"This book is a contribution to the Christian ethics of war and peace. It advances peacebuilding as a needed challenge to and expansion of the traditional framework of just-war theory and pacifism. It builds on a critical reading of historical landmarks from the Bible through Augustine, Aquinas, the Reformers, Christian peace movements, and key modern figures like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, and recent popes. Similar to just-war theory, peacebuilding is committed to social change and social justice but includes some theorists and practitioners who accept the use of force in extreme cases of self-defense or humanitarian intervention. Unlike just-war theorists, they do not see the justification of war as part of the Christian mission. Unlike traditional pacifists, they do see social change as necessary and possible and, as such, requiring Christian participation in public efforts. Cahill argues that transformative Christian social participation is demanded by the gospel and the example of Jesus, and can produce the avoidance, resolution, or reduction of conflicts. And yet obstacles are significant, and expectations must be realistic. Decisions to use armed force against injustice, even when they meet the criteria of just war, will be ambiguous and tragic from a Christian perspective. Regarding war and peace, the focus of Christian theology, ethics, and practice should not be on justifying war but on practical and hopeful interreligious peacebuilding."
Lisa Sowle Cahill is J. Donald Monan Professor of Christian Ethics at Boston College. She is author of Between the Sexes (Fortress Press 1988), Love Your Enemies (Fortress Press 1994), and Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 1996). Cahill has held leadership posts in both the Society for Christian Ethics and the Catholic Theological Society of America.
Preface 1. From Just War and Pacifism to Peacebuilding An Introduction 2. Jesus The Reality of God's Reign and the Possibility of Peace 3. Early Christian Pacifism Tertullian and Origen 4. Augustine and the Beginnings of Christian Just War Theory 5. War and the Common Good Aquinas and the Just War Tradition 6. Reformation Interpretations of Just War Luther and Calvin 7. War in God's Name Crusaders, Joan of Arc, and Puritan Revolutionaries 8. A Witness for the Kingdom Humanist, Anabaptist, and Quaker Pacifists 9. From Just War and Pacifism to Peacebuilding 10. Peacebuilding A Practical Strategy of Hope
"Impartial in its treatment of various perspectives, integrating in its synthesis of apparently diverging approaches, imaginative in its opening of spaces for further efforts, and inspirational in its comprehensive call to be peacemakers--this will be, and rightly so, the book on the Christian ethics of war and peace" --Tobias Winright, Hubert Mader Endowed Chair of Health Care Ethics, St. Louis University "Blessed Are the Peacemakers should become the starting point for the next generation of Christian moral reflection on this pivotal, perennial issue." --David P. Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University "One of the best introductions to a Christian theology of peacebuilding available" --Emmanuel Katongole, Professor of Theology and of Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame "Blessed Are the Peacemakers is a remarkable book. For many years, my graduate students in seminars on just war and pacifism greatly benefitted from Cahill's earlier Love Your Enemies. This new book has all the strengths of its predecessor, and, in addition, it enriches and enlivens discourse about war and peace by highlighting and promoting peacebuilding. I enthusiastically recommend it." --James F. Childress, John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics and Professor of Medical Education Emeritus, University of Virginia "This should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding the development of thought and practice away from the just war/pacifist dichotomy, toward just peace." --Maryann Cusimano Love, Associate Professor of International Relations, The Catholic University of America, founding member Catholic Peacebuilding Network, Core Group U.S. Department of State Working Group on Religion and Foreign Policy
