The coordinated attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States by militant Islamic extremists and the multi-leveled retaliation by the U.S. government in a tenuous coalition with others is a powerful sign and current symptom of a world still in deep turmoil and in desperate need of reconciliation. For Christians the cross is a symbol of God’s reconciliation and peace through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection–it is the emphatic statement of God’s willingness to enter into human vulnerability and suffering, and confront evil with the creative power of love. The cross bears witness to God’s desire and intention for humanity’s deliverance from evil and the breaking of the cycle of violence begetting violence. Tension due to differences should be expected in human relationships and interactions. The differences often bring people into conflict, which is not necessarily something to avoid or fear. Conflict can be a graced part of the process of movement that can lead to a new, creative level of relationship. But when the differences yield a destructive or oppressive relationship the conflict has produced bitter fruit and shows the mark of sin. In the work of peacemaking and conflict negotiation it is vitally important to become aware thatwehave choices tomakeinhow we engage in conflict. Some of those options move us to more hardened and entrenched positions with an increasing devaluation of the other, and some options move us toward greater freedom to make a creative resolution to the conflict with an increasing respect for the other as partner in the problem that both are facing. There is a spiritual discipline that is often unrecognized but can be a tremendous aid in the latter possibility– moving toward a stance of discernment, seeking to discover God’s direction in the situation.
In a stance of discernment we might frame (implicitly or explicitly, depending on the situation) our conflict as a way of exploring these kinds of questions: What is God calling us to be or do in this situation? Are we open to the possibility that a new birth might be received in this relationship? What kind of outcome will best produce a sense of mutual respect and honoring of each other’s needs and interests? How can we stay open and expectant of God’s creative work in this conflicted situation? Are there wounds that need healing and, if so, what can we do to seek that healing process? Are we stuck in a need for forgiveness and, if so, what might be the path toward that forgiveness? Is there a gift hidden in this situation that is to be revealed ifwecan be faithful to listening deeply and respectfully to each other’s limited truths and to the Source of a truth deeper than our own?
I don’t pretend to any easy answer to the complexities of international conflict or to organizational, church or interpersonal conflict. However, our Christian spiritual tradition does provide an important resource in the way we approach conflict as occasions for discernment–and that approach can give shape to how we engage in conflict and what we might expect as possible from conflict.