DESCRIPTION: The prophet Isaiah anticipates a coming ruler who will reign over the world with justice and righteousness as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). The New Testament identifies this ruler as Jesus, God with us, the Messiah who will guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79). This course will explore what it means to be peacemakers in an increasingly pluralistic and polarized world. We will compare broad streams of the current ethical paradigms of just war theory, nonviolence, and the developing paradigm of just peacemaking. We will study how to make practical application of following the way of Jesus in international relations and church conflicts.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Jesus' call to peacemaking is echoed in the writings of Paul, James, and Peter and was a persistent hope in the prophets; as a church we need to be formed in the way of Jesus in this area so that we can be agents of peace in the world. Peacemaking in our churches, in our neighborhoods, in our nation, and in the world is evidence of our allegiance to Jesus as Lord over all other ecclesial, communal, and political ideologies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course has three objectives: (1) to develop practical ways for following Jesus' call to Christian peacemaking in our ministry and practice; (2) to compare different Christian ethical approaches to peace and war, including nonviolence, just war theory, and just peacemaking; (3) to consider theological rationales for Christian commitment to nonviolence and transforming initiatives of peacemaking.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted in the Fuller Online format on Fuller's summer academic calendar. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, forums, reading and reflection, the required assignments, and practical application.

REQUIRED READING:

Fisher, Roger, and Scott Brown. Getting Together: Building Relationships as We Negotiate. New York: Penguin Books, 1988. ISBN: 0140126384. $16.00. (240 pgs.).

Herr, Robert, and Judy Zimmerman Herr, eds. : Linking Local and Global Peacemaking. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1998. ISBN: 083619098X. $12.99. (256 pgs.).

National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Challenge of Peace. U.S. Catholic Conference, 1983. ISBN: 1555868630. $10.00. (138 pgs.).

Park, Andrew Sung. Racial Conflict and Healing: An Asian-American Theological Perspective. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1996. ISBN: 1570750785. $23.00. (198 pgs.).

Stassen, Glen, ed. Just Peacemaking: The New Paradigm for the Ethics of Peace and War. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2008. ISBN: 082981793X. $18.00. (224 pgs.).

Yoder, John Howard, Glen Harold Stassen, Mark Nation, and Matt Hamsher. The War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2009. ISBN: 1587432609, 9781587432606. $26.00. (240 pgs.).

Required Reading Available Online (Not for Purchase):

Stassen, Glen Harold. "The Fourteen Triads of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-7:12)." Journal of Biblical Literature 122, no. 2, June 1, 2003 (41 pgs.).

Relevant and short newspaper articles for module discussions.

1. Class participation in online forums, reading reflections, group projects, and module activities (25%).

2. Online essay exam (25%).

3. Group project on applying just peacemaking theory to a contemporary conflict (25%).

4. Ten-page final paper on a topic of student's choice (25%). A just-peacemaking/conflict resolution project can be substituted for the final paper on professor's approval.