2024.04.09 Peace and Pacifism article

I recently completed an article titled Proclaiming and Embodying Peace in Pacifist Japan: a Reformed Church Perspective (accepted to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Ecclesial Futures in June 2024). The article can be downloaded here below.

The article focusses on participating in God’s shalom and covers public witness as an integral part of the church’s mission, reflected by the recently released Peace Declaration by the Reformed Church in Japan (RCJ). The importance of the discourse on world peace, pacifism and shalom is self-evident in the light of growing global tensions and a massive change in Japanese policy regarding peace and pacifism.

The research finds itself in the middle of very important international issues, i.e. world peace, global conflict, Christian witness in a world of growing tension. The article highlights the significance of the public witness of the Christian church and a theological foundation for pacifism. Given the fact that the original declaration was written in Japanese, this reflection on the origin and theological foundation of the Peace Declaration gives a readable insight in the theological background of the declaration.

See also the following link to a related article I wrote in this blog (in December 2023).http://www.missiejapan.co.za/algemeen/2023-12-01-vrede-opnuut-bely-en-beliggaam/