Making hope contagious

because peace takes practice.

Black and white halftone photo of four adults smiling at someone off-camera. Pastor Adam Ericksen, Suzanne Ross, Rev. Dr. Julia Robinson-Moore, and Fr. James Alison at the 2024 Theology & Peace Conference.

Join a Beloved Community turning René Girard’s mimetic theory into everyday actions that disarm violence with life-changing love.

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A black and white halftone photo of people sitting at tables and listening intently. Rev. Shannon Mullen listens intently to a speaker at Thistle Farms during the 2018 Theology & Peace Conference.

If you’re struggling to find
hope in the face of current
events, you’re not alone.

It’s obvious that something about the way we’re living isn’t working — and the more we try to fix it, the more it seems to make things worse. Nationalism is escalating. The climate is unraveling. Wealth disparities keep growing. Mass incarceration continues to expand.

You care about the pain and suffering you witness in the world, but when the problems are this big, it’s hard to know what actually helps.

You don’t need more analysis. You need a community that helps you live differently inside the world as it actually is.

Theology & Peace is an ecumenical and interfaith gathering of deep thinkers, curious learners, and servant leaders dedicated to disarming violence with life-changing love through friendship, scholarship, and discipleship.

Black and white photo of three friends laughing together. Jonathan Brenneman, Elder CW Harris, and Sereta Richardson present a panel together at the 2017 Theology & Peace Conference.

Since 2007, Theology & Peace has helped aspiring peacemakers connect René Girard’s mimetic theory with everyday action so they can transform conflict into community and make hope contagious in a wounded world.

We believe peace isn’t an otherworldly ideal to affirm — it’s a concrete reality we create together.

We gather

to nurture a community of conversation, reflection, and belonging.

We educate

to ignite insights through learning & dialogue about Girardian theology.

We practice

grounding peace in everyday creative & collaborative action.

Four people standing together at an indoor event, smiling for a photo. The group includes two men and two women, all wearing glasses.

A middle-aged woman wearing glasses and a black T-shirt with photos of Black individuals and the words 'BLACK LIVES MATTER' is speaking passionately at a microphone, with her mouth open and one arm raised.

A smiling woman with gray hair and a man with glasses wearing an orange shirt, both smiling and close together for the photo.

Patty Prasada-Rao and Elder C.W. Harris lead conference participants in song, with a colorful mural on the wall and a large screen displaying presentation slides.

Man with glasses and dreadlocks giving a presentation using a microphone and a touchscreen display, with a slide projected on the screen.

Five people sitting at a table with colorful tablecloth, listening to a man in a green shirt who has a microphone in front of him. The table has books, a water bottle, papers, and a microphone. The background shows a room with chairs and a projection

A nun wearing glasses and a traditional habit, holding a notebook, standing in front of a brick wall and a yellow wall. She appears to be giving a presentation or lecture.

Group of four women smiling together indoors, with a candle holder and wooden furniture in the background.

A woman with black hair, wearing a red embroidered top, speaking into a microphone behind a wooden podium, with a colorful abstract mural in the background.

A woman speaking into a microphone at an indoor event, facing an audience member with a bald head.

A man with glasses and a plaid shirt touches a woman's shoulder as she sits, smiling and holding a microphone, in a room with a yellow wall and door.

A Black man and a pale woman sitting at a table, both smiling, with a colorful abstract mural in the background. The woman is holding a microphone and speaking to an audience.

A mature man with glasses, a beard, and long hair, sitting on a chair, smiling, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, holding a book. He is Richard Beck, author of Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality.

Aman and woman sitting closely together looking at a piece of paper. The man has a beard and short hair, wearing a black shirt. The woman has blond hair, glasses, and is wearing a dark gray top, also with a badge around her neck. They are in an indoo

Two men having a conversation at a table, one holding a drink and a camera around his neck, the other gesturing with his hands.

A man with glasses and a beard, wearing a checkered shirt, standing indoors with a window behind him, gesturing with both hands as if explaining something.

Three men sitting at a table, engaged in conversation. One man is wearing a black floral shirt and gesturing with his hands. The other two men are listening; one has short dark hair, and the other has lighter hair and is resting his face on his hand.

A man speaking into a microphone, wearing a black T-shirt with images of historical figures on it, in an indoor setting with a presentation screen in the background.

A man with a red beard and short brown hair speaks into a microphone during a meeting, seated next to a woman with dark hair tied back, while other people in the background listen attentively.

Paul Nuechterlein gives a lecture on advanced mimetic theory in front of a colorful abstract mural, pointing towards a presentation on a screen.

A smiling man in a white shirt and glasses holding a microphone, sitting in a conference room with chairs and a water bottle on the table.

Patty Prasada-Rao and Elder C.W. Harris lead the conference participants in song, with a colorful mural in the background and a presentation slide visible on a screen.

Rev. Thee Smith speaks into a microphone while Paul Nuechterlein looks on. Both men are sitting behind a table and facing an audience. There is a laptop on the table in front of them.

Shannon Mullen and other conference participants listen attentively to a presentation at Thistle Farms, with purple gift bags beside them and large posters of flowers on the wall behind them.

A smiling Preston Shipp holds a microphone in his left hand and gestures with his right hand during a presentation.

Susan Wright speaks confidently into a microphone behind a wooden podium with a computer monitor, in front of a colorful abstract mural.

A woman and a man standing with eyes closed, leading conference participants in song.

An elderly man with glasses and a beard is speaking into a microphone while holding papers, standing in front of a colorful abstract mural.

Man speaking or giving a presentation in a classroom or office, gesturing with hands raised, wearing an orange shirt.

Three people sitting side by side in a meeting or conference room. The first person, on the left, is an older man with glasses and a blue patterned shirt. The middle person is a bald man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt. The third person, on the rig

Older woman with short gray hair giving a speech at a podium, smiling, wearing a patterned blouse in a classroom or conference room.

A man holding a microphone appears to be speaking or giving a presentation in a room with several seated audience members. The room features a decorative textile hanging on the wall and a table with books and papers.

Two men smiling and shaking hands inside a room with wooden paneling and framed art on the walls.

A group of five people in conversation in an indoor hallway with wooden doors and a fire alarm on the wall.

A man with short hair and a beard wearing a checkered shirt speaking into a microphone at a podium.

A woman with blonde hair speaking into a microphone with a laptop, and two people standing in front of a large screen at a conference or presentation. One man and one woman, both wearing conference badges, are looking toward the woman at the podium.

Two men standing in front of a whiteboard with handwritten notes about Harman Wray, Janet Wolf, Richard Goode, Forrest Harris, and David Dark. The board also has notes questioning why and addressing content.

A woman in a blue shirt is speaking to a group of four seated people in a room with beige walls.

Three people at a social gathering, two women and a man, appear to be singing or talking happily, standing indoors with beige curtains in the background.

A man in a white jacket performing a card trick for a seated audience in a decorated room.

“

This is what it's about — building a community of faith and conversation on crucially important human issues like imitation and violence — because these are the tools for a dramatically renewed theology.

—Anthony Bartlett, author of Signs of Change

“

The folks who turned out for the conference are a great bunch — intellectually lively, creative and affable. I would hate to have missed it, and plan to come back next year for more!

—Tom Nicoll

Black and white halftone photo of a man shaking hands with a group of seated participants. Elder CW Harris presents a role-play activity at the 2016 Theology & Peace Conference.

“

It's spiritually invigorating to be part of an organization that seeks to change the theological landscape of American Christianity.

—Pastor Adam Ericksen

If you’ve ever longed for a spiritual community that offers more than toothless good intentions or rigid, oppressive “shoulds,” you’re in the right place.

Close-up of two smiling adults grinning at the camera. Patty Prasada-rao and Rev. Shannon Mullen at the 2015 Theology & Peace Conference.

Join our next event and discover a Beloved Community practicing peace and making hope contagious.