THE BOSTON GLOBE: MINISTERS SEARCH FOR PEACE WITHIN TO PROMOTE PEACE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

In 1992, three black ministers from Massachusetts, the Rev. Ray Hammond, the Rev. Eugene Rivers III, and the Rev. Bruce Wall, founded the Boston TenPoint Coalition and began an anti-crime effort that played a pivotal role in the “Boston Miracle” that won national acclaim in the 1990s for reducing violence on the streets.  However their efforts have lost credibility over the years because of differences in style which resulted in Boston’s Clergy Wars.  Last week, ministers from all around Boston came together to pray and ask for forgiveness from each other.  This was an effort to reestablish credibility as bringers of peace and reconciliation to the gang members to whom they preach.

Question to the Blogosphere:  How do internal divisions of third parties affect their ability to encourage peace among warring groups?  Nelson Mandela once said, “You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself… Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.”  Do you think this effort at reconciliation among the ministers in Boston will have a lasting effect on their relationships?