Through Building a Culture of Peace (BACOP), we seek to invite those within and outside of our network to join us supporting restoration, inclusivity, and peacebuilding. In this article, we’ll unpack the practice of peacebuilding and nonviolence, dive into the history behind these concepts, and share ways you can support this movement of peace. 

What is peacebuilding?

The United Nations (UN) defines peacebuilding as “one among a range of activities undertaken…to maintain international peace and security throughout the world”. The UN lists conflict prevention, mediation, and risk-reduction as ways to build or keep peace when it comes to diplomatic relations. 

While our work does not involve international policy, this definition, and the related examples therein, help illustrate the kind of work we support. At the center of peacebuilding is a united effort–whether through an international organization or a local community–focused on eliminating violence or conflict wherever it may occur.

What is nonviolence? How does it relate to peacebuilding?

Nonviolence refers to a philosophical or moral approach that rejects the use of physical force or harm to achieve goals, promote social change, or resolve conflicts. It emphasizes peaceful means, such as negotiation, silent protests, and community dialogue as ways for addressing injustices and conflicts.

Nonviolence is rooted in the belief that violence only perpetuates more violence and that peaceful alternatives can bring about lasting positive change. As such, nonviolence can be used as another way to lead and support peacebuilding efforts, and is often at the core of this work.

How has nonviolence been used historically?

Mahatma Gandhi is often considered the founder of the modern nonviolence movement. His work spread the concept of “ahimsa,” which is a key virtue in Dharmic religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. 

Ahimsa is based on the premise that all living beings share a divine spirit. Therefore by hurting another being one is hurting himself. There are also karmic consequences that can occur if someone uses violent actions to achieve their goals. 

As a seminary student, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King studied Gandhi’s principles and use of ahimsa. He’d later use those concepts to create the six principles of nonviolence which would guide his work throughout the civil rights movement. 

Today, nonviolence is still used to inspire positive social and cultural change. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, for example, has used nonviolence to protest police brutality and systemic racism against Black people in America. Nonviolence was also used by the Havasupai and Standing Rock Sioux tribes in 2013 and 2016 to protest against the continued degradation of their respective tribal lands. 

As a result of their efforts, both the Havasupai and Standing Rock tribes were able to raise awareness and prevent corporations from continuing to pollute reservations, proving that this method of civil protest is still an effective tool for enacting positive change.

What’s Faith & Reason’s role in building peace?

Our mission for many years has been to bring scholarly insight into how Western Christianity was captured by Roman imperial values in a way that effectively canceled the nonviolent heart of Jesus’s teachings. Building a Culture of Peace draws on this scholarly work, but takes it further. 

Through this framework, we seek to join hands and hearts with those in our network to hold conversations, share ideas, and show support for the work being done to increase inclusivity, peace, and harmony across the country.

If you would like to show your support for this movement, we’d encourage you to sign the statement for building peace as a first step. Not only will adding your name align you with restorative work that is already being done, but it will also inspire others in your network to help transform our culture and our world beyond all forms of violence. Click here to get started!