Seeking Justice and Peace in These Troubled Times
Smoke seen rising from an Iranian city after the U.S. bombed Iran (Feb 28, 2026) during the U.S - Iran War (Feb 2026 - Current).
WRITTEN BY: CONNIE ALTMAN
I’m sure we are all reeling with the current rhetoric and violence that is all over the news and happening to many people around the world. As followers of the way of Jesus, we must decide what we can do to turn the tide and promote justice and peace for all. We should not make our decisions based on which political party is talking or acting, but based on how Jesus lived. His life was an example of how God wants us to conduct our lives and how we can bring about God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
With that in mind, Community of Christ has come up with 9 Enduring Principles we try to learn about, emphasize, and by which we are called to live our lives. There are at least three that relate directly to this topic. I will endeavor to share insights into them and how they can guide us in our daily path.
The first is the Worth of All Persons. God views all people as having inestimable and equal worth. God wants all people to experience wholeness of body, mind, spirit, and relationships. We seek to uphold and restore the worth of all people individually and in community, challenging unjust systems that diminish human worth. We join with Jesus Christ in bringing good news to the poor, sick, captive, and oppressed. Jesus showed love and care to women, children, lepers, Samaritans, the sick, and the poor. In our day and time, we still have people who are treated less than. We must stand up for and along side those who are immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, women, the innocents in war-torn countries, the abused, etc. That is our call and challenge. It doesn’t matter who is doing the mistreating; we must be on the side of calling it out and working to change it. We have Jesus’ example to see; there is no question of right and wrong. Mistreating any human being is wrong.
Another Enduring Principle that emphasizes this topic is the Pursuit of Peace (Shalom). God wants shalom for all of creation. Jesus Christ reveals the meaning of God’s peace in all aspects of life. We are to promote the vision of God’s reign on Earth through the leavening influence of just and peaceful communities. Led by the Holy Spirit, we work with God and others to restore peace to creation. We courageously and generously share the peace of Jesus with others. Violence is not the way of Jesus. When his disciple attacked the soldier arresting Jesus, Jesus reprimanded him and healed the soldier. The people thought Jesus was coming as a conqueror with violence, but Jesus denounced that idea and instead shared that it is love that will conquer. Love is the most important thing. Love is the strongest power in the world. We have to be willing to die for justice and equality, but we must not be willing to kill for it. That was Jesus’ message and example. A.J. Muste was a famous advocate for peace. He said, “There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” When our leaders say we have to have a war to end the violence, it only begets more violence and hate, even escalating it. When we look at the current wars in Palestine, Ukraine, and Iran, we must show concern for the people living there. We must learn what is really going on and who is being hurt and who is getting rich. Continuous war means billions of dollars for the weapons industry. We must speak out against this and work to turn our weapons into plowshares.
The third Enduring Principle I want to speak about at this time is Responsible Choices. God has given humans the ability to make choices about whom or what they will serve. Human choices contribute to good or evil in our lives and in the world. Many aspects of creation need redemption because of irresponsible and sinful human choices. We are called to make responsible choices within the circumstances of our lives that contribute to the purposes of God. Many times, we feel like we are helpless to change the direction the world is heading. That is understandable. However, we can band together to make a difference. One voice speaking out can be the catalyst for great change. Decisions in how we shop, what we eat, whether we recycle, how we vote, what we read or watch on TV, whether to protest publicly, who and what we spend our money on, all have a bearing on our world. Quantum physics teaches us that when a butterfly beats its wings here, the effect is felt on the other side of the world. If that is indeed the case, then our decisions have an even greater effect on others.
We are called to love radically, because Jesus loved radically. He turned the world upside down. Let’s work together, making responsible decisions to ensure the worth of all persons, and justice and peace for all of God’s creation.
WRITTEN BY: CONNIE ALTMAN
