Justice, peace and diakonia : an analysis of "An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace"

Abstract

According to the document An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace (ECJP), the worldwide Christian church is an important contributor on the way to achieving just peace. Some churches are even so closely associated with peacemaking that they are referred to as “peace churches”. One cannot take for granted the church as an institution in civil society because the church has the ability to influence people’s attitudes towards justice and peace. This involves a responsibility for diakonia as an integrated part of the Christian church, as the struggle for justice is within theology attached to diakonia. As part of the church assignment is to address and oppose injustice, the diaconal praxis must exemplify what just peace for the world may mean as the church struggles for a more human and peaceful society. My research question is therefore: What does the concept of “Just Peace” mean in “An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace” and what does this entail for the diakonia of the church? This can be divided in two questions: 1. What does the concept of “Just Peace” mean in “An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace”? 2. What does this entail for the diakonia of the church? With these research questions in mind, the thesis will analyse how the ECJP understands and uses the concept of just peace and what practical implications the document calls for.