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Being Peacemakers For a World of Surging Polarization
"Engaging those we're in deep disagreement with doesn't mean pretending everything is okay... It takes time. It's not only talking about issues but getting to know one another as human beings, to share personal stories of pain and hope, to engage journeys together," says Dr. Chris Rice, Mennonite Central Committee alumnus, and co-founding director of Duke Divinity School Centre for Reconciliation.
Rice is the feature speaker at CMU's upcoming Face2Face conversation event, Being Peacemakers For a World of Surging Polarization, on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:00 PM.
The writer and global networker will present the essentials of the Christian journey towards hope in an era marked by division and polarized opinions, where dialogue is often replaced by outrage.
Rice's lecture will help the audience navigate the art of reconciliation "in a time of so little self-critique within our silos," he says.
"Whether it's divides of race or ideology, engaging those we're in deep disagreement with doesn't mean pretending everything is okay. It does mean staying at the table. It requires intentionality. It takes time," says Rice.
CMU's Face2Face events are a long-running series of conversations designed to engage the community on issues at the intersections of faith and life.
Rice previously served as director of the MCC United Nations Office in New York City, co-founder of the Duke Divinity School Centre for Reconciliation, and is the author of four books, including his latest, From Pandemic to Renewal, published in 2023. He has also worked in community development and racial healing in Mississippi, as well as in peacebuilding initiatives on the Korean Peninsula.
Joining Rice will be the night's host, Darryl Loewen, Executive Director of MCC Manitoba. The panellists for the evening will be Dr. Dan Epp-Tiessen, Emeritus Associate Professor of Bible, and Dr. Jodi Dueck-Read, Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution Studies and Conflict Transformation Studies.
"I will be talking about the importance of putting grief–what Chris Rice talks about as lament–into action," says Dueck-Read.
"When social and political events happen, and we move toward one pole or another, putting our grief into action may be helpful. Working with others to illustrate publicly the disturbing loss that we are experiencing gives us opportunities to connect."
Dueck-Read describes how grief is both an individual and a communal part of life, and confronting public grief holds a powerful tension between discomfort and restorative power.
"The dynamic of polarization," Dueck-Read says, "calls us as peacemakers into the messy middle so that we can remember and point out the humanity of leaders/decision-makers and affected people."
Although "meeting in the middle" is often heralded as the best path forward to resolving polarization, Dueck-Read is keen to highlight that "we cannot be co-opted by the middle ground as it may not be safe, nor does it always allow us to seek justice."
"In polarization, we must remember our humanity and that of others," she says.
As the panellists speak on the role of reconciliation from their own credit and academic research, Rice will explore how faith-driven empathy can bridge deep cultural divides.
In Rice's view, grace reaches its fullest expression when virtue and compassion are joined.
"In America and many parts of the world, we live in a time of contempt across lines of division–a time of justice over mercy, truth over forgiveness, winning over bridge building," Rice says.
"Extending grace means holding justice and mercy together and not pulling them apart."
More information, including a livestream of the event, can be found at cmu.ca/face2face.
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