156 - The Peacemaking Struggle: Militarism and Resistance

The Peacemaking Struggle: Militarism and Resistance

Edited by Ronald H. Stone and Dana Wilbanks

Lanham, Md., University Press of America, 1985. 304 Pp. $19.25 ($9.75 Paper).

Saying "no" to war in the midst of the growing militarization of the world is the subject of this collection of essays. At issue is the entire gamut of Christian biblical ethics as they inform our individual peacemaking journeys and engage the institutional church in various arenas of peacemaking.

The stated aim of this volume is to serve as a resource to help the Presbyterian Church (USA) "face the question of an appropriate response to the responsibilities and limits of Christian citizenship in a society increasingly faced with the dangers of militarism."

The editors of this volume believe the answer to the issue of resistance entails both a corporate decision of the church as well as a personal, deeply existential one for each Christian. This volume also reflects the increased tension between corporate and individual conscience in matters of world peace. How we confront the dialectics of peacemaking, that is, saying "yes" and "no" within the contextuality of a biblical faith, is no less important than the process involved with the struggle. This book will present readers with something of both.

Many of these essays were commissioned explicitly for this volume, while others (for example, those by Robert McAfee Brown and Allan Boesak) were initially printed elsewhere. The strength of this volume lies both in the basic unity of the papers as well as the evenhandedness of the contributions. We have come to expect incisive yet readable contributions from Brown and Boesak, and they do not disappoint. I was, however, thoroughly engaged by the provocative essay by Barbara Green entitled "A Theology of the Enemy." One can only hope she will continue to explore this fascinating topic. Other articles address the ethical issues of war, tax resistance, civil disobedience, the sanctuary movement, and resignation from warrelated vocations. The dangers of the emerging religious nationalism are examined by Douglas Mitchell in an article entitled "Extremism and the Paramilitary Movement."

Theologically grounded, biblically informed, this collection of essays will be a welcome resource to peacemaking studies. What is generally missing in these essays is a reasoned account that explains why some are more supportive than others in matters of protest and resistance. Awareness of biblical and theological justification for protest does not explain why a large proportion of church-goers continue to see contradictions between peacemaking and civil disobedience. Perhaps this was outside the scope of this volume, but addressing the skepticism which some find in the solution of resistance is surely needed as the church considers policy formulations on the issue of civil disobedience. Taken as a whole, this collection of essays presents important lessons in the growing literature in peacemaking and resistance. Such concerns are global, urgent, and, of course, interdenominational. To all who wrestle with

157 - The Peacemaking Struggle: Militarism and Resistance

the ethics of peacemaking, this book contains important, thought-provoking essays about how we say "no" to war and "yes" to God's gift of peace.

Beverly J. Crute, First Presbyterian Church, Willmar, Minn.