SPEAKERS AT THE EUROPEAN PEACE COLLOQUY

Richard Wrangham, a distinguished British primatologist explains that humans are both gentle and calculatingly violent. Hence the title of his recent book The Goodness Paradox. You could never fly 300 chimps peacefully in a plane, but humans will, even politely. At the same time humans can coldly conspire murder, war, genocide, or the use of nuclear weapons.

Andrew Bolton first met Community of Christ in Germany and was baptised in South Wales.  His dad experienced horrific things in World War II so the peace/Zion message was something he was caught by. With Jewell his spouse, they have served the church in Britain, the USA and Asia. Currently he and Jewell have retired to Leicester and are active in the Community of Christ congregation there.

Zac Harmon-McLaughlin is the Dean and faculty member of the Community of Christ Seminary and Director of Religious Studies at Graceland University. He has been a full-time pastor, missionary coordinator, and mission centre president in the USA and Mexico.  He also serves as a member of the church’s Interfaith and Ecumenical Team.

Georgia and Ryan Comins have been living a plant-based lifestyle for four years. Georgia is a university student in the final year of a degree in English Literature, and Ryan is a Theology graduate who is currently training to be a religious educator and a teacher of Religious Studies. Georgia and Ryan live in Cambridge and have taken part in various forms of activism surrounding issues of animal protection.

Having worked as a teacher and a campaigner, Ellis Brooks has been delivering peace education since 2005. Working with Quakers in Britain, Ellis works with partners like the Peace Education Network to strengthen peace education in Britain. This has in part meant challenging and recognising the militarisation of education, while advocating for positive alternatives including conflict resolution education and global learning.

Alexandre Christoyannopoulos is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Loughborough University. He is the author of Christian Anarchism (2010), Tolstoy's Political Thought (2019) as well as a number of articles, chapters and other publications on religious anarchism and on Leo Tolstoy, including the multi-volume collection of Essays on Anarchism and Religion.

Stephen M. Veazey is president of Community of Christ. Prior to his ordination on June 3, 2005, he served as a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles. He was ordained as president of seventy at the 1988 World Conference and as an apostle at the 1992 World Conference. In April 2002, Steve was set apart as president of the Council of Twelve and was the director of Field Ministries. His responsibilities also included Church Planting Ministries and Young Adult and Campus Ministries.

Sarah-Naomi James and Hannah Langford are sisters who grew up in South Wales. Sarah-Naomi now lives in London with her husband Declan. She is a postdoctoral researcher at University College London (UCL) studying mental and cognitive health. Hannah lives in Leicestershire with her husband Dave and daughter Ffion. She has worked in Special Educational Needs for years and works as a Child, Education and Community Psychologist in Warwickshire.

Keith Hebden is the founder/organiser of Leicester Citizens UK, now in its second year in the city. He is passionate in his fight against poverty and in listening to those who normally do not get heard. He is a very good organiser, reaching out to build a team of people from different ethnicities and faiths in Leicester to advocate for justice.  He first started community organizing in Mansfield, Nottingham.