Richard T. McSorley, S. J. (1914 - 2002) led an extraordinary life. He survived a World War II prison camp to become one of the great peacemakers of the twentieth century. From struggles against segregation in the late forties to Vietnam War protests in the sixties to condemnation of nuclear weapons in the eighties, McSorley has been on the cutting edge of the great social justice movements of the last half-century. His life crossed paths with many of the world's most notable figures: Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Daniel and Philip Berrigan; the Kennedy family; Bill Clinton; Don Helder Camara; and a host of peace leaders from throughout the world. In this autobiography published six years before his death, McSorley documents his life, his travels throughout Europe, South American, Central America and the Middle East. His descriptions of these events form a backdrop of the real story - his spiritual journey toward active peacemaking and unswerving pacifism. Through it all he weaves the thread of the theology of peace. He applies gospel principles to our social and government structures. McSorley may be best known for his ability to cut through academic arguments to state the truth in the most basic of terms. He counters the justification of war with the biblical call to love enemies. This book is an account of a life devoted to God and of service to the community.

A theological reading of globalization and a global reading of theology. This book offers a rigorously critical, and yet inspiring, vision of justice as an integral part of Christian spirituality in our complex, globalized world. At the same time, Daniel Groody's analysis draws on the conviction that faith and spirituality have an integral role in the struggle to achieve a more just social order.

The “illuminating” (Los Angeles Times) answer to why Israel and Palestine’s attempts at negotiation have failed and a practical, “admirably measured” (The New York Times) roadmap for bringing peace to the Middle East—by an impartial American diplomat experienced in solving international conflicts. George Mitchell knows how to bring peace to troubled regions. He was the primary architect of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland. But when he served as US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace from 2009 to 2011—working to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—diplomacy did not prevail. Now, for the first time, Mitchell offers his insider account of how the Israelis and the Palestinians have progressed (and regressed) in their negotiations through the years and outlines the specific concessions each side must make to finally achieve lasting peace.

Throughout his life Henri Nouwen stressed the connection between intimacy with Christ and solidarity with a wounded world. From his early support for the civil rights movement, through his engagement in the cause of peace, to his life with the handicapped members of the L'Arche community, Nouwen was always immersed with the social as well as the spiritual dimensions of the gospel. In gathering together Nouwen's many writings on peace and social justice, editor John Dear amplifies this crucial element of Nouwen's message about the call of Christian discipleship. At the same time, Nouwen calls on activists to be peacemakers in the fullest sense: to root their witness in prayer, joy, and a spirit of love. For all those who have read and treasured the life and work of Henri Nouwen, The Road to Peace is an inspiration, and a challenge to live our Christian lives with both love and action. Book jacket.

In this brief essay by Henri J.M. Nouwen, one of this century's most inspiring spiritual guides, the subject is peace. Peace is found in weakness, Nouwen says, when we surrender our self-sufficiency. Where we are the weakest, peace is hidden.

What would you do if you were drafted to fight in a war? As a conscientious objector opposed to all wars, Wayne R. Ferren Jr. had to answer that question during the Vietnam War. He called on his religious and scientific backgrounds as well as his environmental activism to argue that he should be excluded from fighting in, or supporting this war. Following a successful defense of his claim, Wayne served two years of alternative civilian service, which influenced his professional and personal life for the next fifty years. Decades after his service, he was shocked to find his name on the Vietnam War Memorial, which turned out to be that of another young man with a similar name born the same year Wayne was born. That man died in 1968 when his plane was hit by artillery fire and crash landed at Khe Sanh Marine Combat Base. He will forever remain a teenage father killed in a senseless war. To this day, the duality haunts the author, and in this multifaceted memoir, he looks back at a lifetime and how his background, scientific training, and transcendentalism have guided him on a path of conscientious objection, service, and conservation, believing all things are sacred.

A beautiful commemorative edition of Dr. Martin Luther King's essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail," part of Dr. King's archives published exclusively by HarperCollins. With an afterword by Reginald Dwayne Betts On April 16, 1923, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., responded to an open letter written and published by eight white clergyman admonishing the civil rights demonstrations happening in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King drafted his seminal response on scraps of paper smuggled into jail. King criticizes his detractors for caring more about order than justice, defends nonviolent protests, and argues for the moral responsibility to obey just laws while disobeying unjust ones. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" proclaims a message - confronting any injustice is an acceptable and righteous reason for civil disobedience. This beautifully designed edition presents Dr. King's speech in its entirety, paying tribute to this extraordinary leader and his immeasurable contribution, and inspiring a new generation of activists dedicated to carrying on the fight for justice and equality.

"Human rights lawyer Shannon Sedgwick Davis runs the Bridgeway Foundation, whose stated mission is to end mass atrocities around the world. When she spoke to survivors of warlord Joseph Kony's brutal attacks across Central Africa, she knew she would fight to ensure every mother there had the right that she had, to sing their children to sleep at night and trust that they will be safe til morning. When nations had failed to shield families in danger, she'd come to hire a private army to protect them. Millions had been affected by the violence of the Lord's Resistance Army, led by Kony, including tens of thousands of children who had been abducted from their homes, swept into the jungles and forced to become child soldiers, never to be seen again. Guided by her faith and driven by her moral responsibility as an activist, Davis pushed tirelessly for intervention, using every contact she had in Washington, to the highest levels of the State Department--but since it wouldn't serve our national interests, the issue languished. Davis's efforts to report on the conflict and help survivors were valuable--but they were putting band-aids on bulletholes. Davis realized that to truly stand by Bridgeway's mission, they would have to become the ones they were waiting for. Davis knew she had to act, but this was uncharted territory and she feared that hiring a private army to stop the LRA might lead to more chaos. The decision weighed heavily on her heart, but when she spoke to her mentor Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he took her hand, and told her to put her fears to rest"--

This is a book about two forms of service that may appear contradictory: war-fighting and peacemaking, military service and social entrepreneurship. In 2001, Marine officer-in-training Rye Barcott cofounded a nongovernmental organization with two Kenyans in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. Their organization-Carolina for Kibera-grew to become a model of a global movement called participatory development, and Barcott continued volunteering with CFK while leading Marines in dangerous places. It Happened on the Way to War is a true story of heartbreak, courage, and the impact that small groups of committed citizens can make in the world.

Throughout the eleven conversations of Peace, Justice, and the Poetic Mind, Buddhist thinker and leader Daisaku Ikeda and Australian peace scholar and activist Stuart Rees explore the diverse conditions that must be in place for peace to flourish and persist. Many of these fall under the banner of social and economic justice, and all constitute expressions of the nonviolent way of life, individually and socially. Adding a unique aspect to the quest for peace and justice, the authors draw attention to the power of poetry to awaken a sense of our common humanity and inspire a commitment to the dignity and well being of others.