About this episode

Dru Johnson and Austin Knuppe discuss how Christians can navigate complex global conflicts through a biblical lens.

How should Christians think about war, conflict, justice, and peace in a world filled with competing narratives and seemingly endless complexity? In this episode, Dru Johnson talks with peacebuilding practitioner and political scientist Austin Knuppe about how Scripture, intellectual humility, lament, and Christian realism can shape the way Christians respond to global conflict. Knuppe explains why biblical lament can provide an important framework for responding to injustice without demanding simplistic answers to suffering. He also discusses motivated reasoning, confirmation bias, and the danger of reducing complicated conflicts to narratives of obvious heroes and villains. Drawing from his experience in Rwanda, northern Iraq, and the broader field of peacebuilding, Knuppe explores the difficult work of rebuilding social cohesion after violence, including restoring trust, addressing trauma, and pursuing reconciliation. The conversation also examines Israel and Palestine, Gaza, Russia and Ukraine, U.S. foreign policy, restorative justice, international aid, and the limits of applying one peacebuilding model to every conflict. Knuppe argues for intellectual hospitality, careful…

People in this episode

Host: Dru Johnson

Guest: Austin Knuppe

Topics covered

• war
• conflict
• justice
• peace
• Christianity
• reconciliation
• international relations

Keywords

• Christian realism
• biblical lament
• peacebuilding
• social cohesion
• motivated reasoning
• confirmation bias
• restorative justice
• international aid

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. foreign policy

Places: Rwanda, northern Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Russia, Ukraine

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