Christian Ethics Today A Journal of Christian Ethics Volume 22, Number 4 Aggregate Issue 95 Fall 2014 “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23 SPECIAL ISSUE The Global Relevance of Glen H. Stassen and Just Peacemaking Essays by His Friends in Various International Settings TABLE OF CONTENTS The Peace of Christ Patrick Anderson, editor .......................................................................... 2 Glen Stassen: Friend, Scholar, Activist Laura Rector, co-editor ......................... 3 Glen Stassen: Incarnational Disciple of Jesus Jiyong Lee and Laura Rector .... 5 About the Authors ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Crises in Ukraine Fyodor Raychynets and Parush Parushev .........................................10 Jesus Christ, King and Caliph Elie Haddad and Jesse Wheeler .............................16 Engaging Boko Haram Sunday Boboi Agang ....................................................................21 Peacemaking in Somalia Peter M. Sensenig .......................................................................26 Violent Narratives in Indonesia Paulus S. Widjaja ......................................................31 Hate Rhetoric in Latvia’s Media Peter Zvagulis ..............................................................36 Christian-Muslim Relations in Kenya Emily J. Choge Kerama ..........................41 China’s Employment Class Struggles Agnes Chiu ....................................................46 The Transforming Initiatives of the Sermon on the Mount .....................................51 VERSE Where Grace and Peace Have Always Lain James A. Langley .......................................15 The Peace of Christ Glen Stassen: Friend, Scholar, Activist By Patrick Anderson, editor By Laura Rector, co-editor his collection of essays was the have had with the authors, it is Glen’s -- distant and exotic. In America, the n many ways, this project started necting people, and he was deeply Scholarship, and then instigated a Tbrainchild of Laura Rector and tireless pursuit of living out the words church is divided on issues related to Iin Glen Stassen’s hospital room. enthusiastic about his friends’ proj- restructuring of the way we award Carolyn Dipboye, both students of of the incarnate Prince of Peace which gender and sexuality. In other places When I visited Glen in mid-April ects. He had friends all around the international scholarship monies in the late Glen H. Stassen. The content lights a fire in them. That pursuit in the world, religious division is 2014, he was still very much trying to globe, so much so that, when cancer CATS so as to make it possible to put of the essays comes from the minds, of peace was coupled with a deep, experienced in the context of bullets do the things that he seemed to love treatments suppressed his immune the resources we have to work in the hearts, and experiences of the authors first-name relationship each author and bombs, lingering animosities, best. Even as his body was weakened system and he became ill with an service of international PhD students who were also friends of Stassen. enjoyed with Glen. Some lived with deep hatred. These essays give us on- by cancer and fever, his mind was infection, it was difficult to diagnose from the Majority World.” The message of the essays is that just the Stassen family while studying at the-ground reflection and analysis still on his teaching and peacemak- the cause of his fever, because he had That incident was very typical of peacemaking, a singular teaching of Fuller Theological Seminary. Most of how fellow Christians seek the ing. That afternoon he wanted to talk travelled so many places. Glen’s teaching career. According to Jesus Christ, can be applied in diverse hosted Glen in their own home envi- peace of Christ in the midst of the about all the things we would nor- Several of those friends were his Green, he generated over $1.5 million and seemingly irreconcilable complex ronments for extended periods of time Ukraine-Russia conflict, Boko Haram mally have talked about in his office former students, and those students in gifts for Fuller, as he sought to help situations. in which they struggled together to and Muslim-Christian enmity in or home: my dissertation, the classes are his legacy to the global church, his seminary students. This stemmed Each of the authors attests to the apply the lessons of just peacemaking Africa, hate rhetoric in Latvia, unjust he arranged for me to be teaching as they pass on his ideas to their own out of the love he had for students—it significant influence Glen Stassen to significant practical problems. employment practices in China, reli- at Fuller Theological Seminary, and students. In a career spanning 51 was but one more aspect of caring for had on their lives. I am struck by the Often, students are attracted to gious violence in Indonesia, oppres- future job placements. In the course years, he taught at Duke University, them. Glen constantly invited stu- deep reverence these authors feel for theological studies in large part to sion in the Middle East, and more. of that conversation, we talked about Kentucky Southern College, dents into his home, connected them Glen as a mentor, friend and teacher. learn how the teachings of the Bible These authors are worthy of our several of the students he mentored Berea College, Southern Baptist with his many other friends, and The content of the teaching, based on and the Gospel can provide a path to attention as they inform and inspire over the years, including Carolyn Theological Seminary, and Fuller encouraged a spirit of collaboration, Stassen’s interpretation of the Sermon solving the large problems they face. us. We should be encouraged to learn Dipboye, one of the board members Theological Seminary. During his rather than competition. on the Mount, is important to be sure. This is particularly true for students of their existence and faithfulness in of Christian Ethics Today, and Emily time at Southern Baptist Theological Of course, his students were not his When read through the enlightened who come to America from other the hard places. Their work for the Choge, one of the scholars who con- Seminary, Glen mentored 15 PhD only friends, nor even his only global eyes of these authors, the Sermon takes countries. The scholars who wrote the peace of Christ seems more important tributed to this project. Glen, even as students, three of whom were interna- legacy. He formed lasting relation- on a new vitality which gives direction essays included in this volume were than some of the issues which chal- he was ill, was connecting his friends. tional students from South Korea.2 At ships with other colleagues around and encouragement for practical peace drawn to Glen Stassen largely because lenge the church in America. But they After Glen’s death on April 26, 2014, Fuller Theological Seminary, he had the world—as signified when the work. he offered a concrete, applicable show us that if Jesus is to be Lord of some of his international friends 14 PhD graduates (and several others Baptist World Alliance recognized But the content of Glen’s teaching is understanding of the words and life life, then the words and examples He pondered a collection of essays in his like me, who had to be transferred to his decades of human rights work not the only significant aspect of his of Jesus. provides us are relevant for all of our honor, and I approached Carolyn other mentors at the end of his life). by honoring him with the Denton influence. Rather, as I see it, in these The problems these authors face struggles, large and small. ■ on their behalf. Carolyn connected Eight of those graduates were interna- and Janice Lotz Human Rights essays and in the correspondence I seem huge and insurmountable to us the scholars with Pat Anderson, yet tional students, several of whom took Award. His book, Kingdom Ethics, another friend of Glen’s, and the up leadership at seminaries around co-written with David Gushee, has result is this special issue of Christian the globe.3 Glen also had close rela- been translated into nine languages Ethics Today that focuses on many of tionships with International Baptist and sold approximately 30,000 cop- the global aspects of Glen’s career. Theological Seminary in Prague (relo- ies around the world.5 He served Glen was a scholar, activist, and cated to Amsterdam) and Arab Baptist on the boards of Sojourners, the teacher. All of those things were Theological Seminary in Lebanon. New Evangelical Partnership for the important to him. Perhaps, though, At Glen’s retirement celebra- Common Good, and Creation Care the term that sums up his role in the tion in March 2014, Joel Green, magazine. He also took on leadership life of so many is the word “friend.” dean of Fuller’s School of Theology, roles in the American Academy of Footnotes which are noted in the text of the articles In Latin, a Festschrift is a liber ami- said, “Many of us think that Fuller Religion, Society of Christian Ethics, can be found in the online version at corum or “book of friends,” and Glen Seminary has a vocation to serve the and National Association of Baptist had two such collections published global church. Many of us recognize Professors of Religion. Each project www.christianethicstoday.com to honor him during his life.1 That is the need for indigenous theological was formed through deep connections also an apt description for this memo- leadership in the Majority World. and friendships, and with each project rial collection with a global emphasis And many of us are aware of the par- he formed even more relationships. on Glen Stassen’s work. ticular obstacles facing students from Glen greatly enjoyed collaborating Glen once told me that society had the Majority World who want to do with others. lost the idea of covenant in friend- graduate work at Fuller Seminary.”4 Perhaps the best example of that ships.