Few Americans have done more for establishing the theological framework for Christian pacifism than John Howard Yoder. In 1983 Yoder, a Mennonite, gave 11 lectures to the Polish Ecumenical Council on the history of nonviolence. In Nonviolence—A Brief History: The Warsaw Lectures (Baylor University Press), Yoder’s lectures are published for the first time. Topics include the U.S. civil rights movement, just war tradition, Jewish pacifism, the science of conflict, and, notably, three lectures on Roman Catholic peace theology (with examination of Vatican II documents and reflections on the Catholic Worker movement).
Catholic feminist theologian Mary C. Grey's The Advent of Peace: A Gospel Journey to Christmas(SPCK) uses contemporary political conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, to interpret the Advent readings and engage Christians more deeply in the incarnational call to be peacemakers.
Living With the Wolf: Walking the Way of Nonviolence, edited by Peter Ediger (Pace e Bene), collects 50 stories from 20 years of Christian peacemaking through the Pace e Bene community based in Oakland, California. Contributors include: Mary Litell, Josephine Olagunju, and Louis Vitale. Since 1989, Pace e Bene trainers have led 600 workshops on nonviolent social change.
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