Christian Peacemaking: From Heritage to Hope

By Daniel L. Buttry

Book Overview

Citing powerful stories of individual peacemakers around the world, Buttry includes in this study particular consideration of nonviolence, conflict resolution, and mediation. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0817012133
• ISBN13: 9780817012137
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Judson Pr
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

A Biblical Basis for Peacemaking

Book Review Christian Peacemaking: From Heritage to Hope by Daniel L. ButtryButtry, a clergyman of the American Baptist Church has written a most readable and informative book on the nature of Christian peacemaking. Each chapter begins with a personal story in which the author or a family member has been involved in an experience that sets the stage for the subject of the chapter. Rev. Buttry writes not only as an observer of the scene, but as one who has been personally involved in discovering that Christian peacemaking is practical.Buttry grounds his thesis on the biblical record of the teachings of Jesus and lays out the foundations for nonviolent response to human conflict. He recounts numerous instances likely unknown to the average person, in which nonviolent responses to conflict have been successfully employed in real-life situations. He relates the well-known struggles of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and other luminaries in their respective areas of conflict. He reveals roles played by less well known persons, where the nonviolent approach contributed significantly to successful resolution of the problem.In all fairness, the author concedes that nonviolence and conflict resolution are not panaceas for dealing with all the ills of a conflicted world. Many heroic efforts fall far short of "living happily ever after". Nevertheless Buttry quotes Bishop Francisco Claver, leader of the nonviolent movement in the Philippines in a statement that seems to summarize his own position: "Active nonviolence is not just a tactic to be used to achieve an end, to be discarded if it does not achieve that end effectively. It is a way of life, an ethic, a spirituality, something that goes beyond the mere utilitarian and practical."This book is meant for the reader who is willing to consider the possibility that nonviolence based Jesus' teachings may be a superior way to deal with human conflict or to the person who is looking for hard evidence to support the contention that Jesus' way is a practical alternative to violence in this modern era.