What Does Peace Sound like Across History?

St. John Lutheran Church will host the next installment of its Speaking Peace speaker series on Thursday, November 19, 2026, featuring veteran musician and educator Charlie Dentel. The evening, titled "The Music of Peace," will combine lecture and live performance to examine how music has shaped, reflected and advanced peace movements across human history.

The event will begin at 6:00 pm at St. John Lutheran Church, located at 23225 Gill Rd., Farmington Hills. Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend.

During the presentation, Dentel will explore the fundamental concept of peace—what it means, what society expects it to be, and how musical expressions have driven various peace movements from ancient times to the modern day. Through live musical illustrations, the discussion will address deeper philosophical and sociological questions: How do we spread compassion, mercy, forgiveness, justice and grace to achieve lasting peace? What does peace actually look like, and how do we reconcile its different interpretations across deep cultural and religious divides?

The auditory journey will span millennia and continents, tracing musical peace traditions from the ancient Buddhist chant of the Karaniya Metta Sutta and the mathematical beauty of Pythagorean harmony, to early Christian peace music composed to counteract Roman militarism. Dentel will also highlight modern iconic voices of social change, including Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Nina Simone, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and John Lennon.

Charlie talks a bit about it here.

"Music has an extraordinary power to transcend cultural and religious barriers, offering a universal language that heals divides and speaks directly to our shared humanity," said Rev. Dr. Mark Fisher, Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church. "Charlie Dentel’s presentation perfectly aligns with our mission to explore how we can live out our call to love our neighbors through intentional acts of compassion, mercy and grace."

Join us for an interesting and uplifting evening.

When: Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 6:00 PM

Where: St. John Lutheran Church, 23225 Gill Rd., Farmington Hills, MI

Admission: FREE (Includes a complimentary light meal!) The event is open to everyone, but please register in advance to help us plan for food.

RSVP here: www.stjohn-elca.org/speakingpeace