Swing-state priest teaches ancient techniques for surviving today's political turmoil
The Rev. David Peck is an Episcopal priest in the heartland of Pennsylvania, a swing state at the center of the tense presidential election
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — The Rev. David Peck knows first-hand how divided communities wracked by violence can be gutted by that repeated devastation.
In his previous work as an Anglican church representative for international development, Peck saw on his trips to Africa how religious groups could be part of the problem — but also part of the solution.
Now, Peck is a pastor in the heartland of Pennsylvania — a state that is the epicenter of a bitterly contested presidential campaign that has stoked deep anxiety, conflicts among families and friends, even fears of election-related violence.
Opposing groups can find reconciliation by drawing on common spiritual traditions, Peck said. It can be the shared belief in mercy or the recognition of the human dignity of all.
