Moving Christian institutions beyond the divide between peacemaking and advocacy is necessary.
In a world where religious freedom and human rights are under threat, the division between peacemaking and advocacy in Christian religious freedom and human rights organizations has become a significant challenge. This separation risks wasting resources, overlapping programs, and missing opportunities that could lead to more peaceful and inclusive societies.
The strategizing, planning, and implementation of peacemaking and justice advocacy programs should not be done separately. Religious freedom is itself a foundation for peace because it allows open dialogue without fear of reprisal, bridging divides and reducing tensions that fuel violence and extremism. In conflict zones, integrating religious peacemakers with advocates for religious freedom has led to more effective peace-building strategies, as demonstrated by alliances between Muslim and Christian leaders in Nigeria that reduced intercommunal violence.
Peacemaking involves understanding opposing views without hostility, while advocacy without peacemaking can lead to polarization or confrontational approaches. Emphasizing peacemaking habits—such as seeking to understand others’ motivations—helps advocacy efforts remain productive and respectful.
Suggested solutions to address this issue include integrated frameworks, collaborative spaces, cultivating peacemaking habits, and recognizing the interdependence of protecting religious freedom and promoting peace. Organizations like the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) have promoted models that integrate religious actors as both peacebuilders and religious freedom advocates, demonstrating that these roles should be unified rather than siloed.
The speaker's team is currently supporting churches in a country where churches had been ravaged by large-scale mob violence, providing psychosocial support, equipping leaders with peacemaking tools, and advocating for justice. Wissam al-Saliby, President of 21Wilberforce, is leading this charge, having previously worked as Director of the World Evangelical Alliance United Nations Office in Geneva.
Christian institutions are encouraged to reconsider the peacemaking-advocacy institutional dichotomy for more coherent and strategic public engagement. The concept of peacemaking is relational and experiential, with roots in God's mission of reconciling humanity with Himself. Peacemaking primarily prevents religious freedom violations, while advocacy mainly seeks justice and redress for religious freedom violations.
This article was first published on the site of 21Wilberforce and re-published with permission. More information about the ongoing #OneMoreYearEF campaign to support the mission of Evangelical Focus can be found on their website.
[1] Integrated Frameworks and Collaborative Spaces: https://www.usip.org/publications/2019/05/religious-freedom-and-peacebuilding-integrating-approaches-advocacy-and-peacemaking
[2] Cultivating Peacemaking Habits and Recognition of Interdependence: https://www.wilberforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Religious-Freedom-and-Peacemaking-A-Framework-for-Integration.pdf
- To effectively address the challenges in a world where religious freedom is under threat, religious freedom organizations should adopt integrated frameworks, fostering collaborative spaces for both peacemaking and advocacy, recognizing that the cultivation of peacemaking habits and understanding the interdependence of religious freedom and promoting peace will lead to more successful strategies.
- Incorporating skill-training programs that emphasize peacemaking habits can help advocacy efforts remain productive and respectful, as demonstrated by alliances between Muslim and Christian leaders in Nigeria, where integrated roles of peacemakers and religious freedom advocates have been shown to reduce intercommunal violence. Christian institutions are encouraged to unify the dichotomy between peacemaking and advocacy, embracing a more coherent and strategic approach to public engagement.
