“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” (Ephesians 2:14, NRSV)
Conflict resolution and transformation at any level, from interpersonal to interstate, can feel impossible. We’ve learned to dehumanize those we deem as “others.” This human tendency to create an out-group based on identity category, social standing, or complex relational history is not a new phenomenon. The Bible, even, points to the lived realty of “us vs. them.” Yet, the Bible does not settle for accepting an “us vs. them” as our reality. Rather, the Bible offers insight on how to transform conflict from acute hostility to prolonged peace. In Ephesians 2, Paul essentially calls out the Church in Ephesus and reminds them that they are no better than anyone else simply because they now call themselves followers of Christ. Rather, it was they who used to be the group ostracized from God’s love (Eph. 2:11-12). However, the old “us vs. them” division disappeared when Jesus died on the cross for all Creation, regardless of identity. Christ transformed this ancient conflict by delivering a “new humanity in place of the two” in which we can now live with one another in peace (Eph. 2:14-15). Unfortunately, living peacefully alongside our brothers and sisters is not always the easiest option. We live in a broken world, susceptible to our human proclivity to “other.” Whether in our personal lives with friends, family, or coworkers; or at an interstate level through foreign policy or the wars in which we are all personally involved, conflict permeates our lived realities as Soldiers in the United States Army. As I write this, I’m sitting in El Salvador, living in community with people personally affected by the immigration policies of the U.S. Policies which literally create the “dividing wall” about which Paul writes was “broken down” by Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:14). To this end, we all must think critically about how we handle conflicts when they arise. Do we only try to resolve them, or do we try to transform them into a new reality – a united humanity – which contributes to a prolonged peace? Inevitably, our course of action will be messy. However, we can choose to “other” the person or group with whom we’re fighting, or we can develop empathy. Our reaction becomes even more critical as we consider the power dynamics at play. Ultimately, Christ knit us together in a beautiful web of Spirit (Ephesians 2:20-22). Even if you don’t believe in a God, you can still believe that we are all united together in our humanity. Thus, if we can give each other a little grace, a little mercy, and remember that, at the end of the day, we’re all just people trying to find our way in this world, achieving peace as a “new humanity” becomes more tangible reality. |