Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mr. Robertson.

I'm really excited to be with you today.

We've got a fantastic lesson, and it is in our unit on AQA GCSE, Religion, Peace, and Conflict.

And this lesson is all about the meaning and significance of peace, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain how Christian beliefs about peace, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation influence their responses to conflict and inspire movements for justice and nonviolence.

We have three keywords for you today.

Our first keyword is justice.

And justice means fairness or bringing about what is fair and right.

Our second keyword is forgiveness.

And forgiveness is a letting go of blame against a person for wrongs they've done, and moving on.

And our third keyword is reconciliation.

And reconciliation is making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups or sides after disagreement.

I'm confident, by the end of this lesson, you will be able to use these words confidently and well within what we need to know.

So this lesson, about the meaning and significance of peace, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation has two parts.

And in the first part, we're gonna think about the word peace and its link to justice.

So when people act in a way that is just, or they strive to achieve justice, they try to address and remove inequality and unfairness.

When people are treated fairly and equally in a world where they have justice, they're more likely to live in harmony with each other and experience peace.

And without justice, it's hard for peace to last, because unfairness and inequality may cause conflict.

I wonder if you could think of any situations in the world where there is inequality or unfairness, and where you can see conflict occurring at the moment, and where there is no real justice.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

Why might peace be difficult to achieve without justice? And I wonder if you could give an example to support your answer.

Pause the video and have a go.

Excellent.

So you might have said that, "Peace is hard to achieve without justice, because if people are treated unfairly, they may be angry and start conflicts." And you may have thought an example like, "A group in one country has fewer rights than another, and then they may protest or fight." Brilliant if you've managed to think of something like that.

Now, of course, when we're thinking about this idea of peace and justice, we might want to look at what Christians say about this.

And for many Christians, an important source of wisdom authority is the Bible.

Now, the Bible is very concerned with peace and justice, and we're going to look at a particular example now.

If we look at the example of the story of the life of Jesus, found in the gospels, in this case, we're going to be looking at the Gospel of Luke, we'll see how Jesus responds to injustice when he is faced with it.

So I have an extract here from that story.

This is about Jesus has just experienced the last supper, he told his followers and disciples that he's about to be betrayed, and he's gone out into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

"While he was still speaking, a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them.

He approached Jesus to kiss him." So in this extract, we can see Judas, who was a disciple who betrayed Jesus, betraying Jesus by kissing him.

And the kiss is a signal to the soldiers, so they know which man to arrest.

So this is a moment of high drama in the gospels.

Carried on the story, it says, "And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear." It's a very dramatic and confused scene going on.

You have Judas betraying Jesus.

And in the melee, as Jesus is attempted to be arrested, you have somebody striking a servant and cutting off his right ear.

So Jesus has done nothing wrong, remember? But one of his followers responds to this injustice of his wrongful address with violence by cutting off the ear of one of the men sent to arrest him.

What happens next? Well, according to the gospels, Jesus, he touched the man's ear and healed him, that Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?" So I wonder what you could see is going on here.

How does Jesus respond to that cutting off of the ear? What does he say in response to his unjust arrest? Well, you might see here that Jesus actually speaks for peace.

He heals the ear, he doesn't respond to the violence, but he does challenge the unfair way he's being treated.

He says, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you've come as swords and clubs?" So he speaks out against injustice, but he doesn't use any violence himself.

So what do Christians today think about this? And how do they interpret these stories in the gospel? Well, let's meet Fergus.

Fergus is an Anglican.

He says, "As a Christian, I believe we need peace in the world.

Jesus was known as the Prince of Peace In the story of his arrest, he does not resist arrest, even though it is unjust.

However, he also speaks up for justice." So we can see in Fergus's worldview, he is really focusing on this idea of peace, but he's also focusing on justice as well.

I wonder who you could see in this photograph.

Do you recognise this person? This, of course, is Martin Luther King, the civil rights activist and leader in America in the 1960s.

Fergus says, "I'm inspired by the life of Martin Luther King.

He spent his life fighting the injustice of segregation.

He did this through nonviolent means, like marches and speeches.

He interpreted Jesus' actions and chose to act in a similar way, knowing that peace and justice are linked." So Fergus is bringing out this idea that Martin Luther King spoke out about injustice, so he wasn't passive.

However, he also didn't use violence.

He knew the only way, or he believed the only way, to create a unified society in the United States was through nonviolence and peace.

But he also wanted justice between races.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

Many Christians believe Jesus was a peacemaker.

Following his example means, A, striving for peace by speaking out against injustice, B, ignoring injustice, C, achieving justice by any means necessary? Pause the video, have a think.

Excellent.

It's A, isn't it? Striving for peace by speaking out against injustice.

Think about what Fergus just told us in the example of Martin Luther King.

Okay, so I have a practise task for you now, thinking about this idea of peace and justice.

Jun has started to explain how Christians are influenced by Jesus' example, to live in peace and forgive others.

He says, "In Luke 22:47-53, Jesus is arrested, even though he's done nothing wrong.

One of his followers uses violence to defend him, but Jesus tells him to stop.

He heals the servant's ear and questions the fairness of his arrest." I wonder if you could continue this really great explanation by carrying on to say an explanation of how Jesus links peace and justice in his actions.

So what does he do next? And can you think of a real example of someone who stood up against injustice in a peaceful way? Think about what Fergus was just telling us.

So how does Jesus link peace and justice together in the things he does? Think about that story we studied.

And secondly, can you think of a real example of somebody who stood up against injustice? Really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

See you soon.

Wow, so great thinking, brilliant for engaging with this idea.

So you might have talked about that Jesus challenged the unfair he was treated, but he didn't use violence.

He talked about standing up for what was right while acting peacefully.

If you remember in the story of the Bible, he heals the person's ear, so he doesn't use violence, but he questions why the people have come to arrest him with clubs and swords.

You might have used the example of someone like Martin Luther King, who protested against racial inequality in the USA through peaceful marches and speeches.

He, like Jesus, worked for justice, but he didn't use violence.

You may have found an example of your own that you know about as well, and brilliant to use that one as well.

So in the second part of this lesson, we're going to be thinking about this idea of forgiveness and its role in reconciliation.

So let's thinking about these terms and really understand them.

It could be difficult to move forward after conflict, because there's been lots of violence and hatred.

So many Christians seek reconciliation and forgiveness.

After a disagreement or fight, it can be hard for people to trust each other again.

Christians believe that repairing relationships is important, and this often involves forgiving the other person, even if they've done wrong.

Reconciliation is about not just stopping the conflict, but rebuilding peace and friendship.

So we can stop wars, we can stop violence, but actually, to rebuild the relationship and rebuild trust, we need reconciliation.

Izzy and Sam are talking about these ideas.

Sam and Izzy had a big argument on social media, saying hurtful things to each other.

At school, a teacher helps them to meet face-to-face.

Sam apologises what they said, and Izzy chooses to forgive, though it still hurt.

They agree to move on and treat each other respectfully in the future.

This is both forgiveness and reconciliation.

It's forgiveness because Sam apologised for what they said, and Izzy chose to forgive that, it's reconciliation because together, they've agreed to try and repair their relationship and move forward.

Some Christians believe they can forgive because God will ultimately judge everyone.

They trust that justice will be done in God's timing, and they do not need to take revenge themselves.

Forgiveness does not mean pretending the wrong never happened, but it does mean letting go of personal anger and trusting God.

Faith is a Pentecostal Christian and she reflects on this idea of forgiveness.

Faith says, "When I moved into my new flat, one of my neighbours spread untrue rumours about me.

He said I had late-night parties and created a lot of noise.

I felt hurt and angry, but I chose to forgive him.

I still believe the behaviour was wrong, but I trust that God sees the truth and will judge justly." So thinking about what Faith said, how does this help us understand forgiveness better? What did Faith do when she felt that she was being treated unjustly? How does she show a Christian belief in forgiving and letting go of her personal anger, but allowing God's judgement in good time? Let's just check our understanding so far.

Which statement best shows the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, A, forgiveness and reconciliation mean exactly the same thing, B, forgiveness is saying, "Sorry," reconciliation is ignoring the problem, C, forgiveness is letting go of anger, reconciliation is restoring the relationship? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent.

It's C, isn't it? Forgiveness is about letting go of anger, like Faith did, and reconciliation is restoring the relationship, a bit like Sam and Izzy did when they fell out.

Another question, why is reconciliation important for peace in Christianity, A, it exaggerates conflicts, B, it ignores past disputes, C, it restores relationships and aims to prevent future conflicts? Again, pause the video, have a think.

Excellent.

It's C, isn't it? Reconciliation isn't about exaggerating, it's not about ignoring, but it's about restoring, bringing relationships back together to hope that future conflicts could be prevented.

Brilliant if you got that right.

Let's learn about an organisation which is trying to do something about this in the real world.

The Fellowship of Reconciliation is a group of Christians from different churches who work together to promote peace, justice, and nonviolence.

They believe that following Jesus means rejecting violence and working to bring people together, even in difficult situations.

They campaign, teach, and support projects to help people solve problems peacefully.

Some of the projects they're focused on at the moment are the Young Peacemakers' Network, which aims to bring peacemakers and young people together, and be trained in nonviolence and justice.

Armed Drones Campaign, which is campaigning against the use of drones in warfare.

And Inspiration for Activists, which aims to provide materials to inspire people to work for peace and justice.

One of the places in which the Fellowship of Reconciliation will look to very strongly is the Beatitudes.

Now, these are found in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and there are a series of blessings that Jesus gives about qualities that Christians say that God values.

One of the most famous Beatitudes is here, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

You are the light of the world." I wonder, reading that, what do you think that value or quality is that Jesus is describing here? You might have spotted that it is about this idea of peacemaking.

So the Fellowship of Reconciliation tried to put this Beatitude into action by being peacemakers.

They're trying to bring harmony between people instead of conflict.

And they also try and follow Jesus' teaching about being the light of the world by setting an example and inspiring others to choose peace.

So the Fellowship of Reconciliation try and live out this quality of life described in the Beatitudes.

Let's hear again from Fergus, who's been involved with the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Fergus says, "I interpret Jesus' teaching on being a peacemaker as one of the most important parts of living as a Christian.

I've seen the destruction caused by military drones in conflicts, such as the Ukraine.

I think it's terrifying how they're operated remotely and can kill and injure from afar.

When I spent a year at the Iona community, I made part of a quilt that has travelled to cathedrals to raise awareness of this new technology and its capacity for violence." And perhaps online, you might be able to find some of these peace quilts that have been created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

And you can see what Fergus is trying to do here to raise awareness about the destructive power of military drones.

And for him, that's a campaign he wants to be involved in.

Okay, I've got a final task for you now.

We're gonna be thinking about this idea of forgiveness and reconciliation.

The question is, how does the Fellowship of Reconciliation put Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:1-16 into action? I'd like you, if possible, in your answer, to use a quote from Matthew.

Can you remember that quote about "blessed are the?" Can you use some words like justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation? And can you give an example of the work done by the Fellowship of Reconciliation? You might want to refer to something that Fergus talked about.

You might want to do some of your own research as well and find out any more campaigns that they're involved in.

I really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

See you soon.

Okay, brilliant work, everyone.

Thanks for engaging with this.

So you could have said something like this, you might have talked about the Fellowship of Reconciliation acting as peacemakers and working for peace and justice.

And by using nonviolent means, they're following the teaching of Jesus, that, "Blessed are the peacemakers," from the Beatitudes, which we talked about.

You might have gone on to say that they believe lasting peace needs forgiveness, which includes letting go of anger, so reconciliation can happen.

They challenge unjust situations, for example, by bringing Christians together to campaign against armed drones, and aiming to be a light of the world by showing how forgiveness, reconciliation, and justice can create peace.

You may have investigated one of the other campaigns from the fellowship and made a link there as well.

But I think what we're looking for here is a link to the teaching about "blessed are the peacemakers," and understanding that the Fellowship of Reconciliation look for peace and justice through nonviolence, and that they challenge injustice, particularly in this example, by armed drones, and aim to be a light of the world by being a model of forgiveness and reconciliation for the world.

If you've managed to do something like that, then brilliant, you've got a really great answer there.

Let's just summarise what we've learned today.

We've been learning that forgiveness and reconciliation, forgiveness is all letting go of blame against a person, while reconciliation restores relationships.

And both of these are really crucial to understand peace in Christianity.

We've learned about the role of Jesus and his teachings, that Jesus is seen as a peacemaker.

We looked at the example of when Jesus healed the ear of the person who came to arrest him.

But also that Christians should challenge injustice in the same way that Jesus challenged the injustice of his arrest.

We've looked at some Christian peacemaking efforts.

We looked at the example of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and how they work for peace.

And we've also learned about how they've been guided by Christian teachings, such as Beatitudes.

I've really enjoyed learning with you today.

I hope you've found some useful information about attitudes towards peace.

And I look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon.

Thanks very much indeed.