Arizona Faith for Peace Campaign

From the desk of Lynn Davis, Director, Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project

“We as faith leaders come together to express our united belief in peaceful civic engagement. At a time when divisive rhetoric and actions are increasingly accepted as a form of expression, we condemn violence in all its forms.”

 So begins a new multifaith effort launched yesterday, September 21st, on the International Day of Peace. The Arizona Faith for Peace campaign amplifies the voices of faith leaders across the state who are invested in promoting nonviolence and fostering civility in our public spaces.

Over the past few months, the Gumbiner Community Action Project has worked with faith and nonprofit colleagues to craft the campaign and recruit participation. I’m proud to share that nearly 100 faith leaders from across the state have signed on to a statement condemning violence in all its forms and urging our fellow Arizonans to approach our differences of opinion with mutual respect and dignified dialogue.

The campaign includes ads in major Arizona newspapers, an op-ed published in Sunday’s Arizona Capital Times, and a website, www.azfaithforpeace.org. Underlying all of this is a powerful declaration signed by leaders from a wide range of faith traditions, including Catholic, Lutheran, Unitarian, African Methodist Episcopal, Jewish, Episcopalian, Buddhist, Sikh, and others.

This effort began before last week’s fatal shooting, but that tragic event underscores how urgent and necessary this effort is. Amidst rising levels of polarization, hateful rhetoric, and political violence, the campaign urges Arizonans to reject contempt and hostility in public discourse and instead embrace respect, dialogue, and nonviolence.

Don Henninger, co-lead of the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network writes in the op-ed: “Peace lives in the decisions we make each day, in every conversation, every meeting, every word, and crucially, in our choice to respond to political differences with dialogue rather than violence.”

I’m proud of the way that we’ve been able to unite a diversity of faith leaders around this powerful message and I’m so appreciative to all who had the courage and conviction to add their names. But most of all, I’m grateful for the friends and colleagues in this groups who continue to give me hope, even in the most trying times.

The campaign continues to gather signatures. If you are interested in adding your name, please visit azfaithforpeace.org.