On the 11th November 2018 the whole world will be recalling the end of the Great War, the War to end all wars. They will think of war and peace then, and perhaps only then. But they will be aimless, brainwashed to think that weapons are the only way. They will perhaps recall the resolve to disarm all countries, built into the Treaty of Versailles, and see it failed. They will long for peace, but not see it as a practical possibility unless millions of people have already charted how it could happen. That is the Christian task – to show that we can love enemies, lay down our arms equally across all divides, forgive, make peace and year by year disarm the world. We can show that world multilateral disarmament, cutting 10% of military expenditure a year for a decade, properly policed, will bring about disarmed peace, just as happens within most states now. Peace is actually easier and more practical than war. It saves trillions, eradicates much poverty, cuts global warming and eliminates destruction, death and refugees. It is the best thing the planet can have.

This note calls you to resolve to be a peacemaker, a peace-monger, in the coming months. Without you it will not happen and more wars, carried on the tides of weapons sales, will wash away people’s lives. You can make peace, acting before God, to bring about military and political change, or you can wimp out another year and let the military/industrial/political complex run the armed world show. Disarmed Peace failed in 1918 because the militarists stayed in charge; they are still in charge now unless you take on the business of making peace. The How will follow, the resolve comes first. We make peace, as Jesus taught. It does not just happen.