2007-2010 — Theology, Liturgy, and Activism

In the summer of 2006, Tom Nicoll, an Episcopal priest in Larchmont, New York, and Tony Bartlett, professor of theology at Bexley Hall, then the Episcopal seminary in Rochester, first broached the idea. James Williams, professor of New Testament at Syracuse University and one of the founding figures of COV&R, and Michael Hardin, director of Preaching Peace, soon joined the project.

Together, they invited a selected group to “a first theological conversation” under the name Theologia Pacis. That gathering took place in January 2007 at the Mennonite Central Committee in Akron, Pennsylvania, and was especially noteworthy for the participation of members of the peace churches.

After that first gathering, a steering committee began shaping the purpose and spirit of the new organization. The committee included Tom Nicoll and Tony Bartlett, both Episcopal; Dorothy Whiston; Rev. Mary McKinney, UCC; and Jonathan Sauder, Mennonite.

The name Theology & Peace was chosen, and in May 2008 the organization held a successful conference under that name at Bon Secours in Maryland. A foundational membership group formed, the organization incorporated in the state of New York, and the application for tax-exempt status began.

After the Maryland conference, Jonathan Sauder left the board and new members joined: Tony Ciccariello, Episcopal; Rev. Lisa Hadler, UCC; Rev. Shannon Mullen, Lutheran; Adam Ericksen of The Raven Foundation; and Michael Hardin of Preaching Peace. Theology & Peace held its second conference in Chicago in 2009, featuring James Alison, Andrew Marr, and Tony Bartlett.

Early on, the board decided that the annual conference would focus on three areas: theology, liturgy, and activism. That framework helped move the organization beyond ideas alone and into the lived practice of peace.