27/08/2026
How is it possible for good people, from good families and with strong principles, to find themselves serving as soldiers, fighting and killing other good people who have been identified as the enemy to be defeated? How can we speak of “loving our enemies”, both in human and Christian terms? And how can we still, today, overcome the barriers of fear and dehumanisation?
In this article, Mennonite peace activist Doug Hostetter, a long-standing collaborator of Pax Christi International, reflects on more than sixty years of working for peace, from Vietnam to Iran, and on what he has learnt from meeting people on both sides of conflicts who had been turned into “enemies”.
His reflection on Christian love in times of war, and on our responsibility to continue building bridges, is grounded in a realisation that is both extraordinary and remarkably simple: “the foundation of peacebuilding is human relationships.”
The article was first published in Faith & Leadership. Link here ➡️ https://faithandleadership.com/how-do-you-love-your-enemies-time-war
