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| Veritas Forum, Tufts University |
Tonight was the Veritas Forum at Tufts University with the peacemaker Carl Medearis, author of Tea with Hezbollah: Is it Possible to Love Your Enemies? We arrived half an hour ahead of schedule and were able to chat with him. This was my first time meeting Carl and like other people devoted to Jesus, he was unassuming, bright eyed and filled with a contagiously warm spirit. The best part came as he shared stories from his own life and from others who want to truly obey Jesus' command to love your enemies. It so happens that Medearis and Tamrat, the former Ethiopian Prime Minister became friends in Colorado where both live. Tamrat told of being jailed for 12 years in solitary confinement at which time Jesus literally came to meet him. He is a Jesus follower. Through Medearis, Tamrat met and befriended a former Somalian government official who had been his political enemy. The two have formed a strong enough bond that the one is helping the other bring his country out of civil war. Medearis wants to make the point that there are far-reaching practical results that come from loving your enemies.
The other standout story was about Christian Palestinian Sami Awad who asked himself the question, "Can I love my enemy the way I love my wife?" He thought about how important it is to deeply know your spouse and their history. Acting on this, Awad decided to get to know Jewish history by traveling to Auschwitz learning about the deepest pain in Jewish history; the holocaust. He spent two weeks there and even slept one night in a small coffin that had been used to hold Jewish children.
His enemies the Jews love him for commiting to understanding their history. One man's question brought him to act out an answer that has rocked the world around him. Not being able to figure out an answer to such long lasting conflicts can traumatize us. Medearis asks us to not give in, but plant a seed that there is another way. He says non-violence always wins in the end. You may lose the battle, but non-violence eventually wins the war. Love your enemies.