[S]ince war begins in the minds of men [humans], it is in the minds of men [humans] that defenses of peace must be constructed. This quote prominently embedded in the UNESCO Constitution is certainly not an original thought. It is
Eating Together: The Hidden Story of the International Summer School on Religion and Public Life
Download PDF: Wasserfall, Eating Together Abstract 1 The International Summer School on Religion and Public Life (ISSRPL) annually brings people from different religions to experiment and explore how to live together with difference. This article examines one aspect of the ISSRPL—how we
Compassion-Based Practices of Personal and Social Restoration
Download PDF: Rogers, Compassion-Based Practices Abstract After describing those components that encompass the essence of compassion, this article explores compassion-based methods of personal healing and restoration rooted in Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) and contemplative practice; it describes the role and
The Perils of Public Scholarship on Islam after 9/11
Download PDF: Curtis, Perils of Public Scholarship Abstract This paper examines the challenges of public scholarship on religion and Islam in the post-9/11 era. The first section, which focuses on Stephen Prothero’s introduction of Islam in God Is Not One, identifies a
The Complex Reality of Religious Peacebuilding: Conceptual Contributions and Critical Analysis
Download PDF: RV Montgomery, The Complex Reality By Katrien Hertog Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010. 284 pages. $75.00. Religious peacebuilding is a curious endeavor given that the role religion plays in conflict is often ambiguous or, upon further reflection, not
Buddhist Warfare
Download PDF: RV Whitaker, Buddhist Warfare By Michael K. Jerryson and Mark Juergensmeyer New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. 272 pages. $29.95 According to Michael Jerryson, one of the two editors of this important work, the main reason for writing
Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining
Download PDF: RV McDonald, Spirit and Trauma By Shelly Rambo Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010. 200 pages. $25.00. In Spirit and Trauma, Shelly Rambo applies a lens of trauma to challenge and realign traditional theological notions of redemption, death,
Grassroots Healing and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe: Introducing the RECORE Process
Download PDF: Machinga, Grassroots Healing Abstract This paper is a reflection on a group of healing and reconciliation activities collectively called RECORE. These activities are being implemented at the grassroots level in one district of Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe. RECORE encompasses healing
War and the American Difference: An Interview with Stanley Hauerwas
In his book, War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity (Baker Academic 2011), Christian ethicist Stanley Hauerwas argues that war is one moral experience that all Americans in the United States1share. It is “the glue that gives
Peace for All: St. George’s Day at a Shared Multi-Religious Shrine in Macedonia
“Peace for All” is a video ethnography that documents the activities at a “shared shrine” in Macedonia on St. George’s Day. The shrine is shared by Orthodox Christians and various Muslim denominations to celebrate the birth of their respective saints,
Religious Peacebuilding: The Exotic, the Good, and the Theatrical
Download PDF: Omer, Religious Peacebuilding Abstract Most of what takes place in the field of religious peacebuilding has been grounded, implicitly or explicitly, in Scott Appleby’s The Ambivalence of the Sacred: Religion, Violence, and Reconciliation (2000) and his phenomenological approach to religion.
Sects and Violence: A Photo Essay on Religion’s Role in Palestinian and Israeli Politics
There are few places in the world so closely identified with religion and violence as Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Yet just as elements of each of the world’s three monotheistic religions have historically committed great episodes of violence in
The Origins of War: A Catholic Perspective
Download PDF: RV Serrán-Pagán, The Origins of War By Matthew A. Shadle Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2011. 256 pages. $29.95. Matthew A. Shadle raises an important question sometimes overlooked by contemporary Catholic thinkers, namely, the origins of war. Why do
Resources in Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding: An Annotated Bibliography
Download PDF: Resources in Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding Introduction The amount of literature that could be included in a bibliography on religion, violence, and peacebuilding is vast and attempting to delineate the nuances between each thinker and theory in our allotted
Hope Abundant: Third World and Indigenous Women’s Theology
Download PDF: RV Pae, Hope Abundant Edited by Kwok Pui-Lan Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2010. 304 pages. $34.00. Suppose that you are sitting at a round table where Third World and indigenous women liberationists are sharing their wisdom of God and stories
The Second Emory Conference on Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding
Download PDF: RV McCarty Second Emory Conference Local Peacebuilding and Religion: Context, Practices, and Models Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding Initiative, Emory University The Second Emory Conference on Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding was a follow up to the inaugural conference in
Bin Laden and the Great Beast: A Review of Simone Weil and the Specter of Self-Perpetuating Force
Download PDF: RV Jackson Simone Weil By E. Jane Doering Simone Weil and the Specter of Self-Perpetuating Force Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2010. 296 pages. $30.00. Shortly after Osama bin Laden was killed by American SEALs in
Critical Responses to the Essays on ‘Religious Violence’ and ‘Religious Peacebuilding’
Download PDF: Critical Responses The following essays are critical responses to the two state of the field essays in this issue of Practical Matters, “Religious Violence: The Strong, the Weak, and the Pathological” by R. Scott Appleby and “Religious Peacebuilding: The Exotic,