Building Peace in a Culture War: Christian Witness in a Polarized Society
This article argues that Christians committed to peace must attend more fully to the political and discursive climate of democratic society. In social conflicts characterized by mutual distrust, voices of dissent are routinely distorted or dismissed. Polarization is one of the biblical “powers” that...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group
2021
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| In: |
Political theology
Year: 2021, Volume: 22, Issue: 3, Pages: 228-247 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Mennonites
/ Polarization
/ Society
/ Peace
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| IxTheo Classification: | CG Christianity and Politics CH Christianity and Society KDG Free church |
| Further subjects: | B
Polarization
B United States B conflict transformation B Reconciliation B depolarization B Mennonites |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article argues that Christians committed to peace must attend more fully to the political and discursive climate of democratic society. In social conflicts characterized by mutual distrust, voices of dissent are routinely distorted or dismissed. Polarization is one of the biblical “powers” that oppose and obscure the Reign of God. Drawing on conflict transformation literature and Anabaptist ecclesiology, I argue that political theologians must address the political processes and discursive factors that prevent dissenting voices from being heard rightly. Christian witness in divided societies must be simultaneously prophetic and reconciling, not standing apart from political organizations but working to challenge the resentment and chronic misrepresentation that often undermine activism and the pursuit of justice and peace. Given their emphasis on nonviolence and dialogue, Mennonites in particular are well-positioned to address polarization as a theological problem. |
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| ISSN: | 1743-1719 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Political theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/1462317X.2021.1905333 |