Whatever you do, don’t mention Islam; or Muslims; or jihad; or al-Qaeda. Best to concentrate on the futility of violence, love, justice, compassion, sprinkled with a few references to the myths we no longer believe in like the Resurrection – you know the routine. Oh, and don’t forget to bring in at least one Mark of Mission.

Actually, the statement isn’t that bad, although I can’t help noticing that the only time the Anglican Church of Canada manages to keep politics out of its pronouncements is when doing otherwise would necessarily drag in Islam, Muslims, jihad and al-Qaeda – oops, sorry, I wasn’t supposed to mention them.

Violent attacks on civilians in Pakistan and Kenya over the weekend remind us that peace is a fragile reality, always vulnerable to those who trust in the power of death to define and shape the world. Whether such attacks target Christians, as the bombing outside a Peshawar church did, or shoppers, as in Nairobi, it is the business of the disciples of Jesus to bear witness to the ultimate futility of violence, even as we express compassion and practical concern for its victims.

We follow the One whose death and resurrection unmask that futility and embody that compassion. Canadian Anglicans can hardly imagine what it is to live under the sort of fear imposed by the attack in Peshawar. We can only watch and witness to the courage and faithfulness of sisters and brothers in that place and give thanks for their continuing witness to the power of love, especially where it is bitterly opposed by those wielding death.

[….]

The fourth Mark of Mission calls us “to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.”