Center for Peace & Justice

The John Woolman Forum

The John Woolman Peacemaking Forum was established in 1986 as a way of articulating peacemaking issues to the George Fox University community. Its purpose is threefold: to provide a forum for those involved in peacemaking to offer insights and challenges; to inspire and equip us to invest our energies in the diligent pursuit of peace; and to enrich the ongoing work of the Center for Peace and Justice, both through contact with leading peacemakers and through greater public awareness of our programs.

The forum is named for John Woolman, an 18th-century American Quaker who called attention to the evils of slavery and challenged fellow Quakers to abandon the practice. Woolman also worked for fairer treatment of First Nations Indigenous Americans. In his journal, he recorded his developing opposition to war and other forms of violence and his struggles to purify his lifestyle from anything that might encourage or promote violence. His journal has become a devotional classic for its sensitive expression of the lifelong development of one person’ s conscience toward peace.

Previous Woolman Forum Speakers

This is the 26th Woolman Peacemaking Forum. Previous speakers have included men and women with a wide variety of strengths and experiences. Among the previous speakers are:

• Emmanuel Katongole
• John Perkins
• Naim Ateek
• David Augsburger
• Landrum Bolling
• Tony Campolo
• Tom Getman

• Mark Hatfield
• John Paul Lederach
• Mark Hatfield
• Lisa Schirch
• Ron Sider
• Walter Wink

• Chip Zimmer
• Elise Boulding
• David Rawson
• Tom & Christine Sine
• Jim Wallis
• Ron Kraybill