The Place of Peacemaking in Christianity’s Self-identity: Three Perspectives

The issue of peacemaking and the attitude of Christians to war and violence has always been and will be one of the fundamental problems that every follower of Christ must face when living in a sinful world. The search for an answer is closely related to the self-identification of a Christian as a peacemaker, and becomes necessary in the context of the current tragedy of war, since our identification will determine the practical component of the endeavour for peace. The article outlines three classical Christian perspectives on peacemaking and violence: pacifism, just war theory, and Christian realism. A brief practical understanding is provided that may be useful in the context of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. The article also offers some possible answers to the question of how a proponent of a particular Christian identity might be an effective peacemaker today.