Published on
June 17, 2010
Video length
62 mins
Forgiveness and reconciliation lie at the heart of the gospel of Jesus. For Jesus, who is our peace, puts to death hostility and enmity. Still, profound hostility is still the defining feature of life for billions of people—the hostility of gunfire and persecution, the hostility of racism and fear, the hostility of family dysfunction and church disunity.

In light of both this promise and this pain, this session will probe how public worship services can both proclaim and practice the gospel of peace. Come ready to learn about worship and reconciliation in South Africa, Pakistan, Palestine, Northern Ireland, as well as in cities, suburbs, and towns across North America. We pray that we'll leave with practical ideas for next Sunday's service, but also with a perspective that transforms how we think about the daily news and pray for the global church.

Panelists include Elias Chacour (Palestine), Kobus Gerber and Jerry Pillay (South Africa), Setri Nyomi (Ghana), Eric Sarwar (Pakistan), Ed Gilbreath (author of Reconciliation Blues), and Karen Campbell (Northern Ireland).

Recent Media Resources

Practicing Resilience with the Psalms

The psalms are a rich resource for our human experience of emotions, community, and connection to God. We will practice activities based on the truth of the psalms and on psychology to strengthen our capacity for navigating suffering with grace and resilience.

May 21, 2026 | 1 min video
Preaching and Teaching the Psalms: A Conversation with Pastor-Theologians

A panel discussion in which Amanda Benckhuysen, Karen Campbell, G. Sujin Pak, and moderator Kathy Smith ponder the challenges and opportunities in preaching and teaching from the psalms. Are there incomplete or incorrect assumptions about the psalms that sermons and lectures can tackle? How do we handle the imprecatory psalms when we have a Savior who told us to love and forgive the very enemies many psalms talk about? The panel will consider these and other vital questions for preachers and teachers in today’s church.

May 14, 2026 | 89 min video
Being Shaped by the Psalms: Lessons in Trust, Hope, and Love

The psalms reflect our deepest emotions as people of faith. In their expressions of thanksgiving, trust, lament, anger, joy, doubt, and praise, these ancient prayers seem to peer right into our souls and put words to our thoughts and experiences. But the psalms are more than human words to God. Embedded as they are in the scriptures, they are now also God’s word to us.

May 12, 2026 | 80 min video