Theoretical Reconciliation

Introduction

The Biblical term peace and its cognates are foundational in the scriptures. It appears 550 times in the Bible. Peace and diversity are woven together as the threads of a tapestry; together giving us a picture of shalom, the way God designed the universe to be. Hence peace is a theme that constantly takes us back to the place of Eden, a place where the Creator and His creation were in shalom.

This implies that whenever we have an issue caused by the fall, we need to go back and find out the source, where the cloth tore and sew it again with the right thread and appropriate needle.

In our case of the broken gender relations, which results to women discrimination, the concept of shalom is imperative as it illustrates the way

Vertical reconciliation is what makes possible horizontal reconciliation. It can be summed up in five points:

1. Reconciliation is the work of God; we but participate in that work. This parallels the biblical teaching on peace, where God is the author of true peace.

2. God begins the work of reconciliation with the healing of the victim. This is consistent with the message of the great prophets and the ministry of Jesus: God is especially concerned with the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger. It may seem counterintuitive in that most people associate reconciliation with the repentance of the wrongdoer. This is all well and good, but practically speaking (especially in the reconciliation of peoples) the wrongdoers seldom if ever repents. Which simply implies that God can heal the victims, and even lead them to forgive the wrongdoers before the wrongdoers repent.

3. In reconciliation we are made a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). The experience of healing means that the victim does not return to the state in which they were before the violence or the

(Isa 9:6-7; New International Version)

It is interesting to notice that in this passage, peace is not coming from a powerful ruler or one of the sage priests, but it is coming from a child. He will be called Prince of Peace, meaning Jesus Himself is the peace Himself. Paul affirms it in his passage in Ephesians:

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Eph 2:14-18; New International Version)

This passage reveals the purpose of God, which is to create a new humanity, a humanity where peace resides, a humanity reconciled with God and reconciled among one another. Hence as the feet and hands of Christ, as the church, the Body of Christ this s our task to be peace