American evangelicals are wrestling with Jesus’ way of peace in new ways. There is evidence of this at Intervarsity Press, Youth With A Mission, Willow Creek Community Church and elsewhere.
Various factors contribute to this development. Groups like Evangelicals for Social Action and Sojourners have been teaching and promoting Christian peacemaking for nearly 40 years. The global evangelical world has for years addressed issues of justice and peace, especially in settings ravished by war. In 2004 the National Association of Evangelicals adopted a social agenda that included human rights, peacemaking, poverty and climate change, in addition to ongoing concerns about abortion and family life. The writings of Shane Claiborne and the new monastic movement have captured the attention of a new generation. Some Mennonites have been part of some of these conversations.
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