Fortress Press

"As Lisa Sowle Cahill correctly notes, over the past quarter-century, a lot has happened in the world, in theological ethics, and in our own lives and work, leading to the need for this present, and most welcome contribution from her, Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Pacifism, Just War, and Peacebuilding. 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.” 

“This masterful work does many things well. At one level it offers a critical historical review of two millennia of Christian thought about war and peace. At another level it elevates the concept of irreducible moral dilemmas to a more central place in the ethics of war. Most importantly, it moves practical peacebuilding to the central place in the Christian ethics of war, with numerous inspiring examples offered. Blessed Are the Peacemakers should become the starting point for the next generation of Christian moral reflection on this pivotal, perennial, issue.”

“Blessed Are the Peacemakers is a remarkable book. It provides clear and compelling analyses and assessments of major positions in Christian ethics toward war and peace. For many years, my graduate students in seminars on just war and pacifism greatly benefited 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.” 

“One of the best introductions to a Christian theology of peacebuilding available. In her usual careful, thorough, and accessible style, Lisa Sowle Cahill points to the moral dilemmas involved in each of the positions in the traditional just war versus pacifism debate. She makes a passionate case for nonviolent peacebuilding as an alternative that best exemplifies what it means for Christians to be ambassadors of God’s peace, justice, and reconciliation in the world.”

“Lisa Sowle Cahill’s important book provides a timely, clear, and constructive contribution to the theological and ethical debates concerning war and peace. She exposes the often downplayed, irreducible moral dilemmas that the traditional just-war and pacifist positions present, and offers just peacebuilding as a better way out of the moral bind. Cahill takes seriously the theology, practices, and agency of communities in the developing world, where most wars rage, grounding her just-peacebuilding approach in the possibilities for conflict transformation that these communities pursue and expand. 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."