If you want peace, go and talk to your enemy
Ralf Becker, Karen Hinrichs, Heinrich Schäfer, Theodor Ziegler, and many supporters have presented an "Ecumenical Peace Treatise – 2026"
Edited by ‘edition pace’
Ralf Becker / Karen Hinrichs / Heinrich Schäfer / Theodor Ziegler: If you want peace, go and talk to enemy. – An Ecumenical Peace Treatise, 2026. With a preface by Konrad Raiser. (English version of: Wer Frieden will, muss mit dem Feind reden. Eine ökumenische Friedensschrift ǀ 2026). Series: edition pace ǀ Special Edition. First digital edition : OekIF. Publication date: 04.08.2026. https://www.lebenshaus-alb.de/magazin/media/pdf/Ecumenical-Peace-Treatise-2026.pdf
Ralf Becker, Karen Hinrichs, Heinrich Schäfer, Theodor Ziegler, and many supporters (organizations, individuals) have presented an "Ecumenical Peace Treatise – 2026." In cooperation with the Ecumenical Peace Network, it is being published as a book in the "edition pace" series; the online version, which was published first, is freely available and may be shared.
Guidance from the Sermon on the Mount
Can we still be guided by the Sermon on the Mount today? Yes, say the authors of this peace treatise. For the Sermon on the Mount is compatible with modern peace research. In particular, the concept of "peace logic" points to ways in which conflicts could be resolved through diplomacy and civil conflict resolution, and wars may be prevented. A well-informed analysis of the West’s negative role in the escalation of the war in Ukraine clearly illustrates that, at the political level, the "plank in one’s own eye" too often obscures one’s view.
This ecumenical peace document provides Christians and humanists with a clear ethical orientation toward peace. It calls for an unequivocal commitment to military disarmament and for all states to join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in times of massive rearmament. Churches, in particular, can be a strong, clear voice for peace and contribute to building a culture of peace.
Initial feedback on the Ecumenical Peace Manifesto
"The Church should think further ahead in its proclamation and pastoral care, as well as in its political diaconate, than the powers of the world are capable of. That is why even the trailblazing title of the Ecumenical Peace Manifesto is encouraging: ‘Whoever wants peace must speak with the enemy.’" (Horst Scheffler, Retired Senior Military Chaplain).
"This peace document provides guidance in the best sense of the word: clear in its position, understandable in its language, well-structured, and free of political and theological contortions." (Elisabeth Freise, member of the coordinating committee of "Rethinking Security").
"Something very good has been created here! I find the clear structure particularly successful and, even more importantly, the clear language. This makes the peace document interesting and useful in many contexts over the long term, such as in religious education or in non-church peace initiatives. And long-term use and impact are more important than short-term attention. But the two are not mutually exclusive!" (Markus Weingardt, peace and conflict researcher).
The Editorial Group
Ralf Becker, social entrepreneur, coordinator of the "Rethinking Security" initiative since 2019, coordinator of Gewaltfrei handeln – ökumenisch Frieden lernen e.V. from 2012 to 2019, and active in, among other things, the Spokespersons’ Council of the Platform for Civil Conflict Management, in church development for the dioceses of Paderborn and Münster, the Jubilee 2000 campaign, as well as the coordination of international sustainability dialogues and the implementation of the study Zukunftsfähiges Deutschland at the aid organization Misereor.
Karen Hinrichs, retired pastor, theologian, and educator; 1989–2004 parish pastor and 2004–2019 senior church councilor of the Evangelical Regional Church in Baden; 2020–2025 lecturer and executive director of the Peace Institute at the Evangelical University of Applied Sciences in Freiburg. Publications on peace education and theology. Member of, among others: Ecumenical Institute for Peace Theology, Gewaltfrei Handeln – ökumenisch Frieden lernen e.V., International Fellowship of Reconciliation – German Branch, Church and Peace.
Heinrich Schäfer, Prof. Dr. Dr. (ret.), sociologist and Protestant theologian, Bielefeld University; formerly at the Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana, Costa Rica; since the late 1970s, he has been engaged in field research during two wars and other academic work in Latin America and Germany, focusing on the topic of "Conflict / Peace" from sociological and theological perspectives. His theological approach is a sociologically informed liberation theology.
Theodor Ziegler, Ph.D., Baiersbronn, religious educator, contributed to the peace ethics discussion process of the Baden Regional Church as well as to the development of the scenario Rethinking Security: From Military to Civil Security Policy and is a member of the Ecumenical Institute for Peace Theology as well as the German Peace Society – United Opponents of War. Dissertation: "Motives and Alternative Concepts of Christian Pacifists."
Supporters
Supporting organizations: "Taxes for Plowshares" campaign within the Peace Tax Network e.V. ǀ Bonhoeffer-Niemöller Foundation ǀ Christians in the German Peace Society – United Conscientious Objectors (DFG-VK) ǀ Church and Peace ǀ Evangelical Working Group for Conscientious Objectors in Württemberg (EAK) ǀ Forum for Peace Ethics in the Evangelical Regional Church of Baden (FFE) ǀ Women’s Group "On the Move for Life" ǀ Main-Taunus Peace Initiative ǀ Peace Ministry of the Evangelical Regional Church in Württemberg ǀ Acting Nonviolently – Learning Peace Ecumenically, Inc. ǀ Green Alternative, Inc. ǀ Christian Peace Appeal Initiative ǀ Rethinking Security Initiative ǀ International Fellowship of Reconciliation – German Branch, Inc. ǀ IPPNW – International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War / Physicians in Social Responsibility e.V. German Section ǀ Kairos Europa e.V., Heidelberg ǀ Ecumenical Initiative for the Reform or Abolition of Military Chaplaincy ǀ Ecumenical Institute for Peace Theology ǀ pax christi ǀ German Section ǀ Solidarity Church in the Rhineland ǀ Workshop for Nonviolent Action Baden.
Individual supporters: Gerd Bauz, organizational consultant, Frankfurt am Main ǀ Dietrich Becker-Hinrichs, retired pastor, Lahr ǀ Prof. Dr. Hanne-Margret Birckenbach, peace researcher, Hamburg ǀ Susanne Bödecker, DFG-VK staff member and consultant for KDV, Stuttgart ǀ Paul Bosler, pastor, Nürtingen ǀ Dr. Eberhard Bürger, retired pastor, Magdeburg ǀ Peter Bürger, theologian and journalist, Düsseldorf ǀ Susanne Büttner, dean of the Baden-Württemberg Correctional System, Schwäbisch Gmünd ǀ Maria Buchwitz, chair of the pax christi Diocesan Association of Münster, Münster ǀ Dr. Angelika Claussen, President of IPPNW Europe, Bielefeld ǀ Dr. Ulrich Duchrow, Professor of Systematic Theology and Social Ethics, Heidelberg ǀ Horst Fißmer, retired pastor, Minden ǀ Erich Frehse, retired pastor, Bonn ǀ Prof. Dr. Josef Freise, Christian-Muslim Peace Initiative Germany, Neuwied ǀ Hartmut Friedrich, Theologian and Retired Pastor, Gaggenau ǀ Dr. Gudula Frieling, Teacher, Dortmund ǀ Dr. Ulrich van Gemmeren, Retired Managing Director, Merzhausen ǀ Udo Grotz, Retired Pastor and Religious Education Teacher, Heitersheim ǀ Rita Horstmann, Retired Pastor, Cologne ǀ Stefanie Intveen, mediator, Cologne ǀ Aline Jung, homemaker and organizer of the "Unterwegs für das Leben" pilgrimage routes, Ettenheim ǀ Christian Keller, retired theologian and dean, Villingen/Black Forest ǀ Gerhard Kern, Chair of the Main-Taunus Peace Initiative, retired teacher and concert singer, Hofheim am Taunus ǀ Retired Prof. Dr. Rainer Kessler, Old Testament scholar, Frankfurt am Main ǀ Dr. Heinz Klippert, economist, learning researcher, peace educator, Landau ǀ Karl Wilhelm Koch, B.S. in Chemical Engineering, author of the technical book "Nuclear Power Accidents," Mehren ǀ Robert Kölblin, B.S. in Electrical Engineering, conscientious objector, Lörrach ǀ Prof. Dr. Elke Krahmann, political scientist, Kiel ǀ Wolfgang Krauß, theological assistant at the Mennonite congregation in Augsburg ǀ Dr. Matthias Kreplin, senior church councilor and pastor, Karlsruhe ǀ Thomas-Dietrich Lehmann, Protestant prison chaplain, Berlin ǀ Johannes Maier, Director of the Ecumenical Peace Discussion Group, Waldkirch-Kollnau ǀ Dr. Eberhard Müller, biologist and theologian, Zell am Harmersbach ǀ Reinhard Müller, pastor. retired, Vice Chair of the Bonhoeffer-Niemöller Foundation, Nieder Seifersdorf ǀ Monika Nitsch, retired Protestant religion teacher, Düsseldorf ǀ Jacqueline Olesen, Peace Commissioner of the Protestant Peace Congregation, Baden-Baden ǀ Prof. Dr. Gottfried Orth, theologian, Rothenburg ob der Tauber ǀ Klaus Schittich, global citizen and human rights activist, Freiburg ǀ Rainer Schmid, theologian and religion teacher, Ulm/Danube ǀ Michael Schweitzer, retired pastor, Ellenhausen ǀ Thomas Carl Schwoerer, Federal Spokesperson for the German Peace Society – United War Resisters (DFG-VK) ǀ Prof. Dr. em. Franz Segbers, social ethicist, Konstanz ǀ PD Dr. Stefan Silber, theologian, Saarbrücken ǀ Richard Strodel, deacon, member of IKF Bavaria, Neustadt, Coburg ǀ Klaus Waiditschka, editor of Friedenssteuer-Nachrichten and board member of CPTI, Mannheim ǀ Dr. Klaus Wazlawik, engineer specializing in deep drilling technology, Berlin ǀ Markus Weber, Certified Theologian, Advisor for Peace Education & pax christi in the Archdiocese, Freiburg ǀ Dr. Markus Weingardt, Peace and Conflict Researcher, Tübingen ǀ Dominik Weiß, deacon and theologian, Baiersbronn ǀ Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dietrich Werner, theologian, Berlin ǀ Birgit Worzalla-Lapp, peace educator, staff member at pax christi and the Peace Light Campaign, St. Märgen ǀ Andreas Zumach, journalist and author, Berlin.
Digital edition online – Free English Version (translation): Ralf Becker / Karen Hinrichs / Heinrich Schäfer / Theodor Ziegler: If you want peace, go and talk to enemy. An Ecumenical Peace Treatise, 2026. With a preface by Konrad Raiser. First digital edition : OekIF. Publication date: 04.08.2026. https://www.lebenshaus-alb.de/magazin/media/pdf/Ecumenical-Peace-Treatise-2026.pdf
Digital edition online – Free German Version: https://friedenstheologie-institut.jimdofree.com/app/download/8609240763/Oekumenische-Friedenschrift-2026.pdf