Issues of reconciliation are complex, multi-dimensional, contemporary and historical. But they have their roots in the Bible.

The Gospel of forgiveness, stemming from the prayer of Christ on the Cross “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing” when he was suffering cruelly at the hands of his tormentors, provides for us Christians the basis of all reconciliation. If Christ can pray that prayer, as a victim, then we can all pray that prayer. And if we know we are forgiven by God and can practise forgiveness as a lifestyle, then we can also be the mediators of forgiveness to others, either as facilitators or participants in the process. Christ has given to us a “ministry of reconciliation” (see 2 Corinthians 5.17-21). That reconciliation is in context between God and man – and we are mediators of that. But it is also in essence between man and man.

Christ didn’t wait for his persecutors to feel their guilt and come to him to ask for forgiveness. As a victim, still feeling the pain of their inflicted suffering, He took the initiative to ask God to forgive them.

In the complex world of atrocities committed by groups and individuals against others, is there a place where those caught up in the conflict, either as perpetrators of violence or the victims of it, can find a place of reconciliation? In the tortured stories of age-old conflicts, corporate pain and continuing hatred and fear, resentment and blame, is there a place to find reconciliation?

As far as God is concerned, does the corporate guilt and pain caused by nations, tribes, clans and individuals in history go away once the participants have died? Does God overlook the sin? Does He forget the sin, as if it doesn’t matter any more? Does He turn a blind eye to the continuing consequences of past sin and conflict?

I am glad to say that many modern followers of Jesus are at the forefront of community reconciliation. Sometimes they are looking for ways of putting into practise the principles of reconciliation in contemporary situations – like the Israeli-based ministry Musalaha that arranges camps for young Arabs and Jews to live together and learn about and from each other what are the causes of hatred and violence that divide their two communities. Another of my friends ministers on “Healing the wounds of ethnic conflict” in situations of recent war and tribal conflict, like Ruanda, Congo and Sri Lanka. She seeks to help victims and perpetrators to bring their pain and guilt to the Cross and from there to find a place of forgiveness and reconciliation with each other.

In my own situation I have led, or been part of, small teams to many nations where we have needed to repent of the sins of our nation during our colonial period, when we indulged our corporate greed, often with violence, at the expense of poorer undeveloped nations. I’ve also been involved with teams that have gone into some of the world’s trouble-spots to “stand in the gap” to seek a place where representative groups could be reconciled as a way of beginning the process of ending conflict.

Others have concentrated on dealing with the heritage of the slave trade – both in West Africa and in the Americas. Another of my friends has led teams to walk in yokes and chains in many nations and to repent for the sin of slavery. Sometimes those walks provoke as much antagonism as they do empathy. But how is the church going to tackle all the modern forms of slavery?

There are others involved in facilitating secular reconciliation between corporate entities, using lessons learned from legal processes and calling this “peacemaking” – another biblical term! (see Matthew 5.9). I know a group of ex-military officers who are engaged in a range of reconciliation ministries, with church and governments, seeking to redress what they see as the consequences of past military decisions.

When we look at the world, who is there who can in Christ’s name help resolve some of the conflicts occurring in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq? We may not see the atrocities and the reason for them as coming from Christian sources, but when we look at history we often see that decisions and actions taken by some Western nations have directly led to the settling of old scores by current-day inheritors of the pain and consequences of those decisions.

The nation of Armenia is one that has its modern-day identity rooted in the genocide it suffered in 1915 at the hands of the Turks (before Turkey became a modern-day nation state). As it approaches the 100^th Anniversary of that traumatic time, how will it respond? Various nations have either sided with Turkey or Armenia in solidarity. How will that play out in 2015? What other potential flash points are there around the world?

The need for reconciliation is everywhere. Some want to debate the theological issues and the biblical rationale. Others want to engage merely at the political level in diplomacy, whereas others will only engage when Christians are involved.

For those involved in prayer, however, we know that the only way to defuse the antagonism caused by past hurt and blame is through humbly standing in the gap, confessing the sin, repenting and seeking reconciliation representationally between those whose first loyalty is to Christ, and secondly to tribe and country. Repentance and reconciliation is also the way to defuse the stronghold of evil that has been created in the places and among the people who have suffered or been perpetrators.

Over the years we have seen some amazing answers to this kind of prayer. Situations have changed overnight, conflicts have ended and nations have changed. Is everything perfect? No. Is there more to do? Most certainly. Just as individuals have been reconciled, so can communities. Ultimately it is at the Cross where it begins - and ends!

Brian Mills,

IPC Senior Advisor

May 2013

Another word from Brian Mills about a recent reconciliation between Kenya and the U.K.:

I hope you have seen press reports in the past couple of days detailing the British Government's decision to recompense those Kenyans who had taken the Government to court over atrocities committed against them during the Mau Mau uprising, when British rule was still in place. The fact that the Foreign Secretary has admitted the culpability of the British at that time is a huge step forward.

If you haven't seen this, then I expect you can Google it - it was in most of our daily papers and on the BBC. The world's media has covered this story in many ways. Google: britain-issues-unprecedented-apology-colonial-era-kenyans

The lady Caroline Elkins, quoted in this report, had written a book on Kenya which was one of resource books for us.

You may remember that a small team of us were in Kenya last July to engage in repentance over these same issues, and at the time or just after a group of Kenyans took our Government to court. I believe what has happened at governmental level over this issue is fruit from what happened last July. Praise God with us.