PEACE IN OUR COMMUNITY - who is responsible for the peace of the community?

Years ago I came across a documentary about animals being killed in South Africa.  No one knew why this strange phenomenon was happening until they discovered that young bull elephants were using their new found adolescent energy to kill other animals.  Why?  These bulls had no communitarian restraints on them and they were violent.  These young bulls had been separated from the herd.

So biologists brought in a number of old bull elephants and the testosterone of the young bulls dried up and they stopped killing other animals.  Once the young bulls were in proper relationship with the old bulls that had more power and strength they began to behave themselves. Independence from our communities can be a bad thing.

Who is responsible in our communities to keep the peace?  Who is called to restrain the violent ones of our communities?

In restorative justice, crimes are not done against the state but against the victims of the crime and the community.  So restoring relationships - community becomes a part of the equation in the context of the community.    The community is responsible for bringing healing and peace when there has been conflict.  The perpetrators are required to own their offenses and apologize and make their wrongs right.  So the elephants are to be dealt with by the elephant community, it is their problem, but it affects the safety and well being of everyone in the community.  Conflict is a community issue and perpetrators are not marginalized to be only dealt with by the State-the criminal justice system or wild life biologists! The experts can help but they are not the only ones to solve this problem everyone must do their parts for peace to be established and safety maintained in the community. 

In Jeremiah 29:4-7 the Israelites are exhorted to pray and work for peace.  They are captives in a foreign land but they are to work towards bringing welfare, prosperity, and peace to their community.  This is a mission given by God.  “And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon.  Pray to the Lord for that city where you are held captive for if Babylon has peace, so will you.”  Jeremiah 29:7  This was a violent time and those who conquered others in battle were so very cruel, abusive and domineering.  Yet Israel is called to work and pray for the peace in this enemy culture. They live in this city where there was a connection between everyone who lived there and peace would benefit all in the context in which they lived.

Some of our city leaders got together for a press conference to put forth a united front on peace in our city.  As one of the leaders spoke they put the focus on the media being the problem and how they amplified the violence of a fringe element who are harmful to others.  As I thought about their response I thought it is their young elephants that are doing a lot of damage and violence and they need to step up and not deflect their responsibility in holding them accountable.

At the same time a woman I know from a white suburban church talked with her pastor and said, “We as white people need to declare the violence done by white racists is wrong.”  He agreed so the next Sunday they defined these behaviors as wrong in front of the congregation, prayed for the victims and wrote letters of apology to black pastors.  I thought it took a lot of grace and courage to do this.  Who wants to identify with badly behaving people of any people group and this Presbyterian Church followed their Savior who identified with sinners even though He was not a sinner and they were white but not racists.   It is often easier to identify with the victims than the perpetrators.  However all true believers know they are sinners or perpetrators and therefore need God’s grace.  These believers stepped up and did the work.  Is it our responsibility to identify with our tribe and correct them when they misbehave even when we don’t naturally relate or identify?  Old elephants are still elephants even if they do not act like young elephants.

Peace only comes in our communities when we make peace and solve conflict by working towards the welfare of our communities.  Where are the bull elephants that can correct their own kind and establish a healthy, peaceful community?