Live from God's Peace - Care for Just Peace
A Memorandum of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (2007)
Foreword
The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has always considered peace to be a central theme of public responsibility. The shock over the devastation caused by the Second World War, the outbreak and course of the Cold War, the controversies about rearmament and mandatory military service, the mutual deterrence with nuclear weapons and growing attention to the North-South conflict - all these were important issues in the development of judgement within the Church. Some of these were tough tests for the unity of the Church, in particular the nuclear arms debate of the late fifties and, once again, early eighties. Work on these issues led to peace contributions by the Church of lasting significance, of which the so-called Ostdenkschrift (Die Lage der Vertriebenen und das Verhältnis des deutschen Volkes zu seinen östlichen Nachbarn = The situation of the displaced persons and the relation of the German people to its neighbours in Eastern Europe), which was published by the EKD in 1965, is an outstanding example because of its encouragement of steps towards reconciliation. The insights gained along the way were summarized in 1981 in the Memorandum "Protecting, Promoting and Renewing Peace".
Since then, the global political situation has fundamentally changed. After the end of the Cold War, the termination of the division of Europe, and the unification of the two German states in 1989/1990, numerous new challenges for peace ethics and peace policy emerged. The hope that the resolution of the global conflict between the USA and the Soviet Union would result in a "peace dividend" did not come to fruition. Violent conflicts in the Balkans, the collapse of state authority in various parts of Africa and Asia, and the privatization of force in the hands of warlords and civil war factions, made apparent with renewed urgency the need to subject the use of force to the rule of law. Among the great threats to peace in our time there is, in particular, modern international terrorism. The question is, however, how this and other acute threats to world peace can be tackled in a lawful, effective and sustainable way.
The EKD responded to the new peace ethics challenges that followed German reunification and the fall of the Iron Curtain with guidance memoranda of an intentionally provisional character. "Steps on the Way to Peace" was the title deliberately chosen for the 1994 memorandum. A subsequent text in 2001, "Peace Ethics on Probation", was characterized as "interim results" and adopted by the EKD Council a few days before the terror attacks of September 11. Using examples from Africa, in 2002 the relationship between violent conflicts and civil interventions was discussed in a study that the EKD Advisory Commission for Development and the Environment was responsible for, entitled "Guide our feet into the way of peace".
After September 11 2001, voices in the Church and in society increasingly expected from the EKD a new fundamental contribution towards orientation in peace ethics and peace policy. Consequently, in 2004 the EKD Council tasked the Advisory Commission for Public Responsibility to draft such a new memorandum on peace. The Commission applied itself to that task with great commitment, diligence and expertise. This has resulted in a text that the EKD Council readily adopted, on account of its sober analysis, its well-founded biblical/theological argumentation, and its consistent reference to the central idea of just peace. I wish to express warm thanks to the members of the Advisory Commission for Public Responsibility, and in particular its Chairman, Professor Dr. Wilfried Härle, and Vice-Chairwoman, Professor Dr. Eva Senghaas-Knobloch, for their work.
Whenever possible, memoranda should express a consensus formulated on the basis of Christian responsibility, carefully examined and formulated on behalf of all society. Therefore it is of great significance that the EKD Advisory Commission for Public Responsibility was able to adopt this text in full consensus, and that the EKD Council also approved it unanimously. It must be noted in particular that this Memorandum - contrary to the Heidelberg Theses of 1959 - holds the view that the threat of using nuclear weapons is now no longer justifiable from a peace ethics perspective. As to the consequences of this for peace policy, the Advisory Commission for Public Responsibility was unable to reach agreement. However, it is not unusual for a consensus on ethics to allow for differing opinions as to its political consequences. This makes all the more remarkable the extent to which this Memorandum achieves agreement with regard to specific implications.
This Memorandum consistently expresses principles and maxims that are as straightforward as they are convincing. Who wants peace must prepare for peace. Who lives on the basis of God's peace must stand up for peace in the world. Just peace in a globalized world presupposes the development of the system of international law. Security and peace policy of states must be considered from the perspective of concepts of "human security" and "human development". These clear main ideas lead to concrete and specific options for action. Thus, the necessary legal structure for an international peace order is coupled with the need for this structure to be committed to the primacy of civilian conflict management and to tying the use of force to strict ethical and international law criteria. Therefore not even the challenge of modern international terrorism justifies a revival of the notion of "just war". Rather, particularly in such a situation, an orientation of all peace policy considerations towards the guiding ideas of "just peace" proves its worth.
The Memorandum constantly emphasizes the need for prevention, recognizes the primacy of non-violent methods of conflict resolution, and ascribes to civil peace and development services an important role for re-establishing, maintaining, and developing a sustainable peace. It is with this basic orientation that the Evangelical Church in Germany contributes its voice to the political and ecumenical debate. It also sees this Memorandum as a contribution to the Decade to Overcome Violence (2001-2010) proclaimed by the World Council of Churches.
"The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace". This biblical blessing often concludes the Protestant worship service. The peace of God provides foundation and horizon for all human striving towards peace. This spirit characterizes the present Memorandum, and in this spirit I hope it will find broad public resonance.
Hanover, October 2007
Bishop Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Huber
(Chairman of the EKD Council)