A Future Rooted in Peace
J. Robert Oppenheimer, portrayed by Cillian Murphy, watches the first explosion of an atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer.
A few weeks ago, I watched Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in IMAX, and the experience was deeply impacting. The violence perpetrated by weapons of mass destruction is horrific; the film captures the power humans have harnessed for violence and destruction.
Violence, war, and the threat of nuclear annihilation are still with us nearly 80 years later. As peacemakers, we know that forces stronger than these can coalesce to bring about healing, justice, and peace. We believe the fabric of the universe is expansive, attractive, and beautiful. And BPFNA~Bautistas por la Paz is working right now to weave ourselves into this fabric to compel a future rooted in peace with justice:
We’re making plans to host an event with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship in 2024. Next fall, we’re planning a Friendship Tour to Mexico City. Stay tuned for details.
We’re continuing to invest in the next generation of peacemakers. This summer we launched the Young Peacemakers Toolbox, which offers resources for creating conversation of peace and justice with children and youth.
We’re recommitting ourselves to global partners. This year we awarded over $9,000 in Peace Fund grants to 14 applicants in 10 countries—our most international cohort yet!
We’re testifying in the public square through advocacy with Cuban partners and Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence. This year we’re expanding our advocacy with Palestinian partners by becoming a founding Apartheid-Free community. Join us Oct. 19 for a special webinar learning about how you can become involved.
And we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary at our 2024 summer conference, deepening our roots for peace with justice. Join us next July!
I am truly grateful for the ways you live out peace in your local context. I am also grateful for your generosity of resources with our movement, and I invite you to make a gift to support our movement. If you can’t give money, I invite you to connect with me on how you can live out the work of peace through BPFNA~Bautistas por la Paz.
The great Olive Tiller lived out this work for 102 years, joining with Martin Luther King on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and protesting against Apartheid at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C., during the 1980s. Olive passed away in July, but she dedicated so much of her time to forming and leading BPFNA in its earliest days. We are so grateful for her leadership of movements for peace and justice.
In one of the final scenes of the film, J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, speaks with Albert Einstein about the future impact of the creation of the atomic bomb:
“Albert, [do you remember] when I came to you with those calculations we thought we might start a chain reaction that would destroy the entire world?”
“I remember it well,” Einstein replies. “What of it?”
“I believe we did.”
I am convinced that we as peacemakers can stand in the way of this chain reaction. Bolstered by the Spirit, we can root ourselves in a way of life that heals and embodies justice with peace. As we enter into this fall, I hope you will join us and support our movement with your presence, your giving, and your prayers.
