| THE RECONCILIATION WALK ETHOS AND PROGRAM 2001 The Reconciliation Walk is a diverse
network of Christians who desire to fulfill the biblical mandate for reconciliation and
peace. Our emphasis is on restoring relationships across boundaries of civilization,
nation, and culture, by addressing the mythologies and stereotypes that breed enmity. By bringing people together at the
grassroots, we wish to emphasize our common humanity. We resist characterizations of
others that are dehumanizing, especially abstract labels that appear to remove others from membership in their God-given human family. We believe that each
life is as valuable as the next, no matter on what side of the border the person was born.
We believe that God is most highly glorified in man’s humility, and that the
cornerstone of humility is esteem for others. Finally, we are a movement of faith; we
do not believe that any rift is beyond repair. We repudiate
the pessimistic assumption that violence is
inevitable. Our faith is in a God who promises victory by redemption and
reconciliation. We believe this promise. This movement was born in response to
the 900th anniversary of the Crusades, an epoch that represents the failure of the Church
to embody Christ’s ministry of reconciliation. Through an apology and thousands of
face-to-face meetings between Western Christians and Muslims, Jews and Eastern Christians,
we sought to erode the bitter legacy and mythologies of enmity that originated with the
Crusades.
The Reconciliation Walk seeks to embody Jesus Christ's work of reconciliation: "From now on, therefore,
we regard no one from an earthly point of view; even though we once knew Christ
from an earthly point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation..." Not regarding others from a worldly point of view is an important imperative for the followers of Jesus. It describes their political relationship to others, and is an integral aspect of the “ministry of reconciliation,” as conceived by Christ’s followers. It is an attitude that greatly enhances the possibility for reconciliation and peace between men. Jesus Christ affirmed this view by teaching his followers that they should love all men, even their historical and national enemies. As a Jew, he applied the rule of love to Israel's traditional Gentile adversaries, including Roman oppressors, Syrian rivals, and the Samaritans, a despised sect that Israel's religious hierarchy no longer considered Jewish. His teaching and behavior allowed no response to these enemies apart from love. He applied this standard without regard to any justification for enmity, whether it was historical prejudice or real contemporary injustice. He humanized all his
relationships, stripping them of group mythologies and stereotypes that provided a basis
for violence and domination. His concept of national identity was revolutionary. "The Kingdom of God" was not to conform to the traditional model of power and hierarchy. It was not, according to his teachings, to use or embrace coercive power. Jesus Christ taught that his people should not confuse national identity or political power with their identity as God's people. He demonstrated this by describing
himself as a king who was a ransom, a sacrifice, and a servant; and he urged citizens of
his revolutionary kingdom to follow his example. THE RECONCILIATION WALK: OVERCOMING A LEGACY OF ENMITY The Reconciliation Walk recognizes that many who have taken the name "Christian" have not followed Christ's model. During its first phase, the Reconciliation Walk called attention to the Crusades as an example of Christians acting in opposition to the work of reconciliation. To the contrary, the Crusades, in spite of being history’s largest explicitly Christian movement, provoked deeper enmity. The Crusades alienated cultures and peoples from one another, and alienated men from God. Crusader-like movements are common throughout Western history, and the mentality represented by the Crusades affects Christian political life today, still alienating men from one another and from God. Ideas and actions like those of the Crusaders are counter to Christ Himself, and therefore are not in essence Christian; they betray the goal of following Christ. Therefore the Crusades and other coercive Christian movements and ideas not only deepened enmity between men, but between men and the person of Jesus. As a misrepresentation of Truth,
the overall effect of these works of enmity has been to cloud the knowledge of God for all
involved. The Reconciliation Walk's chief objective is to overcome this enmity. Truth shall be served, and through the Truth, as Jesus taught, we shall know salvation and freedom. Our Objectives: To affirm that Jesus Christ is not the enemy of the peoples of the Middle East, to clarify his true nature to the people's of the Middle East. To challenge ideologies and actions which confuse Christ with nationalism, political power, military power, or domination. To champion actions demonstrating the nature of Christ's non-worldly kingdom: acts of service in place of domination, and self-sacrifice in place of self-interest. To unmask mythologies of enmity that developed as a result of historical Christians who did not fulfill the vision of Christ's Kingdom, who instead acted as a self-interested, dominating, coercive worldly power. To humanize relationships. Jesus Christ emphasized the value of humanity as created in the image of God. Humility and compassion toward one another preceded ideological, national or religious judgment in Christ's relationship models. He described authority that serves and dies for the human, rather than demanding that people serve a corporate hierarchy or ideology. Our Methods: 1. Identification of and apologies for
historical Christian offenses that affect relationships today. 2. Identification of contemporary behavior
and ideologies that confuse national self-interest with the values of Jesus Christ;
especially examples of such behavior and ideology that are explicitly
supported as if they were morally Christian by ill-advised representatives of the
Christian faith. 3. Education of Christians and followers
of Christ who may then make better judgments in the future. 4. Grassroots encounters between Western
Christians and those who are alienated from Christ's faith. It is our conviction that
introducing historical enemies in face-to face encounters contributes to peace and better
understanding of each other and one another's faiths. Face-to-face encounters undermine
historical myths and abstract constructions of enmity that permit violence against others
when seen only as a group. 5. Humanitarian service to others,
especially historical enemies. Service emphasizes the human value of others. Our Program: 1. Field Trips: Short exposure tours for
Christians. Participants meet with members of other faith communities in Turkey, Lebanon,
Syria and the Holy Land. 2. Training: Empowering others to live a
life of reconciliation. Training, sending and
supporting teams of Western Christians who have skills which are valuable for reducing
suffering and enhancing appropriate development, especially in areas that have been
negatively impacted by the policies and actions of Western nations. 3. Activism: Raising historical and
contemporary issues that create and maintain enmity between peoples through symbolic
action. 4. Leadership Encounters: Bringing
together leaders of the faith communities in an informal setting. 5. Information: Distributing statements on
contemporary issues relating to reconciliation and peace. |