Pieces on Peace, June 2026 Edition

I’m excited to share reflections on my experience of the Justice Conference at Zephyr Point in May. I am deeply grateful to have had the chance to attend the conference and see Lake Tahoe for the first time. An overarching theme of the conference was decolonizing Christianity. Here are my major takeaways:

Rev. Dr. Mitch Randall, member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, shared his perspective on The Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) informed by an indigenous theology of wholeness. This command has served as a biblical and theological foundation for white supremacy, as the command to “go,” “baptize,” and “obey” has been interpreted as “conquer,” “convert,” and “control.” Mitch invited us to reframe the commission as go: be a good relative to others (relative = kinship beyond neighbor); baptize: learn and honor cultural ritualism (baptism is itself a contextualized, cultural ritual); and obey: live as an example. One question we should ask of ourselves of our faith-informed beliefs, practices, and actions: Does this help me be a good relative?

Rev. Dr. Star Thomas helped us reclaim our somebody-ness that is suppressed, diminished, and dis-embodied by white supremacy. Turning to the “I Am – Somebody” poem by Rev. William Holmes Borders, Sr. and often recited by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Star invited us to proclaim loudly and proudly for ourselves that “I am somebody!” Try it for yourself. Say: “I am God’s child. I am somebody.” Let us remember this is true for everyone we encounter.

Challenging homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and anti-gayness prevalent in our world, Rev. Kali Cawthon-Freels also invited us to be proud of the unique person God created us each to be. As we enter Pride Month this June, how can you express your prideful love for your LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ?

Keynote speaker, ethicist Dr. Miguel de la Torres, discomforted us with the topic of hopelessness. Hope can be a form of domination, as it cleanses us from complicity in broken systems. When we reduce hope to the individual case, we ignore all others who do not make it out of hopeless situations. Embracing hopelessness does not mean we give up or give in; instead, it offers us clarity and propels us toward action. Focusing on immigration, Miguel made it apparent that our society makes too much money from having a broken immigration system to try to fix it. What part can you play to creatively disrupt systems so we can hold our country, churches, and organizations accountable to the standards they claim for themselves?

If you’d like to have an open conversation on any of these topics or other peacemaking and justice-related concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I know these are heavy topics and loaded language. I seek to build bridges, not deepen divides.

 

– Veronica Ota, Peacemaking & Justice Advocate