Anna Yoder emphasized the value of creation care in “Enough is Enough; Rethinking What it Means to be a Peacemaker” during the C. Henry Smith Oratorical contest at Bluffton University in April. Drawing attention to the physical suffering of people around the world, Yoder proclaims that living peacefully means living simply, valuing justice over gain and practicing “radical generosity.” She says, “[O]ur accumulation of wealth has created in us a sense of entitlement that often makes us blind to the suffering of those around us…But as minister of reconciliation, we can’t keep trying to see the world through blind eyes, believing how we are living is peaceful when it is causing the land and people to suffer and die…If I am truly dedicated to a peacemaking lifestyle, than my actions should not be the type that harm God’s creation or keep resources from those who need it the most.” read more

After a learning tour to Colombia with Mennonite Church Canada, associate pastor Dan Kehler and his wife decided to “go green for peace.” Kehler saw that the dependence on oil by wealthy nations wreaks havoc on people in other countries and drives war. Wanting to play a part in peacemaking, Kehler began making changes in his personal life to reduce oil consumption. He began by riding bike for transportation rather than using the family car, even riding nearly four hours to the Mennonite Church Canada annual assembly in the pouring rain. Today Kehler continues saving oil by reducing his use of air conditioning and heat. Though these steps to save are not always convenient and sometimes controversial in a farming community, Kehler believes that, as an Anabaptist, he is called to live in peace with creation and his neighbor.

Read More by following this link and then clicking on “Past Issues.” Scroll down to click on “2009” and when this page appears, scroll down to click on “Volume 13, No 1.” View the article by clicking on “Going Green: The Colour of Peace” on the left side of the screen.

Tom Beutel, writer for PeaceSigns, the Peace and Justice Support Network of Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Church USA, writes “Factory Farming and Health.” This is the second article in a three part series on food peace which discusses the ethical and non-ethical production of food, specifically in factory farming. In this discussion, Beutel supports eating local food as factory farming encourages poor quality of food, less-healthy animals and poor nutrition in general. 

http://peace.mennolink.org/cgi-bin/m.pl?a=577