STEMMING THE TIDE OF VIOLENCE: A PERSPECTIVE FROM LONDON

BY TONY LOBL

THE LORD IS MY ROCK, AND MY FORTRESS, AND MY DELIVERER; THE GOD OF MY ROCK; IN HIM WILL I TRUST: HE IS MY SHIELD, AND THE HORN OF MY SALVATION,MY HIGH TOWER, AND MY REFUGE, MY SAVIOUR; THOU SAVEST ME FROM VIOLENCE.

—II SAMUEL 22:2,3

The release on July 2, 2008, of long-held Colombian hostages, including former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, was a globally celebrated taste of what it feels like when a threat of violence is dissolved. Recent peace talks in Kenya, after months of strife, were described as "a model of international pressure and African-led mediation" (The Christian Science Monitor, August 7, 2008). A variety of practical factors led to these welcome outcomes, and many people were praying in hope of such results.