Children / Youth and War

These days, there are many Christian sources of information that encourage sensitivity to children and try to explain why it is that the US needs to be fighting Iraq. They offer prayer, activities such as "care packages" to those in the military, and the fact that "God is still God" as Christian education to children during these times. We believe following Jesus includes these activities, but goes far beyond them. Join us in reaching for God's radical, scandalous love, that pursues us at the same time.

Below you will find some resources and links you might find helpful in your interactions with children.

Past "On the Line for Peace" columns (for 9-14 year olds) by Anne Meyer Byler. (http://www.mph.org/otl)

  Articles in PDF format from July 2002 to the present written by Anne Meyer Byler and Jane Yoder-Short include activities; stories of peacemakers from long ago and more recently; and issues of international conflicts, allegiance, and living out God's way of peace in our world.

Educators for Social Responsibility: (http://www.esrmetro.org)

There are many thoughtful resources on peace-related topics available on the Teachable Moment section of this site. They are developed for school settings, but can also be helpful at home:

For elementary age children

For middle school age children

For high schoolers

All Our Children: (http://www.allourchildren.org)
Sojourners writes, "In particular, we urge support for All Our Children, an alliance of relief organizations providing critical health care to vulnerable Iraqi children." Mennonite Central Committee is working with this group.

MCC Iraq Crisis Response (http://www.mcc.org/respond/rapid_respond/iraq)
For children specifically: "How does my relief kit get to Iraq?" has photos and a description of the journey.

Save The Children: (http://www.savethechildren.org)
This site has all kinds of facts about the effects of war on children.

United Nations Children's Fund: (http://www.unicef.org)
The UN had a large relief network in Iraq. The war has caused this infrastructure to disappear for the time being.

War Child: (http://www.warchild.org)
This site is about children in many areas where there is war. Iraq is not alone, unfortunately.

Classic collections for younger children (relating to peacemakers in times of war):

Walking with Jesus: Stories About Real People Who Return Good for Evil by Mary Clemens Meyer (Herald Press, 1992) (ages 5-9, some pictures, can be simplified for younger children)

Peace Be With You by Cornelia Lehn (biographies of peacemakers from 100 AD to 1970) (Faith and Life, 1980) (ages 7-12, few pictures)

Lighting Candles in the Dark by the Friends General Conference (stories of peacemakers in history) (1992) (ages 7-12, few pictures)

Ain't Gonna Study War No More: The Story of America's Peace Seekers by Milton Meltzer (excellent history of people who have refused the government's call to war) (HarperCollins, 1985) (ages 12 and up)

But Why Don't We Go To War?: Finding Jesus' Path to Peace by Susan Mark Landis (Herald Press, 1993) (great resource for parents of children 12 and older)

(fairly easy-to-read, for ages 12 through adult, from the Herald Press Peace and Justice series):

- The Way God Fights: War and Peace in the Old Testament by Lois Barrett (1987)
- How Christians Made Peace with War: Early Christian Understandings of War by John Driver (1988)
- Making War and Making Peace: Why Some Christians Fight and Some Don't by Dennis Byler (1989)

Joining the Army that Sheds No Blood by Susan Clemmer Steiner (Herald Press, 1991) (for youth)

Books on the subject "War" from the Annotated Peace Resource List for all ages.

Books on the subject "Nonviolence" from the Annotate Peace Resource List for all ages.

"Conversation with Children" (Sept. 2001) by Esther Epp-Tiessen

"What do We Say to the Kids? Talking about Violence and War" (March 2003) by Anne Meyer Byler

"Pressing Questions" (about Iraq) (January 2003) By Daryl Byler