A multiracial movement …

Christian Century, Feb 8, 2003 by J. Bennett Guess

IT'S TRUE that the United Church of Christ's Just Peace movement lacks the participation of people of color (News, Dec. 18-20). But this is due not to a lack of interest, but to a weakness in the movement itself. Historically, our program was not conceptualized to include the many important "peace with justice" concerns of our churches.

In this country, the peace movement has been, by and large, a movement dominated by a narrow antimilitarism agenda that has not made important linkages to the racial and economic issues of major concern to people-of-color congregations. The real beauty of just peace theology is that it takes seriously the precept that injustice anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere.

Our intent is to build a multiracial, multicultural just peace movement that is reflective of our denomination's longstanding commitments to justice, peace and integrity of creation.

J. Bennett Guess
Justice and Witness Ministries, UCC,
Cleveland, Ohio