Perspectives on the Christian Peacemaking Teams

Mollie Ziegler at "Get Religion" makes a much needed point during this time of uncertainty regarding the CPT hostages in Iraq:

GetReligion: December 12, 2005:

"...The Christian Peacemakers require its corps members to be “deeply grounded in Christian faith.” So you have a group of peace activists who may have already lost their lives because of their interpretation of the Bible. Leaving apart the possible merit or naivete in their political understanding, why aren’t reporters teaching us more about their Quaker-infused theology?..."

The Saturday deadline is nearly 48 hours in the past and there is is still no word as to their fate.

As Ziegler points out, there is no consensus among Christians as to whether wars can ever be justified, but there is no serious question as to what motivates the CPT. Yet to read the news stories about this, the closest they seem to come to suggesting a motive is simply reporting the name of the organization.

CPT has an informative website and goes into detail into why they do what they do. The qualifications to be a part of the corps are sufficient to weed out the people who might want to try it out because it's just too cool:

"...Team members are selected to represent a range of ages, skills, life experiences, and ethnic backgrounds. CPT seeks applicants who are:

• at least 21 years of age
  
• deeply grounded in Christian faith
  
• committed to peacemaking
  
• experienced in nonviolent direct action
  
• adequately free from responsibilities in order to move into life-threatening situations on short notice
  
• willing to commit to three years of service
  

Members may also have special skills or significant experience in a particular cross-cultural setting...."

Whether you agree or disagree with their stance, their rhetoric, or their methods, these people are truly committed to the Lord and are in need of our prayers.