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Do you want to learn how to use conflict as a tool for transforming relationships and social dynamics?
Do you want to learn how to use conflict as a tool for transforming relationships and social dynamics? Candler School of Theology professors in ethics and conflict transformation guide you through the process of evaluating and engaging conflict in a theological framework.
Understanding your personal conflict style is the first step toward becoming an effective peacebuilder. In this section, we guide you through the process of identifying your own approach to conflict
Effective facilitation is key to creating spaces where meaningful dialogue and conflict transformation can occur. In this section, we provide insights and practical guidance on facilitating circle meetings, group conversations, and other community events.
Not all conflict is created equal. In this section, we help you distinguish between productive and unproductive conflict to better navigate and address disagreements. Productive conflict focuses on solving problems, fostering understanding, and promoting growth, while unproductive conflict often escalates into harmful behaviors, entrenches divisions, and impedes progress.
Conflict transformation can be emotionally demanding, and sustaining long-term peacebuilding efforts requires resilience, self-care, and inner strength. In this section, we explore various spiritual practices that support and replenish those engaged in conflict work.
Conflict work can be emotionally and mentally taxing, making self-care an essential component for long-term effectiveness and well-being. In this section, we highlight the importance of prioritizing your own health and resilience as a conflict worker.
Dr. Ellen Ott Marshall focuses on contemporary Christian ethics, with particular attention to violence, peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and moral agency under constraint. She has published numerous articles, edited three volumes, and written three books including Parenting for a Better World (co-edited with Susanna Snyder, Chalice Press, 2022) and An Introduction to Christian Ethics: Conflict, Faith, and Human Life (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018). She is a lay person in The Episcopal Church and regularly offers trainings and workshops for clergy and laity.
Prior to joining the Candler faculty in 2009, Dr. Marshall worked with the refugee resettlement programs of Church World Service and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and served as the lead writer for God’s Renewed Creation, a pastoral letter and foundation document for the United Methodist Church Council of Bishops.
Lambelet’s first book, ¡Presente! Nonviolent Politics and the Resurrection of the Dead (2020), follows a transnational nonviolent social movement to propose modes of political action that are both effective and faithful. His current research thinks theologically about the climate crisis, drawing especially on the apocalyptic traditions of political theology to suggest practices for living through the ending of worlds. Lambelet is also a trained spiritual director and writes and teaches about the place of struggle in the spiritual life.At VTS, Lambelet teaches courses in ethics. He aims to form students in the habits, dispositions, and skills that enable them to be agents of healing and justice in their communities. He is also the inaugural director of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice.Before joining the VTS faculty in 2024, Lambelet taught for seven years at Candler School of Theology at Emory University where he launched Candler’s program in Formation Communities.
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