WCC NEW: “Resisting War” conference brings theological insights to today’s fraught world

A “Resisting War” conference hosted by the John Knox International Center in Geneva on 12 September marked the centenary of the World Conference on Life and Work in Stockholm—and offered scholars and theologians an opportunity to speak about the pursuit of seemingly elusive peace in today’s war-torn world.   “Resisting War” conference was held at the John Knox International Center in Geneva on 12 September. The event, marking the Centenary of the World Conference on Life and Work in Stockholm (1925-2025), was co-organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and partners. Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace; and Dr Stephen Brown, researcher and editor of the WCC journals, were among the speakers of the conference. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 15 September 2025 The conference was organized in partnership with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and other faith-based organizations. An opening set of presentations centered on “Stockholm 1925-2025, for a renewed practical Christianity.” Rev. Dr Jan Eckerdal, director of theology, Christian Council of Sweden, noted that the Stockholm Conference of 1925 was a defining moment in the emergence of the modern ecumenical movement. “The official title of the conference was bold: The Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work,” he said. “It was convened only seven years after the First World War - the total cultural catastrophe for Europe.” Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, reflected that the Stockholm gathering in 1925 was a response to the interconnected upheavals of its time. “The churches came together in recognition that they had failed to prevent such a catastrophe and that new forms of collective Christian witness were urgently needed,” he said. “Already in 1914, as war broke out, appeals were made to churches to remember that war could not sever the bond of unity that Christ establishes among God's children.” Dr Stephen Brown, researcher and editor of the WCC journal The Ecumenical Review, offered the third opening presentation, and pointed out that the peace that followed the First World War was but the prelude to a second conflict, more bloody than the first. “So in this time that we experience again wars and rumours of wars, this conference is very timely in marking the centenary of the Stockholm conference with its theme of 'Resisting War,’ ” he said. “However, we should not think of the Stockholm conference as only a historical event to be commemorated 100 years later. The conference gave birth to the Life and Work movement in which churches sought to respond to social, political, and international challenges.” Keynote speaker Laure Borgomano, who worked at the French Permanent Representation to NATO and is the author of La réserve Pudeur, ressources et résistance par temps de crise (Labor et Fides, 2025), spoke on “Responding to new forms of permanent war.” She explored the concepts of permanent war, militarized peace, and hybrid threats. “All we hear about is investment in the defense industry, rearmament, and military capabilities,” she said. “In this media chorus anticipating a bloody conflict between states, there is a big void: that of the civilian population.” The second keynote speaker, Marco Hofheinz, professor of theological ethics at the Theological Institute of the University of Hannover, spoke on “Theological resources on a path toward peace.” “A theological ethic of peace must be aware that it does not originate from some treaty, but from God’s covenant with his people,” he said. “Peace is created through association. For there, peace is not a utopian idea but something that can be achieved through institution.” A closing panel discussion centered on “New faces of war and possible resistance.” Sara Gehlin, a theologian and senior lecturer at University College Stockholm, reflected on how, in 1925, churches embarked on a journey that required courage, commitment, and outright struggle. “The Stockholm 1925 participants faced the question of what the struggle for Christian unity actually means in view of a recently concluded world war and in the fears of a new one,” she said. “Their search for unity and faith made meetings possible across national borders in a time that was characterized by severe national tensions.” Earlier in September, Gehlin organized a Summer Academy at the University College Stockholm, a college of the Uniting Church in Sweden. The academy coincided with an Ecumenical Week in Stockholm that drew people from Sweden and around the world to commemorate the 1925 conference. Borgomano returned as a panelist to offer some examples of nations that have worked out agreements in situations that came close to war. “We need to pay more attention to what each constituency can play,” she urged. Sévane Garibian, a law professor at the University of Geneva specializing in questions of justice in relation to contemporary mass crimes, offered the insights that “we’re not only in a historical context but also actually a historical perspective on the creation of law,” including what is known today as international law.  Photo gallery See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland