the Hebrew concept of shalom reflects a deeper safety, wholeness and wellbeing, while the Greek term eirene comes from the verb eiro – to join together that which has been separated…

Savi Hensman is a writer and activist and works in the voluntary sector

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Clare Callanan
‘We are vastly outnumbered by war-makers’

‘Put peace into each other’s hands/and like a treasure hold it.’ Fred Kaan’s invitation echoes as we witness approximately 30 wars around the world – civil wars, terrorist insurgencies, drug wars, territorial invasions…

Clare Callanan is a retired minister and armed forces chaplain

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This is an extract from an article published in the May 2022 edition of Reform

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