Buttry Center’s Mission, Values, and Priorities

Mission

The mission of the Buttry Center is to theologically engage, educate, and connect people of faith for seeking justice, nurturing peace, and caring for creation.

Values

Just peace – Peace is sustainable only if it is grounded in justice.

Nonviolence – A sustainable peace is not passivity, but rather is achieved by resisting injustice and oppression by nonviolent means.

Ecojustice and creation care – Humanity’s first mandate was to care for the earth, and harmony with creation is an important foundation of peace.

Collaborative partnerships – Making progress toward a just peace requires working in collaboration with many others with similar values and goals.

Interreligious cooperation – The quest for peace, justice, and the wellbeing of the earth offers common ground for dialogue and action with other religious groups.

Priorities (2019-2020)

1. Biblical and Theological Basis for Peace and Nonviolence – Develop resources and events that teach the biblical and theological basis for placing the nonviolent seeking of a just peace (shalom) at the center of Christian discipleship.
2. Climate Change – Develop resources and events that teach the biblical and theological mandate of creation care and offer opportunities to learn about solutions that address climate change and ways to mobilize communities to action. This is an initial priority because of the urgency of addressing climate change and because it is integrally related to issues of peace.
3. Conflict Transformation – Offer conflict transformation training opportunities and resources, drawing on the Buttrys’ expertise and experience.