Roundtable Discussion with Susan Thistlehwaite and Najeeba Syeed-Miller
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10/03/12
Najeeba Syeed-Miller of Claremont School of Theology
A conversation on interfaith just peacemaking,
sponsored by Fuller’s Just Peacemaking Initiative and led by Dr. Glen Stassen,
was held at Fuller in Pasadena on Monday, October 1.
Featured speakers were Dr. Susan
Thistlethwaite and Dr. Najeeba Syeed-Miller, who discussed ways to help prevent
violence and create peace.
Thistlethwaite, who teaches at Chicago Theological
Seminary and is the editor of a new book called Interfaith Just Peacemaking, provided a historical context for the
evening’s discussion with approximately 20 Fuller students and friends.
Starting with the 1980s, which she described
as “a Christian peace-making decade” involving leaders of many church
denominations, Thistlethwaite spoke about new developments in peacemaking during
the past several years. She focused her
discussion on the impact of the movement’s articulation of “10 practice norms”
for just peacemaking, which include the support of nonviolent direct action,
the use of cooperative conflict resolution, and several other steps.
“These norms are something to do, not just
talk about,” Thistlethwaite said. Citing
the reduction in the number of war dead in the second half of the 20th
century, Thistlethwaite commented that just-peacemaking practices help reduce the
likelihood of conflict while increasing human security.
Also presenting
was Syeed-Miller, a Muslim scholar who teaches inter-religious education at
Claremont School of Theology, and is widely involved in inter-religious
dialogue among the Abrahamic traditions.
Syeed-Miller is also one of 27 contributors to the new book edited by
Thistlethwaite, called Interfaith Just
Peacemaking.
For more information about the ten practice norms of
just peacemaking, visitthe Just Peacemaking Initiative website.