Bøker av Kathleen Kern

In 1984 Evangelicals for Social Action founder Ron Sider posed the questions, ""What would happen if we in the Christian church developed a new nonviolent peacekeeping force ready to move into violent conflicts and stand peacefully between warring parties? . . . Everyone assumes that for the sake of peace it is moral and just for soldiers to get killed by the hundreds of thousands, even millions. Do we not have as much courage and faith as soldiers?"" Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has been trying to answer those questions since 1986. CPT has responded to invitations from grassroots organizers on five continents who are using nonviolent strategies to confront systemic oppression. This book provides a glimpse into the mistakes and successes, the triumphs and tragedies, that teams have shared in with local co-workers in various nations. It also continues to pose the question, What would happen if CPT''s efforts were multiplied by millions of Christians with a radical commitment to Jesus''s nonviolent gospel?""In Harm''s Way is the remarkable story of Christian Peacemaker Teams: courageous groups of Christians willing to risk their own lives in non-violent actions that aim to advance peace and justice. Even those of us who are not pacifists will find this moving and honest story of work in such places as the Middle East, Haiti, and Central America compelling. It is a story that will push all Christians to serious thought about the cost of following Jesus in today''s world.""- C. Stephen Evans, University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Baylor University, and Jan E. Evans, Associate Professor of Spanish, Baylor UniversityKathleen Kern has worked for Christian Peacemaker Teams since 1993, serving on assignments in Haiti; in Washington DC; in the West Bank city of Hebron; in Chiapas, Mexico; in South Dakota; in Colombia; and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kern''s articles and essays have appeared in Tikkun magazine and in the Baltimore Sun. Her chapter describing the work of CPT, ""From Haiti to Hebron with a Brief Stop in Washington, D.C.: The CPT Experiment,"" appeared in From the Ground Up: Mennonite Contributions to International Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2000).

""As the crucifixes drenched with Jewish blood drop from our hands, we stand impotent and wordless before this tragedy of Israel and Palestine . . . In the name of the crucified Messiah, we must struggle against the conditions which make history a trail of crucifixions. Only then, in solidarity with Jews and Palestinians, can we dream of Messianic times, of a shalom without victims."" With these words, theologian Rosemary Radford Reuther laid out the pitfalls for Christians entering the arena of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Nevertheless, in 1995, a small cohort of pacifist Christians decided to paddle against the currents of history, against the crusades, pogroms, and colonial enterprises of their co-religionists, toward that goal of ""a shalom without victims."" Setting up a project in the West Bank city of Hebron, over the next ten years Christian Peacemaker Teams forged relationships with Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals who were resisting the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. As ""resident aliens"" (See Exodus 23:9) they have sojourned in the Holy Land to support Palestinians and Israelis who reject violence as a means of solving the conflict, who think that one nation has no right to subjugate and exploit another, and who believe all the residents of the region are entitled to the same, exactly the same, human rights. This book charts the growth of CPT in Palestine, how it adapted to changing political conditions, spread to locations outside of Hebron, and developed networks with activists throughout Palestine and Israel.""In these pages, Kathleen Kern pens a fascinating and important account of the founding and history of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . . . Enlisting dissenting Jews and Palestinians in a struggle for human and political rights, Kern stands as a dramatic Christian witness of the possibility of justice and reconciliation between and among peoples of different faiths. This book narrates the difficulties and sacrifices involved in such a task, a revolutionary task if you will, that continues today.""--Marc Ellis, University Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of the Center of Jewish Studies at Baylor University.""As Resident Aliens is a gripping narrative of Christian Peacemaker Teams'' attempts to transform prayer into practice as they stand with both Palestinians and Israelis in their struggles for peace. Kern''s skill as a writer, a truth-seeker, and a Christian activist shine throughout this troubled history of CPT''s mission in Palestine. This book is a significant addition to our understanding of both the crisis in the Middle-East as well as the need for international accompaniment."" --Ramzi Kysia, Arab-American essayist and pacifist.""A meticulous, painful, and trustworthy account, written with faith, love, and concern, of ten years of peacemaking efforts under unbelievably difficult conditions-when every person who opens this book makes an effort to get it into the hands of those perpetrating this mess and the (American!) politicians who not only close their eyes to it but actually fund and defend it, we''ll be a lot closer to peace.""--Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom, Palestinians and Israelis for NonviolenceKathleen Kern has worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) since 1993, serving on assignments in Haiti, Washington, D.C., Hebron, Chiapas, South Dakota, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the author of, ""The Human Cost of Cheap Cellphones"" and In Harm''s Way: A History of Christian Peacemaker Teams (Cascade Books, 2008).

Description:""As the crucifixes drenched with Jewish blood drop from our hands, we stand impotent and wordless before this tragedy of Israel and Palestine ... In the name of the crucified Messiah, we must struggle against the conditions which make history a trail of crucifixions. Only then, in solidarity with Jews and Palestinians, can we dream of Messianic times, of a shalom without victims."" With these words, theologian Rosemary Radford Reuther laid out the pitfalls for Christians entering the arena of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Nevertheless, in 1995, a small cohort of pacifist Christians decided to paddle against the currents of history, against the crusades, pogroms, and colonial enterprises of their co-religionists, toward that goal of ""a shalom without victims."" Setting up a project in the West Bank city of Hebron, over the next ten years Christian Peacemaker Teams forged relationships with Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals who were resisting the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. As ""resident aliens"" (See Exodus 23:9) they have sojourned in the Holy Land to support Palestinians and Israelis who reject violence as a means of solving the conflict, who think that one nation has no right to subjugate and exploit another, and who believe all the residents of the region are entitled to the same, exactly the same, human rights. This book charts the growth of CPT in Palestine, how it adapted to changing political conditions, spread to locations outside of Hebron, and developed networks with activists throughout Palestine and Israel.Endorsements:""In these pages, Kathleen Kern pens a fascinating and important account of the founding and history of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . . . Enlisting dissenting Jews and Palestinians in a struggle for human and political rights, Kern stands as a dramatic Christian witness of the possibility of justice and reconciliation between and among peoples of different faiths. This book narrates the difficulties and sacrifices involved in such a task, a revolutionary task if you will, that continues today.""--Marc Ellis, University Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of the Center of Jewish Studies at Baylor University.""As Resident Aliens is a gripping narrative of Christian Peacemaker Teams'' attempts to transform prayer into practice as they stand with both Palestinians and Israelis in their struggles for peace. Kern''s skill as a writer, a truth-seeker, and a Christian activist shine throughout this troubled history of CPT''s mission in Palestine. This book is a significant addition to our understanding of both the crisis in the Middle-East as well as the need for international accompaniment."" --Ramzi Kysia, Arab-American essayist and pacifist.""A meticulous, painful, and trustworthy account, written with faith, love, and concern, of ten years of peacemaking efforts under unbelievably difficult conditions-when every person who opens this book makes an effort to get it into the hands of those perpetrating this mess and the (American!) politicians who not only close their eyes to it but actually fund and defend it, we''ll be a lot closer to peace.""--Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom, Palestinians and Israelis for NonviolenceAbout the Contributor(s):Kathleen Kern has worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) since 1993, serving on assignments in Haiti, Washington, D.C., Hebron, Chiapas, South Dakota, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the author of, ""The Human Cost of Cheap Cellphones"" and In Harm''s Way: A History of Christian Peacemaker Teams (Cascade Books, 2008).

Description:In 1984 Evangelicals for Social Action founder Ron Sider posed the questions, ""What would happen if we in the Christian church developed a new nonviolent peacekeeping force ready to move into violent conflicts and stand peacefully between warring parties? . . . Everyone assumes that for the sake of peace it is moral and just for soldiers to get killed by the hundreds of thousands, even millions. Do we not have as much courage and faith as soldiers?"" Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has been trying to answer those questions since 1986. CPT has responded to invitations from grassroots organizers on five continents who are using nonviolent strategies to confront systemic oppression. This book provides a glimpse into the mistakes and successes, the triumphs and tragedies, that teams have shared in with local co-workers in various nations. It also continues to pose the question, What would happen if CPT''s efforts were multiplied by millions of Christians with a radical commitment to Jesus''s nonviolent gospel?Endorsements:""In Harm''s Way is the remarkable story of Christian Peacemaker Teams: courageous groups of Christians willing to risk their own lives in non-violent actions that aim to advance peace and justice. Even those of us who are not pacifists will find this moving and honest story of work in such places as the Middle East, Haiti, and Central America compelling. It is a story that will push all Christians to serious thought about the cost of following Jesus in today''s world.""- C. Stephen Evans, University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Baylor University, and Jan E. Evans, Associate Professor of Spanish, Baylor UniversityAbout the Contributor(s):Kathleen Kern has worked for Christian Peacemaker Teams since 1993, serving on assignments in Haiti; in Washington DC; in the West Bank city of Hebron; in Chiapas, Mexico; in South Dakota; in Colombia; and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kern''s articles and essays have appeared in Tikkun magazine and in the Baltimore Sun. Her chapter describing the work of CPT, ""From Haiti to Hebron with a Brief Stop in Washington, D.C.: The CPT Experiment,"" appeared in From the Ground Up: Mennonite Contributions to International Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2000).