Peacemaking or Virtue Signaling?

Peacemaking or Virtue Signaling?

In this episode of Voices 4 Peace, Pastor Todd Stavrakos, Executive Director of Pathways for Peace, and Rev. Dr. Peter Pettit, Board Member of Pathways for Peace, tackle a difficult question: are today's churches truly engaged in peacemaking, or are they simply signaling virtue?  Drawing on their experience in Israel and Palestine, they explore trauma, solidarity, accountability, and the challenges of addressing conflict without simply taking sides. The conversation examines how faith communities can move beyond statements and slogans toward the difficult work of building peace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pathways for Middle East Peace is a nonprofit educational organization that works to support collaboration between mainline churches and the Jewish community. We advocate for peace and reconciliation through dialogue and building relationships. While the world seeks to build walls and silos, we believe that Christ has created a pathway for us through the example of His life, ministry, death and resurrection: to build community by bringing people together. Visit Pathways4Peace.org for more.

Making Peace with Your Enemies | Rev. Marshall Mitchell

In this episode of Voices 4 Peace, Todd Stavrakos sits down with Rev. Marshall Mitchell to explore what it means to be a peacemaker in an increasingly polarized world. Drawing from his experience engaging the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the Oslo years, Marshall reflects on the importance of hope, courageous leadership, and the difficult work of building trust across deep divides.  Together they discuss vulnerability, accountability, faith, and why lasting peace requires more than choosing sides. It requires seeing the humanity in those we consider our enemies.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pathways for Middle East Peace is a nonprofit educational organization that works to support collaboration between mainline churches and the Jewish community. We advocate for peace and reconciliation through dialogue and building relationships. While the world seeks to build walls and silos, we believe that Christ has created a pathway for us through the example of His life, ministry, death and resurrection: to build community by bringing people together. Visit Pathways4Peace.org for more.

The Iranian Jewish Perspective on Iran, Israel, and Freedom with Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh

In this episode of Voices 4 Peace, Pastor Peter Pettit speaks with Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh of American Jewish University about her experience as the daughter of Iranian Jewish immigrants, her Persian Jewish heritage, and the growing hope for a free Iran. Together they explore the realities of the Iranian regime, the relationship between Iran and Israel, and why many Iranians, both inside and outside the country, long for change. It’s a conversation about identity, faith, freedom, and the complicated future of the Middle East. Follow Rabbi Tarlan on IG for more insight and on-the-ground perspective: @rabbitarlan Resources: Peter references this eJewishPhilanthropy profile on Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh [https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/meet-the-l-a-rabbi-who-found-a-national-stage-for-her-support-of-the-iranian-protests/?utm_source=chatgpt.com], which explores her advocacy for the Iranian protest movement and her perspective on faith, freedom, and justice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pathways for Middle East Peace is a nonprofit educational organization that works to support collaboration between mainline churches and the Jewish community. We advocate for peace and reconciliation through dialogue and building relationships. While the world seeks to build walls and silos, we believe that Christ has created a pathway for us through the example of His life, ministry, death and resurrection: to build community by bringing people together. Visit Pathways4Peace.org for more.

Faith Leaders Confront the Conflict with Jason Holtzman

In this episode of Voices 4 Peace, Pastor Todd Stavrakos sits down with Jason Holtzman to reflect on how the realities on the ground in Israel and the Palestinian territories are experienced by those living them and why those perspectives often look very different from how the conflict is discussed in the West. Drawing from their recent delegation, they unpack the complexity of the war in the aftermath of October 7, the rise of antisemitism in the United States, and the deep trauma and resilience shaping both Israeli and Palestinian communities.  Listen in for a conversation about conflict, morality, interfaith relationships, and what it looks like to pursue peace, dignity, and understanding in an increasingly divided world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pathways for Middle East Peace is a nonprofit educational organization that works to support collaboration between mainline churches and the Jewish community. We advocate for peace and reconciliation through dialogue and building relationships. While the world seeks to build walls and silos, we believe that Christ has created a pathway for us through the example of His life, ministry, death and resurrection: to build community by bringing people together. Visit Pathways4Peace.org for more.

How Israelis Understand War with Yossi Klein Halevi

In this episode of Voices 4 Peace, Pastor Peter Pettit sits down with Israeli author and public intellectual Yossi Klein Halevi to discuss how Israelis understand the wars they are fighting from October 7 to Gaza to the threat of Iran and why that perspective often looks very different from how the conflict is discussed in the West. Listen in for a conversation about war, morality, trauma, democracy, survival, and the growing disconnect between Israel and much of the Western world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pathways for Middle East Peace is a nonprofit educational organization that works to support collaboration between mainline churches and the Jewish community. We advocate for peace and reconciliation through dialogue and building relationships. While the world seeks to build walls and silos, we believe that Christ has created a pathway for us through the example of His life, ministry, death and resurrection: to build community by bringing people together. Visit Pathways4Peace.org for more.