Cultivating Peace in a Culture of Conflict
This book takes a deep look at what it means to be children of God. A God who is first and foremost seeking peace and reconciliation. A God who put mercy at the center of his strategy for bringing an end to all evil. In essence, what does it mean to be peacemakers?
It is also an invitation to examine our own lives. Do we do good just to get the approval of a stern father, or are we really free to give others the love we get from our Heavenly Father?
Starting with Jesus’ statement that peacemakers shall be called children of God, the book explores the relationship between walking in sonship and living out a peacemaker lifestyle. As an American who has lived half my life in Norway, I have written at the convergence of the mercy personality of Norwegian culture and the leadership personality of American culture.
The Heart of the Child
This first section looks at four fundamental peacemaker perspectives:
- Grace: The Cross has paid the price for all sin, so there is nothing left to punish and no longer any call for anger. It’s about reflecting the heart of a Good Father rather than a God who is angry about sin.
- The Principle of the Cross: True victory comes through apparent loss. True wisdom is found in apparent foolishness. True strength is seen in apparent weakness. True peace can never be achieved through the exercise of force.
- The tragedy of feeding from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: Learning to feed on the Tree of Life is a huge paradigm shift, and a huge source of peace. It is a freedom which threatens the religious spirit, and might challenge some traditional perceptions of sanctification.
- Forgiveness: Holding on to an offense or requiring recompense, regardless of how extreme the wrong suffered, quenches peace. This is diametrically opposed to the nature of God, who took all of the punishment on himself.
The Walk of the Child
The second section explores a dozen realms of peace, with testimonies and practical applications. Chapter five introduces this section, portraying the breadth and depth of peace in light of the longings of the Father. It invites the reader into an exciting journey of cultivating peace and discipling nations. When we carry the Kingdom of Peace in our lives, it changes our surroundings and peace breaks out. This is the Call of the Child.
Published May 2021. 180 pages.
Available directly from Resource Publications.
Paperback version available from Amazon.
Also available as a Kindle e-book.
Endorsement
Bruce McKibben writes about living in the power and liberty of "sonship before the Father." He does not write from theory but from experience. Yes, he writes on sonship from the position of sonship. He writes with insight about being a peacemaker, about living out of the Tree of Life instead of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. His practical applications are refreshing and thought-provoking. Be prepared to be provoked, and read with an open heart—here is much wisdom to be gleaned.
—Mike Bickle, International House of Prayer, Kansas City
What others are saying
- Andii Bowsher, Anglican chaplain at Northumbria University
- Trudie Barreras, American science teacher
- Fr. River Damien Sims, Franciscan Servant Bishop, San Francisco
