This book began in an argument between friends surprised to find themselves on opposite sides of the debate about whether the United States and the United Kingdom should invade Iraq in 2003. Situated on opposite sides of the Atlantic; in different churches; and on different sides of the just war/pacifist fence; we exchanged long emails that rehearsed on a small scale the great national and international debates that were taking place around us. We discovered the common ground we shared; as well as some predictable and some surprising points of difference....When the initial hostilities ended; our conversation continued; and we felt the urgency of contributing to a wider Christian debate about whether and when war could be justified.―From the PrefaceSo began a dynamic collaboration that developed into a civil but provocative debate over matters of war and peace that is Faith and Force. From the ancient battles between Greek city-states to the Crusades to the World Wars of the twentieth-century to the present-day wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Middle East; aggressors and defenders alike have claimed the mantle of righteousness and termed their actions just. But can the carnage of war ever be morally grounded? And if so; how?These are the questions that David L. Clough; a Methodist proponent of pacifism; and Brian Stiltner; a Catholic theologian and just war adherent; have vowed to answer―together. With one voice; Clough and Stiltner outline and clarify issues of humanitarian intervention; weapons proliferation; and preventative war against rogue states. Their writing is grounded in Christian tradition and provides a fresh and illuminating account of the complexities and nuances of the pacifist and just war positions. In each chapter Clough and Stiltner engage in debate on the issues; demonstrating a respectful exchange of ideas absent in much contemporary political discourse―whether on television or in the classroom. The result is a well-reasoned; challenging repartee that searches for common ground within the Christian tradition and on behalf of the faithful promotion of justice―yet one that also recognizes genuine differences that cannot be bridged easily. Intended for a broad audience; Faith and Force is the perfect foil to the shrill screeching that surrounds partisan perspectives on military power and its use.To help with using the book in a classroom context; the authors have provided Questions for Reflection and Discussion for each chapter. You can download these questions in PDF format at press.georgetown.edu.
#838876 in Books Ignatius Press 2007-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .76 x 5.74 x 8.37l; .71 #File Name: 1586172204163 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Pope Benedict comes through with another great series on the early churchBy ChrisPope Benedict delivers the insight needed for Catholics to make their way in this modern world by going back in time and showing how issues today are much like the issues our church fathers had to deal with back then.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. an inspirational book on the apostles of Jesus and the churchBy Donner C. S. Tan'Tradition is not the transmission of things or words; a collection of dead things. Tradition is the living river that links us to the origins; the living river in which the origins are ever present; the great river that leads us to the gates of eternity.'(pg.28) says Pope Benedict XVI. With this reflection on what it means for the Church to be 'built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets' (Eph 2:20); Benedict presents to us a series of catechetical instructions on the apostles of the church collectively and individually; delivered to general audiences between 15 Mar 2006 and 14 Feb 2007.I appreciate the succinct way he explains the notion of what constitutes apostolic authority and how the church is constituted by the apostolic witness as it is and continues to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. As such; the 'gift to be safeguarded' is also a gift that continues to lead the church to a fuller realization of the gospel truth and our communion in Christ.Benedict also takes us through the individual apostles; including Paul ('the one untimely born') and their associates (eg. Timothy and Titus); bringing out the specific colours of each character as he meditates on the cameo appearances/utterances of these in the gospel accounts. Take for example; Peter. These words strike me as particularly poignant:"And it seems to me that these conversions of Saint Peter on different occasions; and his whole figure; are a great consolation and a great lesson for us. We too have a great desire for God; we too want to be generous; but we too expect God to be strong in the world and to transform the world on the spot; according to our ideas and the needs we perceive.God chooses a different way. God chooses the way of transformation of hearts in suffering and in humility. And we; like Peter; must convert over and over again. We must follow Jesus and not go before him: it is he who shows us the way."And about Thomas; he writes: "At first; he did not believe that Jesus had appeared in his absence and said; 'Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails; and place my finger in the mark of the nails; and place my hand in his side; I will not believe.'Basically; from these words emerges the conviction that Jesus can now be recognized by his wounds than by his face. Thomas holds that the signs that confirm Jesus' identity are now above all his wounds; in which he reveals to us how much he loved us. In this the Apostle is not mistaken."I find my heart deeply moved by comments like these because in a simple but profound way; he unravels the truths of the gospel contained in the personal encounters that these ordinary men and women had of the living Christ.You will find many such gems scattered throughout the simple prose with which he relates the stories of the apostles to the modern audience. The stories are not stuffed with information but brief and to the point. In a way; it is like hearing the gospel once again through the personal portraits of these early; foundational witnesses of Christ.45 of 46 people found the following review helpful. Meditative TalksBy Billyjack D'UrbervilleFor persons who want to encounter Benedict 16 in an accessible vein; this might be a good place to start. These are more or less straight transcriptions of a series of his Wednesday public talks in the big Paul 6 Auditorium at the Vatican. There has been no effort to enhance them or make them more literary. Even a few awkward phrases are preserved -- or perhaps poorly translated -- although this oddly contributes to an air of spontaneous freshnesss.The talks were not aimed at giving an in depth look at what is known about the 12 apostles and the other 1st generation disciples treated. The purpose was to pick out an aspect or two of each figure from scripture; and develop it into a short meditation on aspects of Christian life in particular; and the infant Church in general.While the pope thus aims to stay relatively light and aim for a broad audience; the depth of his penetration -- largely derived from a lifetime of vast reading and study -- is nonetheless evident. This pope is an academic and he simply can't hide it; and the reader is occasionally hit over the head by the scope and breadth of his background in this regard. It is obvious he has simply read everything. This comes across more not in what he says; but in what he chooses not to say.Benedict also basically hones pretty close to scripture in defining the nugget for each of these meditations. He delves very little into reports on the original 12 by the post-apostolic Church fathers; or much extra-testamental early Christian literature. While obviously not intimidated by modern theology of an historicist bent; he nevertheless stays clear of any controversies with that school. The overall effect is of having particularly Catholic points; theologically speaking; being made in the style of high modern Protestantism; such as the homilies of John Henry Newman as Oxford don before his conversion. In his written work; Benedict only goes farther down that road; such as in the recently published Jesus of Nazareth wherein a whole familiarity with modern theology and its critiques is pre-supposed.I thus hope that transcriptions of talks like these continue to be published; for the paradox of Benedict is that while there is a plethora of books by him out there; most necessite a degree of specialized study in the post-high school academic sense. He always requires a careful and very very attentive translation -- as unfortunately his most famous talk; in Regensburg about Islam; did not receive from hurried media outlets. He is fascinating to hear; and cozy despite his learning; giving the reader or hearer a privileged feeling like studying under a master teacher.I have the gut sense -- however generally pleasant in tone -- that these transcriptions could have used another sandblast of polish from the translater. I have heard the 81 year old pope speak in person; and have heard good translations on EWTN of some sermons; and the man is simply transfixing and you know he never misses a beat. He is about as consciously subtle as they come for a modern. These deceptively "lite" chats still pack enough wallup that I really don't think the final dimension in nuance was lacking from Benedict. I am happy that Ignatius is getting his stuff out; and doing it timely; and its hard to criticize them. Readers simply need to be aware that world class communicators demand world class translaters; and that the latter are always a very scarce commodity. Thus 4 stars for what were likely 5 star performances.
